History Film / LetItBe

This film was long subject to KeepCirculatingTheTapes, because there was no home video release since a Laserdisc edition back in 1982. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video was never officially explained, although the most common rumor was that the surviving Beatles just didn't feel good about the film. However, on January 30, 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of the rooftop concert, an announcement was made that Creator/PeterJackson will organize a remaster and re-release of the original film, as well as create a new documentary from some 55 hours of raw footage from January 1969. The six-hour documentary, entitled ''The Beatles: Get Back'', is scheduled to release in 3 parts on November 25-27, 2021 on Creator/DisneyPlus.

This film was long subject to KeepCirculatingTheTapes, because there was no home video release since a Laserdisc edition back in 1982. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video was never officially explained, although the most common rumor was that the surviving Beatles just didn't feel good about the film. However, on January 30, 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of the rooftop concert, an announcement was made that Creator/PeterJackson will organize a remaster and re-release of the original film, as well as create a new documentary from some 55 hours of raw footage from January 1969. The six-hour documentary, entitled ''The Beatles: Get Back'', is scheduled to release in 3 parts on November 25-27 on Creator/DisneyPlus.

This film was long subject to KeepCirculatingTheTapes, because there was no home video release since a Laserdisc edition back in 1982. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video was never officially explained, although the most common rumor was that the surviving Beatles just didn't feel good about the film. However, on January 30, 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of the rooftop concert, an announcement was made that Creator/PeterJackson will organize a remaster and re-release of the original film, as well as create a new documentary from some 55 hours of raw footage from January 1969. The documentary, entitled ''The Beatles: Get Back'', is scheduled to be released on August 27, 2021 by Creator/{{Disney}}.

This film was long subject to KeepCirculatingTheTapes, because there was no home video release since a Laserdisc edition back in 1982. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video was never officially explained, although the most common rumor was that the surviving Beatles just didn't feel good about the film. However, on January 30, 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of the rooftop concert, an announcement was made that Creator/PeterJackson will organize a remaster and re-release of the original film, as well as create a new documentary from some 55 hours of raw footage from January 1969.

This film was released about a year later than planned; it took that long for there to be any consensus about what the accompanying album would be like. Unfortunately, it was an incomplete consensus; while Music/JohnLennon and Music/GeorgeHarrison were happy with it, [[Music/PaulMcCartney Paul McCartney]] wasn't even aware of the finishing touches until they were a ''fait accompli.'' This led to a chain of events that led to the film being released in May 1970--and ''after'' Paul had issued a press release saying he was leaving the band indefinitely. Instant HarsherInHindsight, since this film already depicted stressful relations between the Beatles.

This film was long subject to KeepCirculatingTheTapes, because there was no home video release since a Laserdisc edition back in 1982. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video was never been officially explained, although the most common rumor was that the surviving Beatles just didn't feel good about the film. However, on January 30, 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of the rooftop concert, an announcement was made that Creator/PeterJackson will organize a remaster and re-release of the original film, as well as create a new documentary from some 55 hours of raw footage from January 1969.

KeepCirculatingTheTapes, as this film has not been released on home video since a Laserdisc edition back in 1982. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video has never been officially explained, but the unofficial explanation is that [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065976/trivia the issues depicted in the movie are still too controversial after all these years]], and unresolved (probably unresolvable), so the movie will never again see release during the remaining two Beatles' lifetimes.

Well, until just recently. On January 30, 2019, the fiftieth anniversary of the rooftop concert, an announcement was made that alongside a new version of the film directed by Creator/PeterJackson, a remaster of the original film will finally see the light of day after fifty years.

KeepCirculatingTheTapes, as this film has not been released on home video since a laserdisc edition back in TheNineties. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video has never been officially explained, but the unofficial explanation is that [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065976/trivia the issues depicted in the movie are still too controversial after all these years]], and unresolved (probably unresolvable), so the movie will never again see release during the remaining two Beatles' lifetimes.

** This is why "One After 909" was performed during the sessions. It was originally written in 1963 by Lennon, recorded by the band, and set aside. So six years later when the band was making a concerted effort to get back to their 1962-63 sound, "One After 909" was revived, rehearsed, and performed/recorded on the Apple rooftop.

** Lennon namedrops Music/BobDylan's "Like A Rolling Stone", the FBI, the CIA, the BBC, BB King, Doris Day and Scottish soccer player Matt Busby during "Dig It".

** George and Ringo work through "Octopus's Garden", another song that was set aside until ''Abbey Road'' (see Evolving Music below).

** We see the band running through a hard rock version of "Two of Us" during the Twickenham sessions. When they play the finished version in the studio, it is a mellow acoustic pop song.
** In one scene Ringo demonstrates his new composition "Octopus's Garden", which is pretty much only one verse. George, inspired, goes to a piano and pounds out the chords that became the song's chorus (the "We would be so happy, you and me" part). John Lennon then sits down and plays drums, something he never did on an official Beatles recording.

* ChangedForTheVideo: The filmed performances of "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" are different from the versions which were later released. The "Let It Be" recording, both single and album versions, is based on take 27-A from the Jan. 31, 1969 session. The film version, which has never been released as an audio recording, was the next take, 27-B. In the filmed video, [=McCartney=] sings "there will be no sorrow" in the last verse instead of "there will be an answer". Similarly, the filmed performance of "The Long and Winding Road" is from the Jan. 31 session, while the released song is based off a recording from five days earlier. Also, the live performance is in accordance with Paul's original conception of the song as a simple piano ballad, while the released version includes the stringed instruments and backing choir overdubbed by Phil Spector.

