Let It Be (1970) User Reviews

Let It Be (1970) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 8/10 · 12 June 2004]

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 ****

PLEASE, RELEASE IT!!

[f.gimenez · 10/10 · 10 November 2001]

I watched this Beatles documentary for the first time when it was released for the second time in the Spanish theaters in 1980.

I enjoyed it very much in spite of being 10 years old, because a friend of mine had the "Let it be" tape and we used to listen to it very often and we both knew all the songs pretty well. We had a splendid time.

Now I have a copy in VHS of the film and I use to watch it from time to time.

I know it´s mostly a documentary about The Beatles break-up which is kind of sad, but it would be unfair to say the film is not most enjoyable and besides the rehearsals and the arguments, it ends with the very last Beatles concert, (the famous rooftop concert).

The Beatles were four guys who spent some six years together 24 hours a day, "eight days a week" as they would say, working very hard, dealing with all kind of stressing events and it´s logical they split up in the end. Fame is very expensive. George Harrison explains it very well in the last chapter of The Beatles Anthology: "The fans gave the money and the screams, and The Beatles kind of gave their nervous systems...". And I agree with him. It had to be hell!.

None of the four Beatles was to blame for their break-up, that´s something that just had to happen.

If you ever have the chance of watching this film, just do it. It´s a must for all the Beatles fans and all the music lovers.

I hope this gem is released in DVD with lots of extras in the near future!!. Please, release it!!.

Long live the Beatles!.

"Nothing's Going To Change My World" ...

[Spondonman · 9/10 · 22 February 2009]

As a life-long Beatles fan don't expect objectivity here - I first saw this in the early 70's and found it riveting … and got the same feeling tonight. This was an early ordinary rockumentary about 4 ordinary yet very talented blokes in their late 20's at the peak of their creative powers, in the process of readjustment to being mere hairy bickering mortals again after experiencing a few years of quasi-godhood. "Mr. Epstein" was long dead although Paul was trying to fill his shoes, and their Apple Empire was shrinking. The Beatles almost on their own created intelligent pop/rock music, which imho has not moved on since 1969 where they left it. There have been many excellent innovative and intelligent rock bands that have come and gone since, many borrowing and adapting from the Beatles back catalogue – however I don't count the many cash-in rip-off bands such as Oasis. Has anyone since not ripped them off at some point? I've lost count of the number of times over the decades I've heard a "new" piece of music and said to myself "I've heard that before somewhere – ah yes, such and such by the Beatles". Apart from the quantum leaps in sound technology since then nothing of any lasting musical value has been added – there has been no progression. Led Zeppelin filled stadia – but did they fill billions of hearts? Queen was popular – but did they rule the world? Pop and rock music may have always been ephemeral, but along with Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Lata Mangeshkar, Frank Sinatra and Jimi Hendrix the Beatles weren't. Never mind about their timeless music, they even managed to look timeless while everyone else around them in here looked dated by the early '70's. God works in mysterious ways.

John, Paul, George and Ringo got together first in Twickenham Studios then in the Apple basement in January 1969 to rehearse some new songs with the assistance of almost-5th Beatle Billy Preston (and occasionally actual-5th Beatle George Martin) and with the hope of playing live again sometime soon. Yoko (definitely not 5th Beatle) would have probably been on stage with them. As it turned out on they only made it to the Apple roof on 30th January, disturbing the peace of the police on the streets of London below. The Rolling Stone review of the film from 9th July 1970 that I remember so well was typically over-reverential but had some telling points – the first being how deliberately grainy the photography was which still can take some getting used to and that there was over 800 hours of footage from 4 cameras to edit down to the brief 80 minutes we got. How on Earth can it ever be properly remastered and will more ever be officially available in our lifetimes? Maybe we should also bear in mind that the film was to be called Get Back as a return to simplicity for the band, and that McCartney originally penned racist lyrics for this sublime song which thankfully weren't incorporated into any of the final versions. There's a lot of classic pop music in here – from their own then new stuff to rock'n'roll standards from the '50's, which the Beatles were in an ideal and unchallengeable position to translate for listeners both of the Old World of pop and the New World of rock that they left behind them.

Highlights: A splendid cod version of Bessame Mucho from McCartney; a loving version of You Really Got A Hold On Me from Lennon; the videos for Two Of Us, Let It Be, Long And Winding Road; and Get Back, Don't Let Me Down up on the freezing roof; so many others. Overall: to a fan, a beautiful and sad account of a unique group of individuals struggling and failing against disintegration; this should also be essential viewing to fans of intelligent pop/rock music who might have sometimes wondered where U2, Bon Jovi, Kings Of Leon et al came from – so far though, this was the artistic pinnacle.

