My thoughts on The Beatles 'Let It Be' (2024)
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- The Beatles' final film 'Let It Be' has just received its first official release in over forty years. In 4K on Disney+ we can now watch Michael Lindsay-Hogg's 1970 film depicting John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr working out new material.
But does it look better than Get Back? Is it the depressing movie many felt it was back when it was released so soon after the Beatles' break-up?
- Chapters -
0:00 - Intro
1:30 - What's the deal with Let It Be?
7:10 - My own thoughts on the restoration
16:25 - Let It Be after 54 years
20:08 - Top 10 Moments
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I think your beard suits you, man
It does.
And the suit beards him.
We see what you did there.
Peace and love
george reference👀✨
You can’t hide from The ringo album ranking forever
YES the people demand it!!!
we demand it!!!!!!
The people have spoken Dr. Roberts, released the Ringo Rank!
Ringo randomly announcing a new country album after he said he was done with them probably delayed it.
Demanding!!!
Are we gonna mention that Bro's rocking on that McCartney look??
Right? As soon as I clicked I was like "oh my". We're eventually going to need a Best Elliot Looks list
I literally came to see if anyone had commented on this before writing my own little comment on how he ABSOLUTELY nailed the look
He literally mentioned it himself in the beginning.
It's the first thing that is mentioned in the video lol
Yes
Even when Elliot tries to NOT look like George Harrison, he looks like George Harrison
I thought the same
Hahahahaha, this is accurate
It's hard to dislike Lindsay-Hogg because ultimately, without him, we wouldn't have all his footage. Mock his big concert idea all you want, but keeping the cameras rolling was a choice we should be forever thankful for.
We got george harrison 2 before gta 6 😭🙏🙏🙏
What?!?!? XDDDDDX
George Harrison 2: Australian Boogaloo
we got george harrison mixed with paul mccartney before gta 6 😭🙏🙏🙏
LMAO
im laughing so hard sir kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk
You can’t hide from Ringo, Elliot.
context?
@@ricardo_miguel13He has reviewed every single solo Beatles albums EXCEPT Ringo. For months people have been waiting for him to review Ringo’s albums
@@Phoenix_The_Wolf Ah yes I tought he already did that in the meantime (at least he wants us to think that!)
To see john lennon and Paul McCartney singing side by side is one of the best things in life
I agree.
Why? The Let it be album as an album is among the worst garbage they ever wrote
@@cavallogianni I didn't mean just this particularly video, I mean any film of john lennon and Paul McCartney singing side by side is just wonderful.
Don't give up Michael, there's still time to get that amphitheater concert.
John and George just need to know so they don’t miss it, send a letter to heaven
I looked at that thumbnail and thought "Hey, he's dressed like Paul, he really went for the beard he had in let it be"
I'm saying you did a great job with it
I saw LIB in theatre 1970 - loved it - we never got to SEE them you know. I never thought it was depressing (yes , Paul and John on one mic, George and Ringo Octupus’ Garden, everything you mentioned!!) And they look warm and beautiful. Turns out though, I was just watching a movie. In Get Back , I was in the room where it happened, eating toast and drinking tea with them, tripping over wires and swinging from the rafters ~ being very human! I love the context Peter Jackson gave us, not to mention the mind-boggling scene with the song Get Back being born. And Billy Preston’s arrival with the four Beatles almost bowing down to him, paying their respects and not acting like insufferable rock gods. ALL the Billy contributions that you can’t possibly know from watching LIB, yet crucial to the project’s survival and success. I love having both films! Thx for your review. I’ve been anticipating it!
Totally feel the same way!
The best result of this is that now Paul and Ringo are comfortable and happy about the Get Back period.
I'm absolutely happy.
Ringo’s album ranking is coming near.
It’s always a great day when Elliot Roberts uploads!
Oh, the restoration between Get Back and Let It Be (2024) is like day and night, especially shot in 15:10 showing how the DNR process does paint over a lot of the details. I'm honestly impressed with how much the process has improved, and I do hope that an updated (and extended) version of Get Back does occur.
