Seeing this after "Get Back" was released on Disney+ provides a very interesting perspective. It's incredible the work that Peter Jackson did to use technology to isolate the voices, the conversations, and the music. Not to mention how crystal clear the visuals were on the new series. This gives you that much more appreciation for all the hard work that Jackson did to bring Get Back to the world.

I went to a theatre to watch this film and it made me very sad. I felt better when I learned that they actually made Abbey Road after this dark Let it Be movie. Abbey Road is a beautiful last album. I was always sad that they broke up because they made me happy. I’m 67 years old and I listen to the Beatles often especially when I feel lousy. They make me feel better every time. I understand your obsession with this amazing group from my childhood.

I saw it in the theater when it came out. I liked it because it was real life. It was perhaps the first of the "making of...".

The funny thing about the spat between Paul and George, is it's largely a miscommunication. Paul says he wants the song simplified and George is bewildered because he's doing a minimal part already. At this point the song is a full electric version, by the end, it's quite acoustic with George doing the same lick as before. So the real goal was to reduce it from electric to acoustic, but Paul wasn't able to verbalize that.

I think whenever Get Back comes out next year, a lot of the negative myths surrounding these sessions will finally be put to rest. Let it Be is a horrible film, with the exception of the rooftop concert.

Here is a different perspective. Being that I am 68 years old and a BIG BEATLES fan, I AM SOMEONE WHO SAW THIS FILM IN THEATERS TWICE AT THE TIME IT WAS RELEASED. I don't agree that is was that DISMAL or DEPRESSING. In fact it was so unique at the time, kind of an inside look at them working on the album and playing live in the studio and rooftop that I came out of the theater ELATED both times! As soon as that beginning with Paul and then Ringo at the piano happened I just was thrilled! You have to remember, we had nothing like Documentaries on bands or KZfaq or ANYTHING of the sort back then on any Rock Bands . The only time you saw them was on the Ed Sullivan show or something similar. Remember this came out in May 1970! So anyway In retrospect I can see a little "downer" vibe but with that ROOFTOP SET being so completely joyous to end it I for one forgot all about any negativity. So thanks for your review but maybe some of the lighting and audio problems you had were as result of the TV edit and bootleg of it. I did not get that watching in the CINEMA in 1970! IT was marvelous.

Hopefully elements of the entire rooftop performance still exsist and will be included on the LIB re-release. Not sure if the cameras caught it (they would've had to change film reels at least twice) but one is The Beatles performing "God Save the Queen".

I believe the new Peter Jackson cut will be a breath of fresh air! I'm stoked to see it! The original was like watching a funeral procession, for the most part. The concert was the highlight.

Thanks for your insight. I cannot get enough on those final years of the Beatles. Have you seen the clip of John and Paul singing Two of Us through their teeth? Hilarious!!

I saw the movie in the theater when it came out. I was 18 and I really don't remember it being a "drag". In fact, I was kind of surprised when it gathered the reputation it now has. Other than the marvelous Rooftop concert, my only lasting memory of the film was John and Yoko doing a slow, tender waltz while George was playing "I Me Mine". Now I read they were "mocking" George, but I don't believe it for a second. I guess we will find out August 2021.

4:43 No, it's the quality of the video transfer which is lousy. I've seen both the laserdisc and a 16mm print of it and it looks pretty good. I imagine with today's 4K scanning technology it can look very good.

I first saw Let It Be on BBC2 Christmas 1979, along with all the other films...a great present for a Beatles obsessed 12 year old. But Let It Be is sad, dreary and depressing, apart from the Rooftop gig. I also have a bootleg video which I picked up in the early 90s. But looking forward to Peter Jackson's new Get Back version which looks like it's going to be special.

I saw the movie Let it Be numerous times in the 1970's on tv, it was a pretty bleak movie especially the scenes at Twickenham before Billy Preston's arrival at Apple Studio but it was such a rare treat to have any Beatles video or film to view. Especially the mid to late part of their career before the break up and the only film of them in the studio recording. The only one whom seem interested was Paul, Ringo looked miserable the whole time, it was a real downer. The business part must have just been so heavy on their shoulders and John wanting to go with Yoko and do their thing. George just seemed like he couldnt stand being filmed period. Saw recently a little bit of a preview of a preview of some film they have been working on for next year release that looks like it have some happier moments, and i say moments because it was cut up like MTV attention span of 15 seconds then off to the next scene. Lets hope for the best.