Let It Be...Remade.

[TheRowdyMan · 7/10 · 23 September 2004]

The final (and most infamous) film by The Beatles is a fly-on-the-wall documentary that captures the band during the tense rehearsal and recording sessions for what would turn out to be the last album released by the group.

The biggest problem with this movie is that the movie itself doesn't live up to it's legend. This film is like finding a stack your best friends holiday movies and watching them without your friend telling you where they where shot or what was happening in them. In the context of cinema verite, this could be an exciting prospect, however even the films of cinema verite throw you a few bones now and then.

If you didn't know anything about the Fab Four's later years this is what you'll get out this movie: a band jamming in sound stage then cut away to the band jamming in building then cut away to the band jamming on roof - the end. The film only works if you have piror knowledge of the events of early 1969 that lead to the band demise. Thus film itself suffers from the same hurdle that most rock movies of this time come across: a lack of narrative. Why are they on the roof? What is the building they're jamming in, are they recording? Where's the control room or desk? Worst of all, is that out of nearly a month of filming there was the footage that could rectify this.

In 1996's 'The Beatles Anthology' we got the scenes of the band and crew discussing the concert on the roof, talking to the crew about why they chose a sound stage and more importantly the aims of the whole 'Get Back' project. In this version, we don't even get a hint that there's a project going on in the first place.

Even adding some subtitles at the bottom of the screen could give the audience members who aren't fanboys a clue of time and place. Instead what we have is film that's mostly performance based with a collection of random and bearly auditable sound bites. What could have been a study in the disintegration of a major rock group becomes the first example of those "on-tour" DVD's that show your favourite band goofing off to hand held cameras for 70 minutes.

The one scene that does give us a clue is the infamous Paul and George argument. This one scene jump out of nowhere as if the editor forgot to cut it out. The rest of the film, however has a very light and somewhat directionless feel to it.

On it's first cut, this film ran for an epic 3 1/2 hours and included many of the mentioned scenes including when Peter Sellers visits the band during a session. But all this was trimmed down by The Beatles (without J & Y) to a short 80 minutes on only it's second cut. And Lindsay-Hogg, not knowing (like the rest of the world) that the Beatles were almost through, saw no other option then to put together a scatter-shot fluff piece from hundreds of hours worth of footage to fulfil a six year old contract the band had with United Artists from way back in the Beatlemania days.

If this film ever gets re-released, it would be great to see a total redux. This would include all the meetings the band has with the crew, the on camera interviews with Paul and of course some of the tense moments that occurred while making the movie. Yes, there is the famous scene of Paul and George arguing over how the lead to 'I've Got A Feeling' should be played but for the rest of the bickering that most Beatles fans have heard on bootlegs of outtakes have all been glossed over.

On the positive side - the performances are great. Even if 'Let It Be' did boast some of the fabs weakest efforts the music is still worth sitting through the seemingly pointless scenes of dialogue. In saying this, 'Let It Be' is not a bad movie, in fact I'd say it's a great movie that's been miss treated and poorly hacked up. Which is why it's only worth it if you know enough already to read between the lines.

Very glad to have finally seen Let It Be after so many missed opportunities...

[tavm · 10/10 · 4 January 2009]

Having never seen any VHS copies of this last Beatles movie and since it will probably be a very long time before it gets on DVD, I was stoked when I found out YouTube had this uploaded since the later part of summer 2007 and it was still there. All the things director Michael Lindsay-Hogg filmed were fascinating to me especially when Ringo played some piano with Paul or when John and Yoko danced or when Heather-a young pre-teen who's Paul's future wife Linda's daughter from a previous marriage-hung around the Apple Studios. (Oh, and while I did know of George's argument with Paul over George's guitar playing from an outtake that was used in "The Beatles' Anthology", only Paul's explanation to him about that is in here.) Then there's organ pianist Billy Preston who might have officially become the fifth Beatle had the group not split up some time after this film. The real exciting part was the legendary rooftop concert that caused some traffic and had Paul ad libbing some lines about getting arrested at the end of "Get Back"! What a way to end the film and loved hearing mostly positive comments from the crowd below. So on that note, Let It Be is very essential viewing for all Beatles fans or just any that loves good music performed live on film.

Twilight of the Gods..

[Lejink · 8/10 · 18 January 2010]

Another watched in-flight movie on my IPod, "Let it Be" for my money now stands as an honest and convincing testimony to the talent and stature of The Beatles, even as one can sense the ties that bind loosening them individually in front of you.