This is the only thing I care about. Jackson butchered the footage.
@@jon4715 If his interview was anything to go by, he wants to rectify that. Question is whether or not Disney will want that.
@@ireallydidntwanttomakeanac575it's always good to see an auteur type having some humility and admitting they maybe went too far or fucked up in some areas.
Going from Get Back to this was like watching the 80s Dune after seeing the new ones
I read on Reddit that Get Back is pretty much the making of the Let It Be film, which makes a lot of sense.
I was really excited to see this get restored, since it’s always such a hard find all for a pretty bad quality version. It looks great and was exciting to see. I’m hoping for a dvd release in the future for sure.
Reddit mentioned. Comment dismissed.
@cyndaxero3363 - That's a really interesting way to look at it! 🤔
I watched this with my dad, who hadn't seen it since it was in theaters in 1970. He said that at the time, everyone was blown away by it, but we both agree that it's a bit disappointing compared to Get Back. But it's still a cool relic on its own!
I felt quite differently after watching this after my viewing in 1970. I was depressed by it then. Now I am so happy to see that in fact it was fun, not depressing. I now think I was depressed about the breakup when I saw it in 70.
Excellent summary. One of the many who went to the theater in 1970, only to walk out depressed. Having watched the new version I questioned what was wrong with me in 1970….oh yeah, my idols broke up…..as I thoroughly enjoyed it this time.
Get back is pretty much the Snyder cut of Let it Be.
Except actually good 😂
@@neoPeakeexactly
No, no, no and... yeah, no.
No, it actually isn't. The Snyder cut was necessary because a corporate entity hadn't allowed the public to experience the director's uncompromised vision for Justice League. In stark contrast, Let It Be was the original film released and Michael Lindsay-Hogg's uncompromised vision. The remaining Beatles then buried it for decades and repurposed his footage in an attempt to rewrite their own history, a history that they, John, George, and every Beatles historian had corroborated for fifty years! Get Back, like the original Justice League, is the result of a corporate mindset marginalizing the singular vision of a director. Fans who supported Zack Snyder only did so because what they saw on the screen failed to align with their ideas of what these characters ought to be doing; they didn't actually care whether a director was being silenced. The reason that many people prefer Get Back is because it panders to their notions of what the Beatles _should_ have been, rather than the truth of what they actually were.
As a sprawling, unfocused film with proportionately little insight into the state of the Beatles, Get Back not only makes us largely forget about the very real personal struggles that were metastasizing within the band but in doing so, also makes us forget about how overcoming those struggles in the short term for the greater good of us all legitimately made the Beatles heroes, albeit flawed ones. Peter Jackson does include some interesting moments of tension, but they are lost in the vast sea of delightful but disposable jamming. A documentarian has the difficult job of illuminating his subjects' primary motives, and the only way to do that is to edit, sometimes to the exclusion of less important truths. The band would be over several months later, so it is gaslighting to suggest that just because the Beatles still enjoyed working together a fair amount (something Let It Be does not gloss over), the end was neither near nor foreshadowed by the January '69 sessions. Where there are no stakes (or rather, where the stakes are buried amidst numerous hours of footage), there are no palpable triumphs. Get Back is very intentionally hours of meandering fun but not much else. Let It Be is a concise snapshot of a band of brothers fighting burnout and interpersonal friction to create art with the power to unite disparate segments of humanity. Let It Be's ending is transcendent _because_ there are a limited number of moments on which to focus and a serious effort to construct a narrative in which the viewer perceives the significant central conflicts hindering the creative process. A slab of marble does not tell a story; only through skillful and determined chipping away can we perceive a vision reflecting someone's authentic identity. Who were the Beatles of January '69? According to fifty years of interviews and research, they were primarily a band of guys who, despite loving one another, had grown weary of collaboration and were on their way to splintering. They put the art first, and the collateral damage was their interpersonal relationships, individual autonomy, and peace of mind. Let It Be is a pithy statement that subtly communicates this, reminding us of a timeless indispensable truth: All art costs its creators something, and if artists are to be admired (not idolized), then it should be because they are willing to make personal sacrifices for the greater good of uniting humanity.
