Restored version of Beatles film LET IT BE coming to Disney+

Disney+ announced that director By Michael Lindsay-Hogg original film from 1970, Let it beFrom The Beatles, will launch exclusively on Disney+ on May 8, 2024. This is the first time the film has been available in over 50 years.

First published in May 1970, during the turmoil of the Beatles’ breakup, Let it be now takes its rightful place in the band’s history. The film, once seen through a darker lens, is now being brought to light through its restoration and in the context of the revelations that emerged in Peter Jackson’s numerous Emmy Award®-winning docuseries, The Beatles: Going Back. Released on Disney+ in 2021, the docuseries showcases the warmth and camaraderie of the iconic quartet, capturing a pivotal moment in music history.

Let it be contains videos not present in the file Take up again docuseries, taking viewers into the studio and onto the roof of Apple Corps in London in January 1969 as the Beatles, joined by Billy Preston, wrote and recorded their GRAMMY Award®-winning album Let it be, with its Oscar®-winning song, and perform live for the last time as a group. With the release of The Beatles: Going Back, fan hype for the original Let It Be film has reached fever pitch. With Lindsay-Hogg’s full support, Apple Corps asked Peter Jackson’s Park Road Post Production to immerse themselves in a meticulous restoration of the film from the original 16mm negative, which included loving remastering of the sound using the same technology demix MAL applied to the negative. Take up again docuseries.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg says of the film:

“’Let It Be’ was ready to be released in October/November 1969, but didn’t come out until April 1970. A month before its release, the Beatles officially broke up. And so people went to see “Let It Be” with sadness in their hearts, thinking, “I’ll never see the Beatles together again.” I’ll never have that joy again,’ and that really darkened the perception of the film. But, really, how often do you see artists of this stature working together to turn what they hear in their heads into songs? And then you get to the roof and you see their excitement and camaraderie and pure joy in playing together as a group again and knowing, as we do now, that it was the last time, and we see it with a full understanding of who they were and still are and a little intensity. I was amazed at what Peter managed to do with “Get Back”, using all the footage I had shot 50 years earlier.

Peter Jackson said of the release:

“I am absolutely thrilled that Michael’s film, ‘Let It Be,’ has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades. I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for “Get Back” and always felt that “Let It Be” was necessary to complete the story of “Get Back”. In three parts, we showed Michael and the Beatles making a groundbreaking new documentary, and “Let It Be” is that documentary: the film they released in 1970. Now I think of it all as an epic story, finally completed after fifty years . The two projects support and enhance each other: “Let It Be” is the culmination of “Get Back,” while “Get Back” provides vital context missing for “Let It Be.” Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unfailingly kind and helpful while I made ‘Get Back,’ and it’s fitting that his original film gets the final say… looking and sounding so much better than it did in 1970.”

Let it be stars John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George HarrisonAND Ringo Starr, featuring a special appearance by Billy Preston. The film was produced by Neil Aspinall with The Beatles serving as executive producers. The cinematographer was Anthony B. Richmond.

Let it be will debut exclusively on Disney+ on May 8, 2024. Check out the poster below: