On the "Let it Be" movie ...

Let It Be can be a good film. Make the footage High Res, put in a few more out-takes and between song chatter and I think it would make a great little film.

The performances of all the songs are good and of course the roof top concert is a great way to finish it

 

Being a smarta** I guess.

 

Because I am and that’s what I call him!

I’m not really.

I saw him once and shouted out “Hey Ritchie!!” and he looked straight through me...

 

OK fair point. But given that crew/production wasn't exactly of DeMille and "The Ten Commandments" scale, one would figure he's heard something. I was told in the other thread that everyone save Yoko has no problem with it coming out. I went looking for confirmation and that's one of the few on the record comments floating around by anyone even remotely connected to the film.

 

I enjoy watching Let It Be much more than I do watching Help!

I want it out on blu-ray so theoretically we have a cleaned-up, un-cropped, fantastic audio quality version with hours of outtakes on a bonus disc. Will Apple actually do that? Odds are greater that if/when it is ever released, one to all of those points will be missing or screwed up in several different ways. That's just the way they seem to do things anymore--always hire the wrong people to put their products together. The boot versions of Beatles material are almost universally better in the wholistic, details, and overall quality aspects. It's just unfortunate they never have the access to be working from the original source materials like Apple does.

 

Most of the animosity was shown in the Anthology film. The balance of the Let it Be film is just "fly on the wall" footage and goofing off in the studio. As a documentary of a band struggling to care or keep it together, I find it fascinating. Why does it all have to be peaches and cream?

 

true. probably once every few years if that

 

I think Ritchie generally is a term of affection for Ringo.

Richard Starkey.

Richie.

Rickie.

We're so called "Beatles people", isn't that the phrase going around?

And we're not just temporarily "Beatles people" only when a new product comes out, I'm thinking no we're not.

So, "Beatles people" get to call Ringo...Ritchie.

And Paul...Macca.

Let It Be shatters so much.

But is an important piece of the puzzle.

What's great about the Beatles is that they started hard....peaked in 1966-1967...and fully matured in the late Sixties.

And then were done.

Who could have asked for more than what we ended up getting from the Beatles?

The Honorable Sir Richard Starkey.

Sickly child in a hospital bed for months learned how to play drums...

 

Ah: how do we know that "Let It Be" film isn't already in the middle of a re-editing process?

We don't, but I think it is possible. A re-edit to show it wasn't entirely a slog. We all know that the rooftop concert is a career highlight. You can see they are ALL having a good time- even while freezing to death! They were true pros when the time called for them to be.
And perhaps a cleaned-up original version can be included, but with the emphasis on a new version, hopefully edited by someone who really understands this project.

I do think it will happen at some point.

 

I'd love to see the original film remastered on 1 disc.

A new cut of the film on another disc, using any footage available, to try and basically make the best film possible of the sessions.

Then as much "extra" stuff as they're willing to give us, preferably with some CDs.

Put that in a big box and debit my pension pot.

 

Same here. They could have (perhaps should have) made the same argument about releasing the Love album.

 

I own the Blu Ray, and rarely watch it all, but do sometimes watch the Rooftop performance.

pm me if your interested in buying...

 

Seeing it once was enough. I don’t care if they ever release it, it’s a terrible depressing film, a chore to watch.

 

I've think Let it Be is a fantastic film. I find nothing at all wrong with it. I don't think they look that miserable, especially once they leave Twickenham, although they do look like they're working; I think George's contributions are amazing, and except for a few seconds of footage in Twickenham, John looks focused and animated throughout. I can't understand a Beatles fan that says he'd buy it and stick it in the closet. I've watched it so many times, I've memorized the various parts.

The opening 1/3 at Twickenham is very interesting to me, as they work out songs - Maxwell's Silver Hammer ("D-G-D-E minor"), "I've Got a Feeling", "Dig a Pony", "Across the Universe", that electric "Two of Us". George introducing the band to "I Me Mine" ("It's a heavy waltz"), They aren't polished studio versions - they're rehearsing, works in process - that's what makes them fascinating.

Once they move studios, it's even better. George is great on "For You Blues" and helping Ringo write "Octopus' Garden". The studio jamming, other than "Dig It", is sloppy as hell (the one thing that the Stones had over the Beatles - their studio jams are amazing) but John and Paul are in great voice, and George looks like he's having such a great time. I would love to see more footage.

"Two of Us" is probably my favorite part of the film. Paul and John with wonderful vocals, and George's fantastic free-form guitar/bass part. It's a little uncomfortable when Paul is staring at you on "Let it Be" but what a vocal! and I love the Leslie'd guitar, not the just the solo, but the fills as well. Great stuff.

And that leaves the rooftop, where they play versions of tracks that they had been working on. All those wonderful moments on the rooftop - John and Paul smiling at each other as John sings in French on "Don't Let Me Down", Paul screaming the middle eight of "I've Got a Feeling" while an old lady on the street says "This makes no sense!", that "one-two-three - hold it!" opening and John cracking on the high note on "Dig a Pony". And throughout, vocals from John and Paul, guitar from George, and Billy Preston's keyboards, all sound so great.

When they release it, they should clean up the footage so you can see facial expressions a little more clearly.

 

I have never seen this film.

 

At this point, it might be more interesting to see a documentary about the making of the movie and it's subsequent intermittent release schedule than it would be to see the movie itself.

 

My memories of it are a bit vague -- after all, it has been over 40 years -- but I do remember enough of a couple of viewings to know it was an uncomfortable film. I have no use for it and would not purchase it, nor ever seek to watch it again.

 

A post on page one has a link to it. If you are a Beatles fan, I seriously cannot imagine not enjoying it. I think it took people by surprise in 1970, because people had never seen footage of a band working on tracks in a studio before. There were no bootlegs back then so everyone probably thought that perfect music sprung immediately and magically from their fingers like Athena from the forehead of Zeus. But now we know it doesn't work that way, and Let it Be is a remarkable insight into the Beatles' creative process.

 

Yes, it's interesting and even fascinating for Beatlemaniacs - but a helluva bore if you aren't.

 

Would it look better than that bootleg video? Or is that the way it looked?

 

I'd like the rooftop performance in the highest possible quality.

Also, if we give a little leeway---editing of multiple takes into one-----we could get some really nice "bonus features"----alternates of Get Back (rocks much harder in the early stages) and Two Of Us----for starters.

 

I think Ringo should suffice. We already sound dorky enough.

 

If the rest of the film os too big a job to restore and they could make what you mention in pristine quality, Id rather have what you mention.

 

I was born in 1973.
When I was growing up, Help! and Yellow Submarine were on the TV every year.

I have seen footage of "Get Back" from the rooftop concert, but I have always wanted to see the complete film.

 

I think it was shot on 16mm and then blown up to 35mm so it's grainy. Not particularly well edited and the sound isn't great. At some point they'll probably fix all this and recut it into a film called The Beatles Get Back or some such....

.....or maybe not. The Elvis estate has repeatedly refused to release the 1977 footage that was edited into a TV special......on the ground that Elvis looks awful and sounds little better.....