Yet another great show, Elliot, thank you! Side note: Michael Lindsay-Hogg must have blown a gasket when Pink Floyd performed and filmed “Live At Pompeii” just a couple years later! 😂
Would’ve been Punching the air
Since Let it Be looks better than Get Back I'm looking forward to the restoration of Get Back.
Ever since I first saw Let It Be, I felt like it was unfairly maligned as a "break up film." When I watched it, I always felt after the intro that it is quite upbeat, and hearing them run through all of those songs and have fun doing it is a treat that really gets me ready for the rooftop concert at the end. Glad to see the court of public opinion is finally changing too
Did Lindsay Hogg EVER explain just how he planned to get electricity to that ampatheater in the middle of the desert for the amps and microphones??
I mean…generators?
I liked having “Two of Us” the electric version and “Across the Universe” in Let It Be, that wasn’t included in Get Back. Especially now in better quality as compared to the low quality of my dvd bootleg I’ve had probably since 2006.
I doubt they will, but GET BACK would benefit well being re-restored like LET IT BE. I would buy it again!
I'm personally happy that we got remastered performances of Two of Us, Take 27B/28 of Let It Be, and Take 19 of The Long and Winding Road. Those were probably my favorite parts of Let It Be that were not in Get Back. I hope to get around to watching this sometime.
Thanks for the great video! Another top moment is john flubbing the lyrics to Dont Let Me Down and the band cracks up.
I think Get Back looks really good. Maybe a little too smooth in some cases, but the colors are superior and more life-like, especially without pro-lighting designed for each of these documentary shots....Let it Be now looks great too. But film grain isn't natural either, we are just more used to it from watching old movies and TV. I'm glad we have both. The 4:3 framing of Let it Be is the main thing that's a cool difference, seeing the full picture how the original camera operators framed it all.
Depressing in 1970. Thrilling in 2024! A product of what was happening with “the boys” at the time.
Really great review and overview of the whole Let it be/Get Back movies. One take away I had of the restored Let it Be was the vocal mastery of Paul. Jeez, that guy could sing ….
I remember watching Let it Be on BBC TV back in 1978/79 or so as a 10 year old... I even recorded the audio to my new cassette recorder. I was not at all familar with later period Beatles at that point and only had the 1963-66 compilation but knew of some of the later tunes via radio and the Beatles cartoon which was very popular back then. I remember thinking how basic the Beatles were in the film and how it seemed a step back from Strawberry Fields and Lucy In the Sky with Diamonds which were amongst my fav tunes at that time. I distinctly remember thinking Don't Let Me Down was a bit boring and the film a bit of a downer.... skip forward 40 or so years and I really like the tunes a lot more than I did.
Looking forward to watching the film again. Thanks for the video!
"It's not 2021 anymore" but I think 2021 is when this conversation was done haha. It's been sitting for that long. You're right though, they could have met up in 2023 or earlier this year to re-do the interview and have an in-person chat, because this is such an important release.
I can’t imagine seeing the original Let it Be without having all the context Get Back provides. In LIB it didn’t seem obvious to me that George left the group. Additionally, I thought I was going to see all kinds of negativity of the band members but it wasn’t that bad.
I'm 70 years old and I never saw the film LET IT BE in the theaters or even on video.
I found it thoroughly enjoyable. The performances were great and left me teary eyed. It was great to see just how much fun the guys were having with each other.
I did not see GET BACK before seeing this film. I LOVED "LET IT BE" !
