Let It Be

Let It Be is a 1970 film about the making of the album Let It Be by The Beatles in January 1969.

The original premise of the film was to show The Beatles 'live' in the studio, creating their next album (which would be a live album), followed by a concert. However, the band members had begun to drift apart, and the project documents some of the aspects leading to the band's eventual break-up.

The Beatles assembled at Twickenham Film Studios on 2 January 1969, accompanied by the film crew, and began recording. There were tensions and disagreements among The Beatles, and they disliked the conditions at the Twickenham studios and the working schedule. They started work in the morning rather than working late into the night as they had been accustomed to doing at Abbey Road Studios, where they usually recorded their songs.

Harrison quit the sessions for a few days, although this is not documented in the film. [1] Eventually the band left Twickenham and went to their own new basement recording studio at Apple's headquarters in Savile Row, London; and Harrison brought in keyboardist Billy Preston to play electric piano/organ. [2]

The Let It Be film includes The Beatles performing finished versions of "Two of Us", "The Long and Winding Road", "Let It Be", "Get Back", "Don't Let Me Down", "I've Got a Feeling", "One After 909", and "Dig a Pony". [3] [4]

The original concept for the film project called for the documentary to end with a live show, the first live public performance by the band since the end of their last tour, on 29 August 1966, at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. However, agreeing on a format for the live show proved problematical. McCartney suggested playing a small club, like the Beatles had in the early days. Lennon suggested an overseas location such as Africa . Starr held out for staying home in England . Harrison showed little enthusiasm for any live performance at all.

After failing to agree on any other venue, the band settled for an unannounced concert atop their own building, Apple's headquarters. The Beatles, accompanied by Billy Preston, performed on 30 January 1969 - intercut in the film with interviews of some rather surprised Londoners near the Apple headquarters as the music blasts out from the roof. The performance and the film close with the police arriving and shutting the concert down. The rooftop concert has been a popular bootleg ever since.

Five Beatles' songs were played during the rooftop performance: "Get Back" (three times), "Don't Let Me Down" (twice), "I've Got a Feeling" (twice), "One After 909", and "Dig a Pony". (The Beatles also played a brief version of the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen", while second engineer Alan Parsons was changing tapes.) [3]

The film has been out of circulation since being released on video on VHS and RCA SelectaVision Videodisc in the early 1980s. These copies were inferior in quality to the original theatrical release of the film in 1970, due to the rough conversion from 8 mm and 16mm prints. In 2002 it was announced that the film was being prepared for release on DVD. However, due to legal issues, its reissue has been delayed for some years and no new date has yet been announced.

The film premiered at the London Palladium on 20 May 1970; and The Beatles won an Oscar for Let It Be under the category 'Best Music, Original Song Score' and a 'Best Original Score' Grammy. [5]