Magical Mystery Tour Film was also panned. Apparently it was shown in the Ú.K on Boxing Day in black and white. Worth it for the music sequences and it builds to a noteable finale of ‘Your Mother Should Know’. ‘I am The Walrus’ is my personal go-to.

To me the bit where the Fabs do “Suzy’s Parlour” is a highlight, such a shame they did not record it later that month at Apple studios.

The original concept for the movie was brilliant and a testament to Paul’s creative genius...writing a new album on a stage where the band would then perform the finished product live to an audience. Too bad that didn’t work out. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They were probably used to the Abbey Road environment.

I loved the movie because was so raw and many real impromptu moments. You have to be a Beatles fan to love this though.

I've seen the film a couple of times. First in 1986, and then someone has posted it in full on KZfaq before getting blocked. While I found a lot of the film kind of bleak, I saw a lot that was inspiring. Watching them have great joy while playing the songs was amazing. They'd be arguing one moment and then smiling, clowning around and doing amazing harmonies. It wasn't all depressing.

Really been enjoying your various reviews. Very considered and articulate. Excellent stuff. Thank you

I love this channel. You are a very effective and credible commentator. Keep up the good work!

If you are a musician or any kind of artist, I doubt you can imagine yourself REHEARSING with a camera in your face. in a cold aircraft hangar with consumer gear. In the MORNING ! What could we expect? We got some wicked cool songs in spite of all the danger

Peter Jackson did an incredible job rescuing this whole Beatles era on film and sound. LiB is the pits, really. I watched it in 1970 and it was a disappointment then already on all sort of grounds. L-H looks even worse now after Get Back has been released in all its 8 hours of fascinating insights and setting the record straight in regards to many issues of how the band was at that time.

That was a great movie review for The Beatles: Let It Be (1970). It's coming to Disney+ on May 8.

Nice review! Found the fast zoom in & out edits to be a little repetitive after a while, LOL

Great video! I surely appreciate your comments about MLH being a bit green for the project, but, man, MLH had to deal with the ultimate "bait and switch" -- He was under the impression that the Beatles were going to be rehearsing for a concert, an event. He probably thought the filming of the rehearsals would be just a small part of the television special with the main focus on the concert event itself. Listening to the Nagra reels, you hear that all he wanted was some clear understanding of the events that would happen throughout the month. He appears to be expecting some type of a major concert event and surely wants to make that the centerpiece of the special. He finally finds out at the end that they are just marching upstairs to the roof to run through tracks -- not a concert... no presentation at all. Then later, he finds out the "television special" that he shot on 16mm is now going to be a feature film so it all has to be blown up to 35mm... adding horrible grain, bad shadows, and killing all visual depth. Then, he prepares an almost 2.5 hour cut of the film that the Beatles see and demand to be edited... and we're left with the 80 minutes that were released in 1970. Overall, I think the problem with "Let It Be" is MLH being green, getting roped into a "bait and switch" project, and having absolutely no creative control.

Awesome. Can’t wait for you to do Peter Jackson’s Beatle film.

I'm enjoying your vids covering other great groups and music Matt, yet The Beatles are number 1 for me and I truly care to take the time to read your other subs contributions. I'm catching up with your earlier posts and it is pleasingly worth the time. Although I am a "Gen1" fan who was familiar with the LIB album since its release, I did not see the movie until the mid to later seventies. I cannot disagree with almost any comment regarding it - it is what it was - then. 1970. I was 9 years old. Man, that was a long time ago!

Dude man you nailed it on this review!