Fun fact: Via marriage, Michael Lindsay-Hogg is related to the actor Bill Moseley who is best known for his work with Rob Zombie and his role in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. These things wouldn't normally be associated with The Beatles but there is a Beatles connection with both Rob Zombie and Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 beyond that. Rob Zombie has performed "Helter Skelter" in concerts and there is a poster of The Beatles "Yesterday And Today" album cover (the infamous "butcher" cover) on the wall of a radio station in Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. It's not that Earth shattering, but it's mildly interesting so I thought it worth mentioning lol.
I love super specific Beatles trivia like this. Thanks for sharing 👍
It’s all connected
I went to see the "Let It Be" film when it was first released in May of 1970. It was fantastic. We got to see The Beatles in the process of creating new songs. We got to see them jamming around to oldies they loved when they were starting out. We got to see them performing live on the rooftop. What could be greater than that..? It was like a dream come true. Because I was a huge Beatles fan - this was the greatest film ever. I saw it 5 times. When the film became available on VHS - it was the first film I purchased for my newly acquired VCR. I have always loved this film.
When Peter Jackson's "Get Back" came out - I couldn't wait to see it. It was great... but I was very disappointed that Jackson had left out the full performances of "Two of Us", Let It Be", "The Long and Winding Road and "For You Blue". How could he leave those out..??? And, like you, I really enjoyed the very funny rendition of "Besame Mucho" - and that 3 oldies compilation of "Shake Rattle and Roll", "Kansas City" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". Again I was disappointed that Jackson did not include them.
I was surprised when so many people saw the "Let It Be" film as dark and negative. It was never that for me.
I just watched Let it Be for the first time this weekend with friends, I had to keep explaining what was going on because my friends had NO idea what was happening or what they were talking about 😆
Non-Beatle nuts seem such dunces to us!
I love that you open with all the technical details. Agreed with you about there not being enough context for it to be depressing as well! I feel like Let It Be is like the 'performance version' of Get Back, cuz we get so many back to back performances!
I think it really improved. I'd watched it many times as a kid on VHS, but it was really VERY GLOOMY. Even the joyful moments like the oldies medley seemed faded, bleak... It looks much much better now and I agree that tonally it's basically the same as Get Back, just as joyful.
Feels good to hear Jackson admit there was WAY too much DNR on Get Back. Maybe, just MAYBE, they can correct it, at least for streaming, with less grain-nuked footage. Then it would be worth owning in a 4K collector's edition, even bootlegging.
fun fact in 1981 it was also released on CED also known as Selectavision
I knew you were going to make a video about Let It Be 😂
Thank you! 🙏
As a musician myself during the time Let It Be was being done, I remember especially the drubbing that Yoko Ono took, and is still getting today since the Beatles still inspire so much passion. I saw the film when it was first released and thought it pretty much depicted a working band, even if it was the biggest band in the world!
I knew that I needed this video when I heard Let It Be was being restored
Love the comparisons and background - excellent episode!
I absolutely adore your channel!! From the in depth research, to the love and passion for music that's seen in the videos, the great editing, and the utterly amazing outfits ❤ Appreciate it so much, keep up the great content 🙏🙌
Have to say, I found ‘Let It Be’ a fantastic watch!
Beautiful chemistry with the only areas that could be seen as negative and would’ve given Paul all the stick back in the 70s was talking to George about his playing and Paul and Johns conversation just before the album run through.
Loved Besame Mucho and I think the ‘Let it Be’ demonstrated how loud they actually were on the roof when switching to shots from the street, the echoing vocals,,,
Loved your video too!
Been waiting for this!!
Thanks Elliott. I found your thoughts insightful and it was a real pick me up to watch.
Love your work.
Great video mate. Luv the thought & enthusiasm you put into it. All the best.. GAZ (Melbourne/Australia)
Always a good day when Mr Roberts drops a video!
Hello Elliot. I’m also a Beatles fan and I enjoy your videos and learning things from them. Also I love your Paul McCartney look.
Elliot, I enjoy your thoughts, your perspective, your reverence for The Beatles enormously. From a fellow Aussie.
yayy!! was waiting for this one!
I think eliminating the grain is part of what makes Get Back amazing. It made it feel more immersive. At no point did I feel like I was watching a film. And I thought that was good.
Let It Be feels a lot more like a film, which I like.
Same personally
Sure it may look a bit too clean but for me the more vibrant and colorful smoothness of Get Back made me feel warm funny things inside 🥰
Yep I have to say the digital artefacts did not take anything away for me.
Are you evil or dumb?
Thats interesting because I felt the opposite. Get Back felt more like a cinematic film, whereas Let it Be felt more like a real documentary without the fancy editing
@@neilloughran4437 plus the colorfulness is honestly very Beatles and also fits with the more positive reflection despite some downer moments in Part One. One of many reasons I prefer to stick with Get Back tho I respect the Let It Be film getting restored as an act of preservation.
Don't feel bad about your beard Elliot. Few can match the 1960s Beatles in speed they could grow facial hair. John goes from clean shaven in Get Back to having a giant full beard by Abbey Road. George does almost the same thing. How? It would take most of us forever to grow beards like that.
Something in the water?
So true!
One of my brothers have to shave at least two times a day if he wants to be clean shaven. Another couldn't even get a proper mustache until in his thirties or forties. Genes, man, sometimes they sure are funny.
Very thoughtful and shows much expertise and knowledge. Thank you!
Wonderful video. The DREAM would be the original 18 hour cut of Get Back restored like Let It Be.
Living for the mcbeardy look Elliot ❤
Brilliant video, again. Thanks
When do we get the Ringo Starr album ranking
Wonderful review., still haven’t seen it yet, thank so much!
It was my first time seeing it after reading about it or seeing photos in mom's record collection, or later online, for the last 40 years. I can see why it has the reputation it had, but as you so eloquently point out...we have the advantage of 50 years of perspective. I'm struck now, after thinking about what we saw in Get Back.... which I'm remembering only since I haven't watched since 2021..., is that playing these old hits of theirs and others from the Cavern days is really an exercise in getting themselves in the right headspace for the project as it was conceived and was moving forward at the time. On first watch of Get Back, I thought it was just wasting time because Lennon hadn't really brought in anything new, but seeing Let it Be now gives a fresh light on the need to play a "Besame Mucho", "You Really Got a Hold on Me" or "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". I saw it more as time filler with Get Back, but now I can see for it was, necessary to the task at hand. Great video. And agree MLH needs to get past the concert that never was.
Fantastic video my man keep it up
Elliot is officially my fav one! ❤😂🎉
omg man been waiting for this haha! in my opinion, let it be had its charm, but it’s a wild shot from get back and was more like a compilation of the songs rather than showing them actually rehearsing
I absolutely noticed the visual quality improvement from get back.
Removing film grain from footage is almost always a bad idea.
well done. I totally agree that "Get Back" gives vital background for "Let It Be". Billy Preston and his arrival was amazing to see.
Well, you’ve done it again, my friend! Just when my Beatlemania starts to wane, you come out with another amazing video that gets me hooked again. Thank you for producing another insightful funny, and accurate analysis of this piece of Beatles history. The only thing you missed was that Michael Lindsey Hogg somehow loss his accent throughout the years. I wonder what that’s about? I appreciate everything you do and can’t wait to see your next video.
damn bro! very well researched
Elliot, you would absolutely KILL Hard Quiz with your knowledge of The Beatles
Great work. Your history, critique and visual analysis covered this sprawling undertaking. Not all music-oriented CZcams hosts would have correctly interpreted the film grain texture and visual detail either. You called BS when needed too. Yay! My only irritation is having to sign up for Disney, just to drop it soon after again.
I think the amphitheatre concert would have been epic.
Coulda been Woodstock before Woodstock
Great video ❤ Love that u compare and contrast the videos
You left out in the highlights, Let it Be had the songs from the next day. They were complete run-throughs of Two of Us, Let it Be and the Long and Winding Road.
