The Beatles’ documentary Let It Be is set to be re-released on May 8 on Disney+. Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr recently expressed his view on the restored version and said there was “not a lot of joy in it”. The 1970 film was first released in cinemas more than five decades ago and is difficult to obtain, leading to bootlegging. It features footage of the band while they were writing and recording their 12th and final studio album of the same name in January 1969 at London’s Twickenham Film Studios. The band moves to the headquarters of their company Apple Corps on Savile Row for further rehearsals and the iconic rooftop concert – the four Beatles’ last performance together as a group – later in the film.
Starr talked about the restored version of the documentary in an interview with Associated Press. “For me, not a lot of joy in it. It’s from the point of view of the director, and that was up to him. We found 56 hours of unused tape, we found it and Peter Jackson put his heart and soul into it and it works really well. It’s great because you’ll get another chance to see us on the roof.” Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson used state-of-the-art digital technology to restore the 55-year-old film reels to crisp, modern quality.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the director of Let It Be, says that when Peter got involved for the Get Back docuseries, another documentary featuring extra archive material from the Let It Be shoot, he had to restore the original footage and archive material, as the original print wasn’t in good condition. The new cut of Let It Be is mostly the same as the original, with an introduction from Jackson and Lindsay-Hogg about the project. Lindsay-Hogg and his director of photography, Anthony Richmond, wanted the film to retain some of its “filmic” charm and requested a slight change in presentation from Get Back.
Starr had also expressed similar sentiments about the film in the past. “I didn’t feel any joy in the original documentary, it was all focused on one moment which went down between two of the lads [McCartney and Harrison]. The rooftop concert was also only about seven to eight minutes long. With Peter’s [documentary], it’s 43 minutes long.” Despite the lack of joy expressed by Starr, Let It Be is considered an important film for Beatles fans as it captures their final days as a band
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