Matt, excellent review! I found this because I just finished watching "Get Back", the restoration by Peter Jackson of the Let It Be sessions footage. I'll give my thoughts on that in a moment, but first I want to say a few things about the original movie. I first saw it as a teenager when a classic old theater in my hometown had a special presentation one Saturday of four Beatles movies: "A Hard Day's Night", "Help", "Yellow Submarine", and "Let It Be". I got my mom to take me and my younger brother to the whole thing. She started the day not liking the Beatles, but she didn't want her kids to be alone downtown for all those hours, so she went with us. By the end of the showings, she was a fan, and was grieving along with us over their breakup. They ran the movies in chronological order, so at the end, the sense of loss was overwhelming. I thought "Let It Be" was a real downer, but I was glad that they seemed to reconnect during the rooftop concert. Now on to "Get Back". I've watched the whole thing, and I can tell you it is an absolute delight and treasure in every way! The technical wizards who worked on the video and sound need to get some kind of special awards for technical achievement. The whole documentary is filled with light, even the Twickenham footage. The sound is incredible--you can hear all the conversations, and the sound for the music is crisp and clean, not muddy. Even the footage of Paul and George's disagreement doesn't bring down the film, just adds to the feeling that these are real human beings working together. They're like brothers who are all very different from each other, but have learned to find ways to accomplish things together. There is so much joy and goofiness abounding in this film! It certainly drives home the feeling that Michael Lindsay-Hogg worked an agenda with what made it into the finished film "Let It Be", and what didn't. My thought is that Lindsay-Hogg was trying for a very gritty and dark look that was popular in film-making at that time. I think that approach didn't serve this project well, and definitely didn't serve the existing footage well. He (or whoever edited down the footage for "Let It Be") warped the spirit of the sessions by leaving out so much positive and joyful footage. I'm also struck by the intense connection between Paul and John that still existed even at that time. Many scenes of them show them with their eyes locked together, creating in the moment, and finding joy in the music and connection. Sometimes the camera would slip over to George while that was happening, and I felt a wave of sympathy for him, because the look on his face said that he knew he could never be to either John or Paul what each of those two was to the other. John and Paul were born to be together to create what they did--that is very clear in this footage. I do think that if John hadn't been murdered, he and Paul would have reconciled and worked together again in some form at some later time in their lives. Some other lovely surprises--Ringo can play piano, John could play drums, Paul was totally cool with Yoko hanging around, and Linda, Maureen, and Pattie also spent some time in the studio, as well as Heather, Linda's daughter, leading to some fun interactions between her and the band members. It was hilarious to see various staff members b-s the cops to keep the clock running for the band during the rooftop concert. Well done to all of them--they managed to extend the concert to double the length it would have been if the cops had been able to get up to the roof and shut it down when they first arrived. (I wonder if the individual cops later felt remorse about shutting down The Beatles' final concert?) All in all, I highly recommend "Get Back", and I hope it will come out as an extended video package for sale in the future. Bravo to all involved in this restoration!

I wonder and hope PJ includes John talking about replacing George with Clapton.

When the Beatles broke up I was crushed. I have yet to fully watch either Let It Be film, but will do so eventually. Thanks for so much enjoyable content!

Great review! I still yet to have seen this movie. Just clips here and there. I think The Beatles had a 4 picture deal and this movie fulfilled that agreement. Which makes me think Yellow Submarine was an unofficial Beatles film since they really weren’t in it.

I really enjoy your videos man, thanks.

Can not wait for the film hope for more footage I haven’t seen thanks for this 🙏

What annoys me is that the Beatles, some of them, say that the whole Let it Be sessions were a real drag and then again when you listen to the Beatles talking in the sessions, they seem to be more optimistic when the decamped to the Apple studios. Then again, you have John high on heroin, Yoko constantly there and interfering, George leaving, Ringo depressed and Paul dominating. It all sounds like a bit of a disaster, and yes, the lighting at Twickenham is shite, frankly. If it took Billy Preston to make the Beatles behave and play like a band again, then this means that they were frankly fed up with each other. I have also heard some audio from this time where Paul, to his credit in fact, tries to understand John's fascination with Yoko and cut him a bit of slack, but obviously he is pissed off at her as well. And he had a right to be. She wasn't the only reason the Beatles split, but by God, she was a major factor.

Relevant now that it is about to be streamed on Disney+. Considering getting the service (again). Great review!

