We have some good news…
With some help from New Zealand film director and screenwriter Peter Jackson, a restored version of The Beatles’ 1970 film, Let It Be, will be available on streaming from May 8, 2024.
This marks the first time the original movie has been available to fans for over five decades, with the exception of low-quality VHS versions and bootlegs.
WATCH: The Beatles Let It Be | Official Trailer | Disney+
The documentary was originally released in May 1970, in the midst of the group’s tumultuous breakup. Fans remember the documentary as a historical document, despite being often dismissed.
At the time, the film was perceived with a sombre tone – Jackson even told USA TODAY in 2021 that it is “forever tainted by the fact The Beatles were breaking up when it came out.”
The director of the original film, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, recently reflected on the film’s initial perception, assuring that the restored version will be seen in a new light.
“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,” he said.
“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?”
The film features previously unseen footage from The Beatles’ studio sessions, including the creation of the award-winning song Let It Be, to their iconic rooftop concert with Billy Preston in London in January 1969.
Lindsay-Hogg had nearly 60 hours of behind-the-scenes footage which was later culled to produce Jackson’s iconic three-part epic, The Beatles: Get Back, which ran for almost eight hours.
The 2021 docuseries used technology to restore the film from its original negative and remastered the sound; Jackson’s production team has done the same for the new release.
“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,” Jackson said.
“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.”
Where to watch The Beatles’ Let It Be in Australia
The restored version of the 1970 Beatles Documentary Let It Be will be available from May 8, 2024, on Disney+.
Stream Let It Be on Disney Plus from May 8 from $13.99/month. Subscribe here.