Of course there's a sadness and elegiac sensation for fans in watching this "posthumous" film and it's also fair to say the music isn't always top-drawer Beatles - only McCartney brings his best work to the party, although John and especially George would recover their chops in time for "Abbey Road". Sure, too the playing's a bit sloppy at times but there's never a moment when there isn't fascination at something going on on-screen. And for-by much is made of Paul and George's spat (with John acting as unlikely peace-maker) and the at times tired and dishevelled appearance of the guys themselves, there are many other revealing and rewarding vignettes, even before director Michael Lindsay-Hogg, corrals the band for three assured in-studio video performances (all, significantly, of Macca tracks) and then the great idea (since aped by the Stones and U2) of playing their new stuff live on Apple's roof, on a biting cold Jamuary day. It was also inspired of Lindsay-Hogg to intersperse the general public's comments before the group brings the "audition" to a close.

The photography is great, the four stepping into life from their iconic White Album photos and I enjoyed the honest but fair editing applied to what was by all accounts a massively over-recorded exercise. Favourite moments for me include Paul and Ringo's boogie-woogie piano run-through, George assisting Ringo with the writing of "Octopus's Garden" and of course that final run-through of "Get Back" on the roof, with Paul surprisingly getting in some improvised anti-Establishment digs before the police pulled the plug.

Of all the concerts that ever have been or ever will be, that 20 minute Apple gig is the one I wish I could have been at. And surely even if slightly Pyrrhically, the great music they produce over the last thirty minutes or so of the film justifies the raison-d'etre of the film, working up the songs from in-progress to issuable level.

Strangely cool

[Shaolin_Apu · 10/10 · 29 July 2006]

The Beatles is probably the most famous musical act ever that has been on the ground of this Earth. That said the movie 'Let It Be' presents the group at a stage where they were about to break-up. They were not at their best during the filming, but what is shown in the movie is still about the most fabulous thing ever to see. There is no way anymore to get any closer to them than the 'Let It Be' movie.

John, Paul, George and Ringo will perform nicely raw versions of their famous hit songs. They haven't yet figured out all the lyrics yet but it's still nice to hear any the songs in a unfinished stage. The movie will also show you how they were playing some of their oldies as a warm up songs before starting with another take of their newer songs.

The atmosphere seems to be bit dark, Lennon is passive and Paul is clearly the one who is steering the ship now. Some visitors who appear at the studio make the daylight occasionally shine but as a better than nothing solution the rooftop concert in the end is "really enjoyable" like one of the passers-by say. It's all somehow sad, but strangely cool .

An important historical film!

[peeedeee-94281 · 10/10 · 11 October 2018]

There are many opinions on the movie itself and how it comes across. Personally, I think it's great because you get a look into the Beatles creative process. There isn't any other album they recorded where we get film footage of them creating their music. It wasn't a good time for the group. They already had a lot of friction during the making of The White Album. Paul gets a lot of flack for coming across as being bossy, but think about it, if Paul wasn't the driving force behind keeping the group going, they would have split up during the making of the White Album. We wouldn't have had any of the music that came after, and there would definitely be no Abbey Road, their masterpiece. If there is any concerns about how negative this film makes the group look, they could always alter it slightly, by putting an epilogue indicating that the group decided they would set their differences aside to record one final album with all of them fully participating, and that album would be Abbey Road. Now if the legal issues that keep holding this film up could be put aside and a blu ray with extra footage be released! Anything the Beatles release sells well, they know that, and this movie will not be any exception. They could also increase revenue with a limited theatrical release just prior to the blu ray's release. So many possibilities with this movie. Stop arguing over how to put it out and just Let It Be!

Poorly Done

[crumpytv · 3/10 · 10 December 2021]

I didn't watch this until today. As there was so much talk about it chronicling the break up of the Beatles, I didn't want to see it back in 1969 or since.

However, having seen Peter Jackson's far superior Get Back (2021) and seeing nothing of note to indicate a falling apart, I thought I would watch the original to see if there was any difference in content.

Well, there wasn't. The stuff about Yoko causing disharmony during these sessions, as far as the recorded evidence is concerned, is nonsense. She was there, but she didn't interfere or say anything. Things may have happened off camera, because they were all very conscious of being filmed. It shows more in Get Back than Let it Be.

As a standalone film this was very badly done. The editing is atrocious, the film quality is poor and the sound is not good.

There is no story here, it is just a hotchpotch of film edited together, and not always in sequence. The snips of the police and the roof-top concert being a case in point.

Thankfully a far better documentary of the same sessions has now been released.