Here’s my review: Let It Be Stunk! That was one of the most depressing films I’ve ever seen. It was like watching a divorce. I was depressed after seeing it. I never want to see it again. They were arguing and the songs were bad. To see my favorite band bickering and the discord between them just brought me down. Terrible documentary!

I only ever saw this movie once when I was 15 on BBC2 when it aired a few days after John died. I don't recall most of it apart from the rooftop gig. It's never been aired since, at least to my knowledge so I'm very much looking forward to the Peter Jackson version.

At the Apple Studio sequence, they did “Long and Winding Road” in professional quality and at least one other song (Let it Be?) - you get a couple songs without talking and stuff and see them working for real…then the roof top (awesome)….

My Dad purchased the movie. RCA Video Disk player. Not a Lazer disc. Pretty cool! He bought "Let it be", and "Neighbors", with Danny Akroyd, and John Belushi. Almost all the other movies we had we rented. No kidding. 1981 we had Hi-Fi (Stereo) set up through our Pioneer SX 780, 2 Advent floor speakers, and 2 Realistic Minimus 7's in rear. Our prehistoric Home Theater!! Ha! All my buddies came over to watch movies, at our place on Friday nights. Not true 5.1, or even close, but it sounded Darn good!!

still my favourite rock movie of all time Matt......where else can one see a classic rock band at or near their peak?

i have a limited collectors edition dvd from england and its preitty clear i also seen it in the movies i still remmber it today and im 67 years old cant wait for the new edition this year 2021

A band that had just released the White Album could have afforded to take six months off and then returned to the studio and then done a few carefully planned limited engagement live shows. But they were really just a bunch of art school dropouts and it truly showed here.

I saw the movie in the theater and was bummed out. I have an old VHS tape that I watched once. It is a poorly made, nearly unwatchable film but with beautiful music- much like Magical Mystery Tour. I never knew there was so much more film shot during these sessions. What a revelation!

I have a VHS copy of this film and the audio quality was very good and the argument between Paul and George was easy to hear. Seems like you got your hands on a really bad copy. But excellent review! Keep them coming,

I saw this film in a theatre when it was released. One of my fondest memories of the Beatles

I still wish they'd recorded a version of Across the Universe like the way they started to play it in the film- that's the way it should have been done.

I'm looking forward to Get Back in a few months. From the sneak peak they released in December, it looks like it should be pretty good.

I saw this when it came out in 1970. I was 11 yo and my mother dropped me and a friend off at the University Theater in Ann Arbor for all four films of the Beatles played one after the other... Hard Day’s Night, Help!, Yellow Submarine, and Let It Be. I remember being disappointed, but it was after sitting for many hours. Certainly, I think we read way too much into that one scene. I would be curious to have you do a deep dive into the actual fight that did lead to George leaving... thanks for the great video!!!

It was good to hear you say that Let it Be was going to be released in 2003 with DVD extras and interviews. I did not know that. Hopefully the work that was completed for that proposed 2003 DVD release will be carried over to this year’s re-release to accompany the album’s box set.

I LOVED Let It Be, watching the theatrical release in company with a bizarre short on the US Naval diver setting the free breath-hold depth record. I have missed the 'reel' of old-timey rock-and-roll with Billy Preston, it was fantastic, will it be included in Jackson's - one can hope.

I see you have the After The Fox soundtrack on your shelf. Great Burt Bacharach music.

I have many boot DVD copies As the quality slowly improves thanks to tech savvy fans. The film and album for the band and first generation fans has the cloud over it due to being released like you said a month after the breakup.

No one could beat the Beatles in terms of a songwriting team but if you want to see a good rockumentary of that era you should watch "Elvis: That's the way it is*

I was at the theater in 1970 along with my brother to watch this film. Absolutely the best part was the rooftop. It was funny because back then at the theater every time they showed Yoko everybody hissed. Haha That's just the way it was then.

I saw LIB in a theatre, in the '70's and it was GREAT! I also have it on DVD, the one you can buy on Amazon, it's nowhere near as bad as the copy you have. I still rate it as next in line after AHDN, just to see the Beatles as themselves, can't wait for the Peter Jackson's versions release, now that we know it was actually a happy time, making this movie.