Loved it so much when I first saw it in 1999/2000 and loved it even more now in 2024!!! Thanks for your great review video too!! 😁🎸🎶
Great work.....You are great
thanks man, your videos bring such a joy of the experience. Hope to see get back long version,. Yesterday I was listening let it be (deluxe) an there is another dynamic on the songs when they play complete and get back try to show too much in such a little time, I get Peter get a little hurry
Someday we'll get a "Let it Back" complete edition...
You mean Get It Be?
Guarantees in life:
Death
Taxes
Elliot rocking Beatles’ fits
i can see Michael Lindsey-Hogg in that Leonardo Dicaprio meme pointing at the screen while wathing Pink Floyd's live at Pompei saying... see this could have been The Beatles
Saw you had a Dylan video listed on your patreon, I’d love to see you talk about him some more! Bringing It All Back Home is an album of his I adore especially.
I love the Beatles but in all honesty I watch these videos for Elliot 😍
Love it when my favorite Elliot uploads another video :) (my friend Elliot is maybe a close second, but prob not)
Justice for Ringo’s ranking video!
Thank you!
Thanks! Wish it could be more
Thank you so much, Faith!
This was my first time watching Let It Be and I LOVED IT! I didn’t think it was quite as good as Get Back but I still enjoyed it. I watched it with my cousins who I have just turned into Beatles geeks and we all adored it! My favourite moment in the film was the silly version of ‘The Long and Winding Road’ I particularly loved that part. Elliot, your videos are always incredible and you are the reason I’ve become the biggest Beatles geek in the last 6 months. Thanks so much for everything ❤️ Can’t wait for the ringo album ranking!
Because 4:3 is so nearly square and wide screen is so much better, Jackson chose to crop the footage. That meant losing many lines of resolution from a mere 16mm source, so Jackson used state-of-the-art AI to make the cropped and expanded footage look as acceptable as possible. For me, looking at a 4:3 image for 90 minutes is one thing; looking at a 4:3 image for all 8 hours of the Get Back documentary is another thing entirely. So, all in all, I appreciate Jackson giving us a widescreen image for Get Back, even if it does mean a loss in quality. After all, Get Back was almost universally praised for how good it looked. Only now with an uncropped image to compare against, does Get Back suffer by that comparison.
But, it's not a fair comparison. Of course Let It Be looks better; it isn't cropped. And, of course, the restoration technology keeps improving and will continue to do so.
I, for one, am salivating for a state-of-the-art restoration of the Star Club tapes!
Thanks..I really appreciate your insightful perspective - and I don't say that everyday! - I think you are right on the money about everything.....I first watched Let It Be in Manchester, England in December 1980 , the Saturday after John's death it was shown on BBC2 in the afternoon...it was the only time of my childhood that i missed going to see a home game of Man City, I faked an illness for the first time and stayed home alone to watch it...i had been mesmerized all week since his death by the media and music of JL , i was thinking "Who is this guy!!!" ..I was 9 years old
Elliot you look majestic my man
Apparently one of the other ideas for the concert was the lads playing at the Cavern. Would be fitting
I haven’t seen any of these but I’d love to see any of the three. Especially get back.
I don’t know, but for some reason I really liked the brighter and saturated image of Get Back. It was more immersive in some way. But I get the point of this more authentic approach in Let It Be
It was interesting how two different directors approached the same footage. Michael Lindsay Hogg’s background was music videos, and that’s basically what Let it Be feels like - an extended music video. Peter Jackson however is happy to keep performances brief in order to actually center the dialogue and tell a more dramatic story. This curiously makes Let it Be feel like deleted and extended scenes from Get Back instead of the other way around
I wish I could give an extra 'like' for the tribute beard!
I’m calling it now. In one year, Disney+ will post Get Back Redux, incorporating footage from Let It Be that Peter Jackson was discouraged from using in his original cut. Plus, further sharpened and cleaned up.
my guy! how are ur videos always so high quality?✋
Bro the suit is impeccable, love the hair
Brilliant work Paul !
Came running for this👹 (well actually I came sitting but you get it)