"Let it Be": Amidst Acrimony springs Majestic Music

[jtncsmistad · 8/10 · 1 October 2018]

The Beatles were on the verge of permanent implosion from within when the landmark documentary "Let if Be" was filmed. The iconic band could hardly stand to be in the same room with one another at this point, let alone continue on as the greatest popular music group the world will ever know.

Still, having watched this fascinating chronicle again after several years, I was struck with this one prevailing notion.

That is clearly just how much dang fun these legendary Liverpudlians were having when they put all the business and inflated ego BS aside, cranked up the amps and launched full force into exactly what they ever really wanted to do from the beginning.

Rock our as--- right straight off.

The first "reality show"

[cdirani · 9/10 · 6 November 2003]

The Beatles were not only a group that challenged the recording industry, and of course, the world of entertainment. They acted also as avant-gardè multi-media artists.

Not only they helped improving the pop music marketing with their innovative LP packages and stuff but also created new kind of media that would become a mania in the XXI century: the reality show. Yes, almost 100% of the scenes shown on Let It Be are cine realitè - the bare truth captured by the lens of cameras directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg.

In fact, although the band was working on the edge of their break-up, almost 90% of the scenes are cheerful and enjoyable. The main bulk of the footage shows Paul McCartney trying to find ways of enhance the Beatles performing and figuring out what to do in the future. Although John Lennon seems to be distracted by his future wife presence, Yoko Ono, he also looks to be happy playing and having fun - even dancing around to the sound of I Me Mine, sung by George.

By the way, George Harrison the most "unhappy" character also appears on the film having a ball singing rock and roll tunes. The lowest point (or highest, depending on the way you look at it) seems to be a row he had with Paul, but it only consumes about 5 minutes of the whole picture.

At last but not the least, Ringo Starr is shown for the first time ever playing a song - Octopus's Garden - that would later take part of Abbey Road - the LP that marked the end of the Fab Four as a group, but the begining of the Beatles as an universal legend.

Absolutely, Positively, Incredible!

[bnwfilmbuff · 10/10 · 28 June 2017]

Paul on the piano knocking out a classical piece; George helping Ringo compose Octopus's Garden on the piano; John and Yoko dancing to George's I, Me, Mine; John doing the slide guitar on his lap for George's For You Blue; Paul and Ringo pounding out some blues on the piano; Paul doing the beautiful un-Phil Spectorized version of The Long and Winding Road with a strong assist from the group and Billy Preston which was preceded by a gorgeous version of Let It Be; And it all culminates with the concert on the roof that frankly defies description. For all the things that I've read about the difficulty of these sessions, and some of that comes through in the movie, once they got going they sure all seemed to be enjoying themselves. If you're a fan this is a must. Even if you're not, it's great to revisit the late 60's Beatles. I'd have given it a 20 if I could!

Why Paul Was The Coolest Beatle

[slokes · 5/10 · 17 December 2003]

It's fitting that the film opens with a shot of the drumstand logo 'The Beatles' set slightly askew. We then see the same logo lifted up and set atop a canvas-covered piano by a roadie, Mal Evans. The room is dark and hushed, and Mal and a single helper are the only people in sight, as if the Beatles already broke up 15 minutes before the movie began. What we are about to witness, apparently, is not a rock band but a museum exhibit.

But wait! The Fabs are still together...albeit barely. "Let It Be" catalogs the disintegration of the world's most famous rock band. It's true they kept playing for nearly 12 months after they were filmed making this rockumentary, and did better work, too, but you can see the clock ticking.

The good thing about this movie is you feel like someone floating in the wings while the dynamic foursome try to figure out their newest set of songs and whether they are any good. Some of them, like "The Long And Winding Road," "I Me Mine," "Get Back," "Two Of Us," and the title song, are not just good but enduring classics, though they would need some sweetening at the producer's console to achieve their final form. You hear the Beatles candidly chat with each other and the others hanging around the recording sessions. For Beatles fans, this is vital material, and you are well advised to hang on through to the rooftop sequence that ends the picture, not because it is the best thing in the movie (it is, but the band is flat and the show was over too quickly) but because you do get a feeling of the world's greatest band ever kicking out the jams and rediscovering a fragment of their greatness for the sake of a lunchtime crowd in London's trendy Savile Row (as a vicar says when asked by someone with a camera: "It's nice to get something for free in this country.")

The bad news is at least three of the four principal players in this drama seem to mind you floating in the wings and wish you'd go away. John, Ringo, and especially George were stressed out at the presence of the cameras and stare at the lenses with a mordant, frumpy cast. You can't blame them because the band (or at least the three of them) had little in the way of apparent material to offer. But you wait in vain for them to sort things out and become the band they really were in the recording studio. They never emerge from their funks, and "Let It Be" never quite becomes a good movie because of it.

The fourth band member is a different story. Paul McCartney was the guy who put the cameras in Twickenham and Apple Studios. "Let It Be" was his brainchild, and it shows. While the others snub the lens, Paul catches your eye with a lingering look that reads: "Where were you? I've been waiting all morning for you to show up. Look what I've come up for you on the piano. You like it?" Paul's inviting gaze and pleasing personality go a long way to make "Let It Be" endurable. You come to seek him out in every frame. But unless you are a fan, of Paul and/or the Beatles, it's not enough to make it worthwhile.

I am a Paul and Beatles fan. So what do I enjoy? The quick-tempo version of "Two Of Us" with Paul and John scat-singing face-to-face, snarling Presley-like at each other for easy laughs while John's girlfriend Yoko Ono sulks on the sidelines. The account Paul gives of watching footage from the group's then-recent visit to Rishikesh, India and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, how he watched John board a helicopter with the "holy" man and remembered John later explaining he wanted to see if Yogi would "slip you the answer" en route, is exactly how Paul describes it later on the Beatles' Anthology, except in "Let It Be" you get to see him telling this anecdote to John directly. I even like the rooftop sequence. It's overrated as a performance; the band is out of tune even with talented keyboardist Billy Preston offering some needed life support. Even many people who like "Let It Be" the album won't like this section, which is only the best part of the movie. As I said, you have to be a Beatles fan to want to see "Let It Be," but like a JFK admirer watching the Zapruder film, saying you'll enjoy it is another matter.

The two best things about this movie, for the casual fan: One is you get to see how much of a drag it is to record music in a studio, even eventual rock standards. Two is you discover the genesis of the verb 'To Yoko,' meaning 'to totally conform your significant other to your thinking, alienating him/her (usually him) from any previous personal association in the process.' If you slow this film down slowly enough, you can literally see John's inner being sucked out of his head.

But for great Beatles music, go elsewhere. This is sociology, not entertainment.

Paradoxically an awful yet important movie to see.

[alfiecycling · 10/10 · 24 November 2014]

Being a lifelong Beatles fan, this review is difficult to compose. I was in grammar school when they were making gold records and I, like many of my contemporaries, felt the beauty of their music. So when it comes to films, they were nowhere near as successful. Let It Be is without question their worst movie. But is, however, a film that should be salvaged one fine day.

Ringo temporarily quit during the White Album sessions and a few months later, George temporarily quit during the Let It Be sessions. That speaks volumes about the toxic problems they were experiencing and it shows in this reality-style film.

Obviously their impromptu rooftop concert that ended with John's witty repartee, should not be missed.

the end

[HelloTexas11 · 7/10 · 10 December 2007]

It's impossible for a Beatles fan such as myself to be objective about 'Let It Be,' so this is more remembrance than review. For example, I remember being 14 years old, picking up the newspaper one day and seeing a small headline that read, "Beatles back together!" or something similar. This, I thought, was good news even though I wasn't really aware that they had permanently split. The headline as it turns out was misleading, to say the least. It simply meant that 'Let It Be,' the movie, was finally opening in our town. I didn't see it then; it was several years later, when it was a staple at 'midnight movie' showings (as was 'Magical Mystery Tour'). The average non-Beatles-loving film critic typically describes 'Let It Be' as slow-moving, boring in places, with only one really good scene- the rooftop concert at the end. For someone though who's early life played to an ongoing soundtrack of Beatle songs, 'Let It Be' is a wistful, sad, occasionally funny, open yet closed look at our heroes as they make preparations for their own funeral. The Beatles actually would continue for another year after the film was shot (they had yet to make 'Abbey Road,' for instance), but it is clear that 'Let It Be' catches them at as low a point as they were to reach in many ways. John sings but talks very little; he was into 'non-verbal communication' at the time, which basically meant staring blankly at other people and not answering them. When you consider there were hundreds of hours shot and Lennon was famous for his wit, it is a bit depressing that what we see in these ninety minutes was considered the best footage available of him. George Harrison is somewhat more talkative and not very happy either; he tries to appear reasonable but it's clear that Paul McCartney is like a festering wound to him that won't heal or go away. At times this animosity boils over (though only occasionally in the released version; there are many more examples in the unreleased footage) such as the infamous exchange between Paul and George during a dispute over how George should play a guitar part. "I'll play whatever you want me to play, or I won't play at all if you don't want me to play," Harrison snaps. "Whatever it is that will please you, I'll do it." Ringo provides a comforting presence, his hang-dog, neither here nor there expression almost uplifting given the circumstances. The only one of the four who seems able to muster enthusiasm for the project, or anything else for that matter, is Paul McCartney. He is seen throughout as cajoling, joking, arguing, pestering, and in general urging the others on, suggesting ideas for the film and beyond. Depending on one's point of view and opinion of McCartney, he is either the one Beatle still trying to create magic, or a colossal pain in the ass. It seems clear the other Beatles consider him the latter, at least at this point in time. There are lots of off-key rehearsals in the film, but also a few finished set-pieces, mainly of McCartney songs like 'Two Of Us' and the title track, which is a wonderfully subdued performance by the four. Still, by this point in the movie, one begins to feel that the only way 'Let It Be' can redeem itself is by all four Beatles setting up their amps and drum kit somewhere and playing some good old rock and roll. Which is exactly what they do, on the rooftop of the Apple building. For the last twenty minutes or so, all the bad vibes magically, mysteriously vanish and the Beatles are the Beatles again, charging through 'Get Back,' 'I've Got A Feeling,' 'Don't Let Me Down,' and 'One After 909', before reprising 'Get Back' as London police show up to wag their fingers and tell the Fab Four to turn that noise down. It's a great, funny, energetic scene that has since passed into legend, and rightfully so. And it sees 'Let It Be' ending on just the right note, as our heroes exit the stage for the last time.