I saw the film at a Wednesday midnight showing in Concord, CA during the very late 70s or very early 80's. It was dark, had poor lighting and the sound was horrible, the movie speakers rattled, but it was not as bad as what you have on your bootleg. I would like to have a cleaned up visual and audio release of this movie, along with the new 'Get Back' version.

I remember buying a bunch of bootlegs of the band Splinter on CD off a market stall about 20 years ago from a guy at a local market. He then reached under the table and offered me a DVD (pretty expensive then) of The Long and Winding Road film. I almost snapped his hand off. I got home and the Splinter CD’s were terrible quality and the Long and Winding Road was actually a superb copy of Let It Be. I got conned but it wasn’t too bad considering.

7:00 this scene was also featured in Imagine: John Lennon from 1988

this is my second vid of your's i watched; the first being the All Things Must Pass one.. i will re-watch my digitized copy from my VHS again tonight and take it into consideration. if mine looks better than yours, i'll try to send you a private KZfaq link to view it. I ended up finding a video from my FIRST time seeing McCartney; a VHS of the November 1989 Los Angeles Forum concert i was lucky to be invited to in college.

I claimed my Aunt's copy of the Dr No soundtrack in 1967, when I was 5 years old. I still have it, and still love it. I always enjoy seeing what you have in the racks, there's always a record I adore back there! Also: I have a much better copy of Let It Be, and I'd be happy to drop-box it to you.

LOL.When did it appear on TV or get released? Maybe outside the US? I got into the Beatles in the early 80's as music slowly started to suck as MTV began to fade in. By the time I knew of Let It Be movie, all there was to find was the straight to rental stores early 80's VHS. I had to make a VHS copy of that - good thing I dod because someone rented and stole the tape. Made my own VCD copy of my VHS copy in the 90's

Actually I like the movie. It has the fly on wall idea, it is rough, it has the early 70s hangover vibe. A lot of close-ups, ruthless edit etc.

As a Beatle fan in real time we were happy with anything we could see of The Beatles . If we had the internet at that time things would certainly be different .And now to have a little more is great .I think George Martin put it the best when he said The Beatles were of there time and they didn't choose it, it was chosen for them . So I guess we will just have to see what they come with this new version .

I would love you to do a series on The Kinks and their records. I think they were influential and their arc was an interesting one that wove through the hills and valleys, clouds and twists of the 60s before becoming a bland rock arena concert band in the 70s.

I was 20 in 1982 when I saw the film on a very young HBO.

Damn was there anything The Beatles didn't do before everyone else???.... So innovative and original.... well never see anything like them again.

It's funny, I've owned this movie in bootleg form a couple of times. Often I would start watching and decide not to continue after a little while because it has such a bummer vibe to it. I wound up not watching it very much as a result. I'm SO interested to see the Peter Jackson version, which seems to be going for a more balanced portrayal of the sessions.

Matt-- Pardon me for over-engaging on this: I know it's an older vid, but I got opinions. Generally, I am thoroughly enjoying your Beatles commentaries. You come off as a "fan" as opposed to a "fanboy" (if that makes any sense), and you try to give fair play to history, which I appreciate. You come off like an art critic - that may be a better way to put it. I was fortunate enough to see the film in an arts film house in about 1978-80 - I was 11-12 at the time. With no idea what to expect, it was a bummer of a film on first viewing. I have a MUCH better appreciation of it and find it far more interesting today as a musician who has logged plenty of studio time. Those tense moments - Paul to George during "Two Of Us" and John's disengagement from "I Me Mine" - I can appreciate them in a "yep, I've seen THAT" manner today. And ballads in general leave me flat - just not my thing - so my favorite part of the film was/is the rooftop. A note for you - the sync issue could be your bootleg. Over the summer 2020, I tracked down a TON of 'boots,' audio and video. I found several sources for this film, and only ONE out of about 15 were properly synced.

