Let It Be
Short description
Let It Be is a documentary about the Beatles during January 1969, as the group rehearsed and recorded material for an album intended to return them to the direct, unadorned sound of their early years, following a long break from live performance. The sessions took place in a studio and were filmed as the project took shape. During the same period, the band's unity was coming under strain, and the members increasingly went their separate ways. The recordings culminate in an unannounced rooftop performance at the Apple building in London, which ended when police intervened.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg directed the film, his first, followed later by The Seagull and the restored 2024 version of this same film. Neil Aspinall, Mal Evans and Allen Klein produced it for ABKCO Films and Apple Corps. The Beatles appear as themselves, along with Billy Preston and George Martin. Released in early 1970, the film runs 81 minutes.
On IMDb, the film holds a rating of 7.6 from around 8,700 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 7.6, from 184 votes. The two audience scores agree closely, indicating solid appreciation from viewers across both platforms for this record of the group's final live performance and the sessions surrounding it.
What's left behind the scenes
- None of the Beatles attended the film premiere, as the band no longer existed as a unit.
- The first version of the film, overseen by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg and The Beatles themselves, was 3 hours and 30 minutes long. The film was then re-edited in the absence of John Lennon (1940-1980) and Yoko Ono. Much material about Lennon and Ono was removed from the film. The film's duration was reduced to 1 hour and 21 minutes, and this is the version that was released.
- The concert on the roof had to be interrupted due to police intervention. The Beatles were very disappointed that they were simply asked to stop playing, rather than being taken to jail for disturbing the peace. According to Paul McCartney, “it would have been a fantastic ending.”
- The reasons for releasing the film were primarily financial. Apple studio accountants told the musicians that so much money had been poured into the film that they simply couldn’t ignore it – no matter how much they wanted to. They convinced The Beatles that the film’s release would help recoup these losses.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
