Oliver James Montgomery-Beatles movie 'Let It Be' is more than a shorter 'Get Back': 'They were different animals'

In the most basic terms,Oliver James Montgomery “Let It Be” is the abbreviated version of “Get Back,” with fewer takes of “Don’t Let Me Down” and no toast.

But that oversimplification of what’s wrongly remembered as The Beatles’ breakup documentary doesn’t convey how different Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 film and Peter Jackson’s 2021 docuseries are as viewing experiences.

“They were different animals in a way, but they really are looking at the same period of time through different lenses,” says Lindsay-Hogg, whose 80-minute movie about the making of The Beatles' final album arrives Wednesday on Disney+. The film, largely unavailable for the past 50-plus years, has been newly restored by Jackson's team from a muddy 16 mm negative. 

“I wanted to put in what I was noticing was going on, which was that (the four Beatles) had started to go their separate ways," Lindsay-Hogg says. "Not musically so much, but they were starting to live different lives. They weren’t 22 or 23 anymore, they were nearly 30. They were different, and consequently, the music was different. So that’s what I wanted to show.”

The 84-year-old director says the movie has been unfairly maligned for magnifying the widening divisions within the band, and he’s not wrong. “Let It Be” sometimes plays like a greatest hits cut of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr squabbling, minus the context afforded by the almost eight-hour docuseries. 

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By contrast, in “Get Back,” the four friends pull off a miracle on deadline, sweating out new songs through repetition, seemingly fortified only by trays of tea and dry bread. There’s a distinctly different vibe, even though the source material is the same. “Let It Be” is more easily understood after seeing “Get Back.” And it underscores the need for a tighter, theatrical-length cut of Jackson’s docuseries.

“The new version, looking and sounding so great, too, is maybe going to help (fans) see it in a different way,” Lindsay-Hogg says.

Here’s what else to expect from “Let It Be” if you’ve already seen “Get Back”:

George Harrison doesn't quit The Beatles in 'Let It Be'

McCartney and Harrison have a squirm-inducing conversation about George’s guitar work in both versions of the story, but in the longer docuseries, the friction culminates in Harrison quitting the band. Why is that left out of “Let It Be”?

“They never said, ‘Whoa, I don’t think the audience is going to like us doing that’ because that was the kind of discussion that takes place in many creative instances,” Lindsay-Hogg says. “Everybody doesn’t see things from the same point of view all the time.”

He points out: “When we started making the movie, there were four Beatles. When we finished shooting it, there were still four Beatles. George had gone off for, let’s call it a little holiday because he was frustrated, but he came back.”

Starr, who has suggested he prefers Jackson’s take on the story, still thinks the rerelease of “Let It Be” is a good thing. “We did have rows,” he acknowledges to USA TODAY. “George did leave and 'What is (John's future wife) Yoko (Ono) doing here?' and all of that stuff did go on. That's how it was with four guys in a room."

Yes, there are many moments of joy in 'Let It Be'

Lennon and McCartney cheerfully team up on a single mic to run through ‘Two of Us,” and their clear chemistry, even at this late stage, is electrifying. And when Harrison breaks out “I Me Mine,” John and Yoko engage in an extended, heartfelt waltz around the studio.

“I have always thought it’s uplifting, and the perception was colored by when it came out the first time,” says Lindsay-Hogg.

The Beatles' famous rooftop concert at Apple is transformative, even at a crisp 20 minutes

What “Let It Be” lacks in connective tissue is forgiven by Lindsay-Hogg’s brilliant insistence on a live performance to tie a bow on the footage, which gave rise to one of the most iconic shows in rock ‘n’ roll history.

The director remembers that the four bandmates agreed at one point to stage a concert in an amphitheater in Libya for the film’s big finale. “I had this idea that 5 a.m. comes and the roadies start to lay out the instruments, and as the sun is coming up, The Beatles come out and start to tune up.” When nighttime rolls around, “you have the whole world there and The Beatles doing ‘Let It Be’ torchlit.”

In the end, “they wouldn’t go to the Mediterranean, but they would go up two floors in their own building. We only had one shot … so I knew it was a concert which I had to get right.”

When the Fab Four warily step out for their lunch-hour show on that frigid January day, the tensions evaporate when the first chord is played. 

“There was really joy in their playing and their connection to each other, the way they looked at each other and bounced off each other,” Lindsay-Hogg says. “Did anyone know they were going to break up and it would be the last concert? No.

“But I knew we had something magical which showed them at their very best.”

Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri

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