I guess that I am in my trainspotting mode, so can you please tell me which albums on are on the far left, far right, and between the Tremeloes (?) and Bert & John? And it is always good to see that Left Banke album! Oh yeah, very good episode, and the number of comments show that you are not the only 'Beatle-centric' person out there.

George was gone a couple of days? He was gone for 11 days. George got fed up with John deferring to his mother Yoko Ono to speak for him at Beatles meetings?

I also saw it in the theater in 1971. I didn't like the photography. Full of dots. Dirty. It didn't seem to be professional indeed. But I was not disappointed because it was great to be there feeling we were in their company, in the studio with them. I had this feeling I was there! I remember the theater was crowded and people singing along and having a great time.

It seems the Beatles were used to Michael Lindsey- Hogg, since he had directed videos for them (including the "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" videos just a few months earlier) and the original intention was not to make a feature film. So that would be why he directed this. But possibly no one had really considered the challenges of filming a band in rehearsal. If they're not performing for the cameras but actually focused on rehearsing, then they're not going to be focused on making sure the crew gets good sound for everything, for example, especially when they're having a disagreement. Perhaps at the time they thought the focus would be mostly on the final performance anyway, with just a bit of 'making of' to set things up.

Crazy what restoring does to a movie after seeing the first part of get back dont even look like the same footage 😯

I don't think the audio we hear for the roof top concert is the live audio. And there's clear difference at the very end of Get Back for instance when the live sound is heard.

I am surprised that you went through the whole of the Eighties and never saw this film. In London there were various repertory cinemas that showed the film every so often. It was shown on TV in the mid Seventies also. I personally never really thought of the movie as some miserable tombstone for the band. It is a rough looking documentary which, in a way, matches the stripped back feel of what was , supposedly, intended with the album. I suspect that D A Pennabaker, for example, would not have made it look that different either. However, it is nice to see things a little brighter than before. Many years ago, I read a book on The Beatles in which the writer hoped that the film would be cut showing a more rounded view of the period and I think that we got that and more with Peter Jacksons' Get Back documentary series. Now, let's have the film on Blu-ray/DVD or whatever, with the whole rooftop performance and at least two further hours of footage not seen in either Let It Be OR the Get Back documentary. Then we will really have something worth discussing. Don't tell me THAT wouldn't fly off the shelf! It's The Beatles, for goodness sake!!

Visually I like the twickenham studios more, with the colours a nice cinematic and 60s like background

I agree with your assessment of Lindsay-Hogg. Poor lighting, garbled audio and no interviews with members of the band. Here's hoping the new film by Peter Jackson is better.

By far the best review I seen I totally agree with you

I always thought that McCartney's idea to film a few hit 'n' run surprise Beatles appearances/impromptu gigs at clubs throughout Britain was spectacular. I would have loved to have that movie!

Hey great video man. What is that song you played in the outro?

I too, was thankful, they finished up on a good note, with, "Abby Road"😊👍

Funny story...Back in the late 80's, there was a video store in my hometown(before Blockbuster arrived) that had a VHS copy of "LIB." Every time you would rent a video they would write the title/s down on a big index card. So after a couple of months, my index card showed I rented "LIB" AND only "Let It Be" about 12 times. After I returned the tape, the guy behind the counter said , looking at my card "Wow, next time you should make a copy of it." After another week or so and borrowing another VHS player to make a copy, I returned to the store and to my dismay...the store closed. So I'm really looking forward to its re-release in 2021

I remember I had 2 copies of this on VHS and was so disappointed with the audio and video quality

BTW, I got a copy of the film on DVD about 5+ years ago from Canada.

Hi, as usual great video. I'm sure you know already that when the album of this film was first released it was in a box presentation complete with a worthless pile of fotos and cost a small fortune. It gave the impression that the band just wanted to milk the occasion for every cent they could get and caused a lot of outrage, to which the presentation album was quickly retracted and replaced by a regular album & sleeve at a much-reduced price. Putting it all together - yeah - the Beatles breakup itself was like a nervous breakdown for the world which went on for around a year, BUT to then have the album and film really not up to their usual standard was shit. There's no other word for it.