KeepCirculatingTheTapes, as this film has not been released on home video since a laserdisc edition back in TheNineties. The long absence of ''Let It Be'' from home video has never been officially explained, although it may simply be that the surviving Beatles (three were still alive when the film went out of print) don't feel good about it.

* "Maggie May", a Liverpool folk song which the Beatles often performed in their Quarrymen days.

* ChangedForTheVideo: The filmed performances of "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" are different from the versions which were later released. The "Let It Be" recording, both single and album versions, is based on take 27-A from the Jan. 31, 1969 session, while the film version, which has never been released as an audio recording, was the next take, 27-B. In the filmed video, [=McCartney=] sings "there will be no sorrow" in the last verse instead of "there will be an answer". Similarly, the filmed performance of "The Long and Winding Road" is from the Jan. 31 session, while the released song is based off a recording from five days earlier. Also, the live performance is in accordance with Paul's original conception of the song as a simple piano ballad, while the released version includes the stringed instruments and backing choir overdubbed by Phil Spector.

* ChangedForTheVideo: The filmed performances of "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road" are different from the versions which were later released. The "Let It Be" recording, both single and album versions, is based on take 27-A from the Jan. 31, 1969 session, while the film version, which has never been released as an audio recording, was the next take, 27-B. In the filmed video, McCartney sings "there will be no sorrow" in the last verse instead of "there will be an answer". Similarly, the filmed performance of "The Long and Winding Road" is from the Jan. 31 session, while the released song is based off a recording from five days earlier. Also, the live performance is in accordance with Paul's original conception of the song as a simple piano ballad, while the released version includes the stringed instruments and backing choir overdubbed by Phil Spector.

* NumerologicalMotif: ''One After 909'', a reference to the fact that Lennon considered ''nine'' his lucky number.

* RevisitingTheRoots: The driving concept behind the album and film was an attempt to return to the sort of spontaneous, energetic rock and roll they'd played at the beginning of their career, as opposed to the sophisticated and intricately produced music they'd moved on to. It didn't work out so well in practice, see RealLifeWritesThePlot above.

* ChangedForTheVideo: The filmed performances of "Let It Be" and "The Long and Winding Road"are different from the versions which were later released. The "Let It Be" recording, both single and album versions, is based on take 27-A from the Jan. 31, 1969 session, while the film version, which has never been released as an audio recording, was the next take, 27-B. In the filmed video, McCartney sings "there will be no sorrow" in the last verse instead of "there will be an answer". Similarly, the filmed performance of "The Long and Winding Road" is from the Jan. 31 session, while the released song is based off a recording from five days earlier. Also, the live performance is in accordance with Paul's original conception of the song as a simple piano ballad, while the released version includes the stringed instruments and backing choir overdubbed by Phil Spector.

* ControlFreak: Paul comes off as this, especially during his infamous sniping with George and with the long scene where Paul blathers about the direction of the band while Lennon gives him the ThousandYardStare.

* LastNoteHilarity: John's "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves, and I hope we passed the audition", which he originally said at the end of the rooftop concert, but Spector edited it into the "Get Back" song.

** Then there's everything left out of the movie, like George Harrison's RageQuit from the band, which lasted for nine days and only ended after Paul and the film crew agreed to abandon Twickenham Studios and reconvene at Apple.

** The film was originally conceived as a documentary of the Beatles' "rebirth" as a live performing band. Instead, by capturing the tension and infighting among the band members (including a famous spat between McCartney and Harrison), it became a chronicle of the band's break-up, lampshaded by the choice of name. When originally conceived as a chronicle of the band's rebirth, the project was entitled "Get Back". By the time the pieces had been picked up and enough footage cobbled together to release as an album and film, it had metamorphosed into "Let It Be", effectively serving as the band's epitaph.

* RevisitingTheRoots: The driving concept behind the album and film was an attempt to return to the sort of spontaneous, energetic rock and roll they'd played at the beginning of their career - as opposed to the sophisticated and intricately produced music they'd moved on to. It didn't work out so well in practice, see RealLifeWritesThePlot above.

* ThreeChordsAndTheTruth: The album was intended as a ''back to basics'' to their original, simpler sound. Played straight in the film, where the band sounds raw to the point of painful; violently averted on the album, when John hired Phil Spector to dub strings and a heavenly choir over "The Long and Winding Road", to Paul's extreme displeasure.

* CoverSong:

* OneWomanSong: "Maggie May".

* CoverSong: "You've Really Got a Hold on Me", previously recorded by the Beatles for ''Music/WithTheBeatles'', rehearsed again during this film. Not recorded in 1969.

** In one scene Ringo demonstrates his new composition "Octopus's Garden", which is pretty much only one verse. George, inspired, goes to a piano and pounds out the chords that became the song's chorus (the "We would be so happy, you and me" part).

* EarlyBirdCameo: The film includes footage of the band rehearsing "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and "Oh! Darling". Those songs were set aside, only to be recorded later in 1969 and included on the ''Music/AbbeyRoad'' album.