Let It Be (1970)

The filmed account of the Beatles's attempt to recapture their old group spirit by making a back to basics album, which instead drove them further apart.

Director:

Michael Lindsay-Hogg

Stars:

John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison

Won 1 Oscar. Another 1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Peter Sellers	...	Himself (scenes deleted)

Storyline

A documentary showing both how The Beatles made music together, and how they split up. Hundreds of hours of raw footage was condensed into the final product. The rooftop performance ending the film remains a rock-n-roll archetype.

---

Plot Keywords:

rooftop | guitar | guitar playing | electric guitar | rock music | 

---

Taglines:

An intimate experience on film

---

Genres:

Documentary | Music

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 July 1970 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Déjalo ser

Filming Locations:

Apple Corps, 3 Savile Row, Mayfair, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Apple Corps

Technical Specs

Runtime:

81 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Lennon believed that director Michael Lindsay-Hogg deliberately avoided including shots of he and Yoko Ono in favor of more shots of Paul McCartney. Lennon said he felt that "the camera work was set up to show Paul and not to show anybody else" and that "the people that cut it, cut it as 'Paul is God' and we're just lyin' around ..." Ringo Starr also complained that most of the "clowning" he performed at the director's behest was never used.

---

Goofs

Due to the 2 camera technique used to film most of the scenes, during much of the performances the audio does not match up with the performers. One such example is during the Suzy Parker segment, and again during I Got a Feeling, though this scene was filmed using 5 cameras.

---

Quotes

John Lennon: I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we pass the audition.

---

Connections

Featured in The Beatles Anthology (1995)

---

Soundtracks

Besame Mucho
Performed by The Beatles
Written by Consuelo Velázquez
Published by Apple Records
Courtesy of Apple Records

User Reviews

Let It Be (1970) ***

I believe this candid look inside the troubled world of the later Beatles is a good account of why the world's greatest musical force ultimately broke up. I wouldn't easily recommend it to a "casual" Beatles listener, and certainly not at all would I suggest it for clueless "non-fans". But for the serious fan such as myself, this is fascinating to watch. Paul McCartney was the only Beatle at this point who was interested in trying to keep the band together; George Harrison was too busy getting fed up with Paul for telling him how to play his own guitar; Ringo Starr was lethargic and resigned to being the solemn background drummer; and John Lennon was so in love with Yoko Ono that he couldn't care less what the other three were doing anyway. So, it's this grim reality creeping into the once magical world of the Beatles' recording sessions that is tense and uncomfortable to watch here. But there is no denying that it's all frank, in-your-face, and well captured.

But it's not all ugliness. When Billy Preston is invited in for an inspired jam session, for example, everything seems like fun and games again. And the impromptu rooftop concert at the end of the movie displays The Fab Four at their best, playing great music together and having a lot of fun one last time as a unit, almost in spite of themselves. Of course, even with all its warts, there's always the music. Classic songs like "Two of Us," "I've Got a Feeling," "Don't Let Me Down," The Long and Winding Road," "Get Back," and the appropriate title tune itself are always there to make us feel good again. *** out of ****