Official Trailer for The Beatles’ Original 1970 Film ‘Let It Be’ Restored
by Alex Billington
April 30, 2024
Source: YouTube
“At last…” They’re back again! Disney+ has revealed the main official trailer for a restored re-release of The Beatles classic 1970 film Let It Be, a music documentary about their last performance. This is a follow-up to Peter Jackson’s acclaimed docu-series The Beatles: Get Back, which debuted streaming back in 2021 during the pandemic. Jackson took a lot of footage, re-edited it, and presented it exactly as it was shot to return everyone to 1969/1970 when the band was at the end of their time. This doc film re-release also does the same, with even more footage that wasn’t in the Get Back series. Let It Be is the filmed account of The Beatles’ attempt to recapture their old group spirit by making a back to basics album, which instead drove them further apart. With director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s full support, Apple Corps asked Jackson’s Park Road Post Production to dive into a meticulous restoration of the film from the original 16mm negative, which included lovingly remastering the sound using the same MAL de-mix technology that was applied to the Get Back docuseries. It will be available for streaming in a few weeks on D+. Check out the fresh footage.
Here’s the official 2024 trailer (+ poster) for Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s Let It Be, direct from D+’s YouTube:
“Let It Be was ready to go in October/November 1969, but it didn’t come out until April 1970. One month before its release, The Beatles officially broke up. And so the people went to see Let It Be with sadness in their hearts, thinking, ‘I’ll never see The Beatles together again. I will never have that joy again,’ and it very much darkened the perception of the film. But, in fact, how often do you get to see artists of this stature working together to make what they hear in their heads into songs? And then you get to the roof, and you see their excitement, camaraderie, and sheer joy in playing together again as a group and know, as we do now, that it was the final time, and we view it with the full understanding of who they were and still are and a little poignancy. I was knocked out by what Peter was able to do with Get Back, using all the footage I’d shot 50 years previously.” –Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg
First released in May 1970 amidst the swirl of The Beatles’ breakup, Let It Be now takes its rightful place in the band’s history. Once viewed through a darker lens, it’s now brought to light through its restoration & in the context of revelations brought forth in Peter Jackson’s multiple Emmy Award-winning docuseries, The Beatles: Get Back. Released on Disney+ in 2021, that series showcases the iconic foursome’s warmth and camaraderie, capturing a pivotal moment in music history. Let It Be contains footage not featured in the Get Back series, bringing viewers into the studio and onto Apple Corps’ London rooftop in January 1969 as The Beatles, joined by Billy Preston, write and record their GRAMMY Award-winning album Let It Be, with its Academy Award-winning title song, and perform live for the final time as a group. With the release of The Beatles: Get Back, fan clamour for the original Let It Be film reached a fever pitch. It’s time.
Let It Be is directed by American filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg, making his feature directorial debut in 1970 after directing many, many music videos for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones over the years (later going on to direct more feature films). The film was produced by Neil Aspinall with The Beatles acting as executive producers. The director of photography was Anthony B Richmond. The original film first opened in May 1970 in theaters in the US and UK. This is the first time the film is available in over 50 years. Disney will debut Let It Be streaming on Disney+ starting May 8th, 2024 this summer. Who’s planning to watch?
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