Let it Be... Released on DVD for Pete Sakes!!

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 14 April 2009]

OK, so let me get this straight: Magical Mystery Tour, which I've yet to see but have heard is quite bad and pretentious and dated, is allowed to be on DVD, but *this* is banned by the 1/2 Beatles? Why? Because at one point Paul and George have a little argument over a song? As the British would say, bullocks! What they show in the film of arguments and sulking is what happens in ANY band, and in fact is usually much worse - I was almost surprised there wasn't more of the taped back-and-forth exchanged in the film, given what's been said how bad it got amongst the fab four during their final year in recording, particularly on Let it Be aka Get Back (the most chilling thing overall is the presence Yoko, who keeps popping up looking like she could duke it out with Bergman's Seventh Seal Death dude and probably win).

While I watched it on a reasonable if as a given muddy and slightly scratchy transfer online on bootleg, it was pretty much the film intact as it played almost 40 years ago. What makes it a must-see is not the direction, which is at best competent and at worst the weakest thing going for it - sadly, Al Maysles was already taken by the Stones, as his eye would have been perfect - but the Beatles and the music. I'd argue after watching this and listening to Let it Be... Naked that the majority of the songs are as great as the main tracks on Abbey Road. Indeed a few of the songs in the movie here, Maxwell Silver Hammer, Octopus Garden, wound up on that album, and are practically interchangeable from the rest of the output.

We see the Beatles do what they do best, be Beatles, play and work out the kinks in classic songs, and also the camaraderie that shows what underneath the image given by the other goofier movies that they were simply incredibly talented musicians. This is evidenced by the scenes where they don't actually play or rehearse their own songs but goof around, play rhythm and blues tunes and even at one point a mariachi number sung by Paul! There's not a lot of time spent with them just talking or shooting the s**t - at most we get some reminiscing between Paul and John about the Maharishi or some noodling around here and there between takes. It's not even entirely accurate to say it's documentary, as it's more like an all encompassing, authentic home movie with some extra cash to spare on cameras and editing.

It all leads up to that rooftop concert that is still one of those big bad-ass moments in rock and roll history (if, again, not filmed with the best lenses or cameramen, it was perhaps a given that they had to shoot it on the fly). The energy and fun comes through all the way, and contrary to the film's reputation Let it Be shows the Beatles as having fun and doing what they do best even in what was their darkest, near-end period. Maybe there's a longer cut out there that shows more of the arguments, more bickering back and forth and maybe some of Yoko leering on like a supernatural delusion. For me, at least, I'd rather not see it: what remains, and what should for God sakes be shown to a wider and more receptive Beatles audience, is very good stuff. 8.5/10

The Beginning Of The End

[Seamus2829 · 9/10 · 19 December 2008]