The Beatles wanted full control and that is why the film is so substandard. Similar problem with Magical Mystery Tour. What this project really needed was a strong director who was not beholden to the artists. Think of the Maysleys Brothers who did Gimme Shelter or D.A. Pennebaker who made Don't Look Back.

John was such an unreasonable pain in the ass insisting that his mother Yoko Ono be right by his side!

i have the original VHS in it's cover! Probably won't be worth much after the new movie comes out!?

We'd all give a tooth to see films of EMI # 2 sessions, huh?

My Sister and her Husband took me to the Drive-In Theater to see this. The summer of 1970. I seen it again with my buddies a few months later in an indoor theater and much better sound then the car Radio. Being a Beatles fan since 1964, I loved anything and everything Beatles. They could do no wrong. And to me they did no wrong! I loved watching them in this environment! I got to see John, Paul, George & Ringo talking, rehearsing songs, yelling at each other.(I didnt like the Paul & George argument)..I can't wait for the "new" Get Back" documentary to come out... 🚶🏽‍♀️🚶🏽‍♀️🚶🏽‍♀️🚶🏽‍♀️

Hi Matt the one thing about Let It Be was when they recorded The Long and Winding Road it was a great version Billy Preston on Gamond Organ so why spoil it on the Album with strings

I first saw this in a theater in 1981, and I got it as a Xmas gift from my parents on Beta either that year or the next. Your review is spot-on. It is one of the dullest movies ever made; dark, dreary, barely audible, depressing. The band sounds awful except during the rooftop segment, where they finally come alive a bit. I don't think I've even attempted to watch the film in the last 30 years or so; it is just so dismal and dreary. When I heard the new one will be 6 hours of this stuff, I shuddered. If I want to see the rooftop footage, I have a special edit of only that to watch, but I can live the rest of my life without being locked up with the Beatles in Twickenham and feel quite fulfilled.

Hi Matt I’m surprised you didn’t see this film until the 1990’s. I don’t know your age ..but I first saw the film in the mid-1970’s during a matinee from a theater that showed older films occasionally. That’s when I first became a big Beatles fan around 1975. You could also see it at the Beatlefest conventions. My family had a video store that had a legal VHS copy from Magnetic Video/United Artists which I wish I still owned. The film was always poor quality picture and sound.

What happened at 10:58? Sneaky edit?

Maybe a year or so before this video review was released, I watched Let It Be on youtube. An aspect that I hadn't taken particular notice of years before was now indeed conspicuous: whoever cut the original movie seemed pehaps unconsciously infatuated with Paul. I'm a Paul fan, but the scenes were in some cases one Paul-focussed segment directly followed by another. The proportion of screen time devoted to Paul appeared heavily weighted in his favor, to an extent hard to dispute or ignore. That realization translated as an unfortunate flaw in the film to me.

I saw Lindsey's Two of Us. His only real movie credit. It's more of a love letter with one actual historical event taking place. It's probably the best Beatles movie out there for that point in John in Paul's lives. Either way, u might get some mileage out of some of those movies.

Did you know that Michael Lyndsay-Hogg is a love child of Orson Welles? Really, its quite true.

I remember seeing this in Sydney Australia in the early 80's. It was totally depressing. I have warned Beatle fans since that, watch it at your own peril!

I think you need to remember that Allen Klein had become the Beatles manager in May 1969 over Paul’s objections. And it was Klein who insisted on the film coming out as a movie to fulfil the United Artists contract signed back in 1964 for three films. I wouldn’t be surprised if Klein had a big say in how the film was edited and shown. From what I’ve read it sounds like Hogg lost control of the movie in late 1969 to Apple and the Beatles and his initial rough cut of the film from July 20 1969 was never used. It would be interesting to compare that initial rough cut of July 1969 to the final cut of the movie in May 1970. According to the director much more footage of John and Yoko was in the original edit of the film but a after a phone call from Peter Brown he was told to take it out. Also I think the film was never intended for a movie screen but for a TV broadcast like Magical Mystery Tour in 1967. Hence it was shot in 16 mil instead of 35 mil and lit only for black and white TVs. So while some of your criticisms are valid it’s clear some things were out of the directors control.