Following the launch of The Beatles documentary, Let It Be, on Disney+, Ringo Starr has given his seal of approval to the film, after previously criticising the project.
Let It Be was created by filmmaker Michael Lindsay-Hogg towards the end of the 1960s, documenting The Beatles’ final recording sessions as well as their iconic gig on the Apple Corps rooftop. Though the film was initally released in 1970, it has since been unavailable to audiences for decades. Now, Peter Jackson has restored the film in 4K.
A couple of years before the re-release, Starr spoke about his dislike for the original documentary, deeming it “miserable” during a Zoom Q&A. “I didn’t feel any joy in the original documentary,” Starr stated, “it was all focused on one moment which went down between two of the lads.”
However, Starr had a positive outlook on Jackson taking over and restoring the film, suggesting that his version was about “the music and a lot of joy.” Now, upon the re-release of the documentary, he has reaffirmed this statement.
“I thought the re-edit of Let It Be was great,” he stated, via The Standard, “The original one has just come out again that Michael Linsday-Hodd did, and the edit – I love the edit.”
Starr went on to maintain that while he was disappointed in the original film, the re-edit of Lindsay-Hogg’s work has a much greater focus. “It’s just on the lads and the playing,” he stated, “and the music and the chat about the songs.”
The re-release of the film follows Jackson’s docu-series The Beatles: Get Back, which provided a lengthier look at the Beatles behind-the-scenes and hit Disney+ in the autumn of 2021. In a three-star review of Let It Be, Far Out wrote that the restoration “falls limp at the feet of its successor.”
The review continued: “In the shadow of the 2021 documentary, which used the same footage but with miles more insight and a far deeper look into their same era, the 1970 film has been usurped by its own heir, rendering this restoration rather moot and obfuscated, like an airbrushed highlights package when you’ve already seen the guts and glory of the full game.”
The restored documentary may not delve quite as deep into its subject as the series did, but it is still a worthwhile watch for fans of the Fab Four seeking out more glimpses at their musical mastery.
