Beatles’ 1970 ‘Let It Be’ documentary, shelved for decades, to air on Disney+

A restored version of “Let It Be,” the 1970 documentary that chronicled the breakup of The Beatles, is coming to Disney+ next month.

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The documentary, directed by Micahel Lindsay-Hogg, will be shown on Disney+ on May 8, Variety reported. It is the same streaming service that aired Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back” docuseries in 2021, which used outtakes from the original film.

Jackson’s Park Road Post Production company used the same technology in “Let It Be” that was employed on the 2021 project, according to the entertainment news website.

The film is returning to general viewership for the first time in 54 years.

Hogg, who defended his film to Rolling Stone in 2021, said in a statement that the longtime negative perception of the movie was because it was released immediately after the band announced its breakup.

“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,” Lindsay-Hogg told the magazine. “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.”

While promoting his docuseries, Jackson stressed that his treatment of the material was meant to complement “Let It Be” and not replace it, Variety reported. He suggested that the two films could be viewed as companion pieces.

“I’m absolutely thrilled that Michael’s movie, ‘Let It Be,’ has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades,” Jackson said in a statement. “I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for ‘Get Back,’ and I’ve always thought that ‘Let It Be’ is needed to complete the ‘Get Back’ story. Over three parts, we showed Michael and the Beatles filming a groundbreaking new documentary, and ‘Let It Be’ is that documentary.

“I now think of it all as one epic story, finally completed after five decades. The two projects support and enhance each other: ‘Let It Be’ is the climax of ‘Get Back,’ while ‘Get Back’ provides a vital missing context for ‘Let It Be.’ Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unfailingly helpful and gracious while I made ‘Get Back,’ and it’s only right that his original movie has the last word… looking and sounding far better than it did in 1970.”

The news of the “Let It Be’s” revival comes days after Ringo Starr’s new single, “February Sky” was released, Rolling Stone reported. It also follows Beyoncé's rendition of “Blackbird” from The Beatles’ “White Album.”

Earlier this year, Sony Pictures announced that Sam Mendes will direct four films centered on each band member, according to the magazine. The films are scheduled to be released in 2027.

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