Let It Be started out as a documentary about The Beatles recording material for what was to be their next album. What director Michael Lindsay Hogg got instead was a documentary about a band who's best days were (unfortunately)behind them & were obviously tired of it all and each other. Hogg shot something like 100 hours,or so,of footage of the Beatles in an glum,dour & sometimes depressed state of mind,and the look on their faces (especially Ringo's)expresses this. The film is broken up in four parts. The first,filmed at Twickenham Studios finds them rehearsing songs,getting in some heated debates,all the time with Paul McCartney trying to be boss of the band (at least in front of the camera). The second part takes place in the basement studios at their Apple Records building,as they jam on some of the oldies that they loved in their youth. In this sequence,they at least seem to be in a somewhat better state of mind (but you could tell that things were far from ginger peachy among them). The third sequence finds them performing what looks like a pre cursor to the MTV style of music video,with the band (with Billy Preston,on organ)playing 'Two Of Us','Let It Be',and a far superior version of 'The Long & Winding Road',without the cloying strings of Phil Spector in the background. The last,and best sequence of the film finds them playing what would be the final public performance of the Beatles,live on the roof of Apple Records for the famous (infamous)free,lunch time concert,which would eventually be shut down by the local Police (also featuring Billy Preston on electric piano). This is a sad,but worthy film for old & new Beatle fans. Although this film earned a 'G' rating by the MPAA in 1970, it does contain a bit of off colour language that'll probably go over the heads of most folk

Just unbelievable masterpiece

[ebiros2 · 10/10 · 20 October 2005]

This movie shows the tension the Beatles were going through at the time that eventually lead up to their breakup. Paul being too bossy, trying to control every phrasing other members are playing, and George finally saying "Okay, okay, I'll play whatever you want me to play, I won't play if you don't want me to play, just tell me what you want."

Whatever their problems might have been, when they decided to play for real, their music and delivery remained spirited, and pristine.

What impresses me about the Beatles watching this movie is that they can deliver any melody with incredible power behind it, and they can still play beautiful melody, and switch back and forth between them. Unlike the more modern bands who mistake ugliness and distortion as power, these folks had real power and that's what I think made them so great ( and no one can match them in this area even to this day) .

So my insight after seeing this movie to the up and coming musicians is learn how to play beautiful melody first, and then practice backing it up with more and more power. Too many people try to take short cuts because people thinks (mistakenly) technology makes this possible. The result is all the garbage that's out there now.

This is an unbelievably good documentary movie (about the Beatles). What's striking is how good they were and none of them were 30 yet when they filmed this movie. The concert at the roof top was so good. They were good both live and in the studio in this movie. We probably won't see the likes of them for a long time.

So sad but what was with The Beatles?

[stevenfallonnyc · 8 August 2003]

As everyone knows, "Let It Be" shows The Beatles making that album and we all get to observe the group falling apart before our eyes. That of course, is very sad. But really....not to go on a subject spoken about a billion times, but really, one has to wonder why all those guys allowed Yoko Ono anywhere near the recording studio.

I say "all those guys" because John, while turning into a major wuss with Yoko, isn't all to blame. Paul, George, and Ringo should have demanded Yoko leave the work area immediately the first time John brought her around....maybe they did and they all had numerous huge fights? As a musician myself, this may sound "sexist" but I don't care because it isn't, when your band is recording music, you don't let your girlfriend or your wife hang around in the middle of everything, all the time. A visit here and there, fine...but really, it's sickening seeing photos and footage of the utterly talentless Yoko Ono with The Beatles as they record, produce at the board, etc.

I read in Linda McCartney's photo book, that when she called The Beatles over to photograph them for the single sleeve, she was shocked that Yoko also joined in on the picture. She was so shocked, she didn't say anything. But the question is, why didn't The BEATLES do anything about all this?

John obviously had no idea how whipped he had become and how foolish he was looking. Every so often when Yoko wasn't around, John from the late 60's onward would sometimes slip back from "serious and deep" John to the lovable, playful John of earlier times in various photos from the era for instance. But when Yoko's influence was around, John suffocated. The sad thing is, he probably really believed she was good for him.

When the other Beatles weren't having classic fights with John about Yoko (fights no one really knows details about but them, but you know they happened) they were probably laughing at him behind his back, at what a wuss he had become.

John was much better at being a human clown genius then a deep serious one - with his overrated "Imagine" song being the possible low point of John's deepness. How can he sing "Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can," when he wrote the song on a huge $50,000 grand piano, in his mansion, on countless acres of beautiful land? I wonder if JOHN can ever "imagine" no possessions?

Probably not. After all, he did answer "count the money" when asked what he'd do after The Beatles ended. Did he change? He maybe wanted everyone to think he did...but the glimpses of old, happy-go-lucky John are the best.

Best musical sequence (before the rooftop concert) is "Two of Us," a great song and a good showing of how easily The Beatles just do their thing and play.

As a film, "Let It Be" is nothing special at all, but anyone into or interested in The Beatles will love it, because those people (as I am) would love anything The Beatles are on, just for the sake of seeing them.

And the famous George and Paul scene...just because George didn't tell Paul where to go, don't think he *never" told him....

"... and I hope we pass the audition"

[ackstasis · 7/10 · 7 October 2010]

The Beatles were involved in five feature-length projects as a band. Certainly, 'Let it Be (1970)' is a far, far cry from 'A Hard Day's Night(1964)' and 'Help! (1965),' which were enjoyable, slightly goofy, comedies featuring the band at the height of their fame. Michael Lindsay-Hogg's documentary, on the other hand, is a fly-on-the-wall account of rehearsals and recording for the Beatles' final studio album. Though commissioned by The Beatles, originally as a television special, this is not a puff piece; instead, it documents a musical group struggling to hold together. The band members each sport untamed, unflattering facial hair; John Lennon has a constant shadow watching silently from his side; Ringo looks bored most of the time.

But there's some great music hidden in there amid the rabble of rehearsals. It's particularly awesome to see the musicians, particularly George and John, really getting into a performance of "Dig It!" (a terrific jam-piece unfairly shortened for the final album release). The documentary, of course, culminates with the Beatles' final public performance from the rooftop of Apple Studios, which brought street-traffic to a screeching halt, and had policemen milling around confusedly. John signs off with the memorable line, "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we pass the audition"(fans of "The Simpsons" will no doubt note parallels with the rise-and-fall of barbershop quartet The Be Sharps).

There are a few curious things about this film. The theatrical cut was rased from a 210-minute rough edit, the final editing performed in the absence of John and Yoko. It's astonishing how Lindsay-Hogg wordlessly condemns Yoko Ono; his camera regards her with something bordering on contempt. By unexpectedly cutting away to her, always silent and watching, during the band's rehearsals, the director underscores the intrusiveness of her presence. She shouldn't be there, and we know it. Based on what I'd heard, I had anticipated a few more heated arguments between the band members. There's a fair bit of frustration evident, particularly towards the officious Paul, but probably nothing that spelled immediate doom for The Beatles.

Beatles lost film

[evrunis · 7/10 · 14 October 2021]

Not a bad doco as it's a film of its time with the director stuck in the middle of filming the greatest band in the world break up , worth it alone to see the final roof concert and things like george arguing with Paul which will probably be out of Jackson's upbeat view of this time in the Beatles legacy in his version, if not officially released try track it down on YouTube or bootleg DVD .

Depressing but fascinating

[preppy-3 · 8/10 · 8 December 2011]

Documentary of the Beatles recording their last album "Let It Be". It was supposed to show a live functioning group happily working. Instead we get the Beatles arguing a lot and tearing each other apart verbally. It's unpleasant to watch--especially if you're a Beatles fan like me. Still the movie is fascinating to watch to see the Beatles interacting and developing songs. I caught this multiple times at a revival theatre in the 1980s (they ALWAYS showed it with "Help" and "Yellow Submarine"). Audiences loved it and it was a lot of fun to hear people booing and hissing whenever Yoko Ono or Linda McCartney popped up (everybody blamed them for the Beatles breaking up--which isn't true). The film was very grainy and (at times) inaudible but I still loved it. The rooftop concert at the end was a lot of fun (and imitated in "Across the Universe"). So it is depressing but fascinating. I give it an 8. Recommended for Beatles fans only.

The greatest band ever and the Oscar award - who could ask for more ?

[jedralski · 15 February 2001]

Oscar awarded documentary about Beatles final sessions. Great occasion to peep behind the big scene and see The Fab Four working in the studio. Amazing picture that must be seen not only by Beatles fans, but by all good movies lovers. An undeniably classic with lots of legendary tunes.

Beatles' home movie

[Tuck_Frump · 10/10 · 29 December 2006]

What more can one ask for than the greatest rock band in history jamming, feuding, joking, creating and for the finale, performing live on a London rooftop? The reason why this movie is sometimes panned is because of how ragged their (the Beatles) playing was at times. That is the good stuff to me,and for people that love the album. That ragged sound was popular by bands later, but the Beatles had moments of pure brilliance. John and Paul harmonizing at the beginning of "Across the Universe" and the rehearsal of "Two of Us" is what the public never saw before of the Beatles recording process. A must see for any Beatles fan or music fan. This is a classic film that captures an era of the break-up of the Beatles.

Saw it in 1970

[onewayne · 10/10 · 20 February 1999]

I was 15 years old when I saw Let It Be in a theatre. I sat through it twice. At the time most of the songs were new to me. Being a diehard fan I enjoyed the movie in the theatre and when it appeared on television. When it is re-released on video, I'll be one of the first to buy it.