Is 'Let it Be' DVD finally coming?

How can anyone claim this doesn't show them in the best light, after seeing Magical Mystery Tour? That seems more worthy of burying than Let It Be.

 

The Paul/George argument was shown in Imagine and I think Anthology shows it also, so outside of Paul being bossy, there is nothing negative about it. It's history, their Civil War did not start until the lawyers got involved.

 

Plenty of laughs at Apple (the Billy Preston effect):

 

I love some of that newly cut footage, where they edit in several camera angles, the roof and tracking room all in one song. While using the 2009 remaster audio synched in.

Why would Apple spend big money to do that, and post the clips unless, some kind of video release was Coming.

 

But Steven Spielberg thinks "MMT" is the greatest movie ever made - that's what Macca keeps telling us!

 

come on! we want a pristine copy to count hairs on Paulie's head...BR!!!! lowly DVD! NEVER!

 

There was a fan-produced DVD making the rounds in the usual places on the net several years ago that was supposedly sourced from a 16mm print and was uncropped. More than a few people felt that it was the best-quality version that had ever been available up to that point.

 

The fan version used a German pal broadcast if I recall for the video. What made it great was the stereo soundtrack that seemed to derive from original nagra reels.

The famed laserdisc was mono and had mediocre laserdisc analog sound. I had a copy and trust me it was nothing special. Early laserdiscs had poor analog sound before they went digital

 

I don't know much about mixing music. How does one get a stereo soundtrack out of mono nagra recordings?

 

Good question. They must have had multiple audio sources to work with. I would agree that the fan release was the best version ever but for me it was the sound that was relevatory

 

I must say, I don't think much of the picture quality in some of the clips in these new You Tube videos. Hair in the gate, washed out colours.

 

I agree, and makes me wonder if they just haven't given it the "restoration/release" treatment and are just showing some teaser clips like "Hey, look what we're working with right now!" my 2 cents...

 

Hair in the gate? What is that.

 

They fixed it insofar as the audio now matches the visuals, ie., the take we'll hear is the same performance as the visuals.

 

Film shavings:

 

The laserdisc actually looks quite nice, given the source material. I always thought it looked like crap given all the DVDs of indeterminate orogin I've seen over the years, but if you can get your hands on the real thing - check it out. the colors are certainly good. The transfer is good. It's just the source material itself which is so poor. But it still looks better directly played back than any conversion I've seen. And yes I've seen the ones purporting to be OTA recordings of alternate source films, etc.

 

Oy. I'm a huge Beatles fan, but anything related to Let it Be can only be a train wreck. Spare me that and release any and all outtakes from Rubber Soul and Revolver. Now That Would Be Something,

 

Yeah, the laserdisc is just fine, if you can lay your hands on one. FWIW, I have one. (More to the point, I saw a pristine film print of it at a United Artists retrospective at UCLA in '95 or '96, which to this day remains for me the sine qua non of viewing experiences on this title.)

Honestly, I just don't understand the disdain for Let It Be. I very much appreciate the absence of narrative inflection in this movie -- it's an extraordinarily straightforward document of a very difficult time in the band's history, and the rooftop concert makes for a stunning climax to the film.

The Beatles gave four movies to United Artists under the terms of their contract -- I believe that three of them are stone-cold classics, and all three are completely different in style and approach. (I could care less if I never saw Help! again.)

When I've screened the laserdisc for people, Let It Be has generally met with a positive response. But I do make a point of explaining the circumstances of the production in advance, before hitting the "Play" button -- there's a key transition from the Twickenham footage to the Apple footage (cued by a postproduction pirouette) that is best understood in the context of what was actually happening. The absence of narrative inflection both giveth and taketh away...

It's a fine documentary. I'm just glad that it exists at all.

 

I'm not sure I agree with that. The segment from the anthology, where the four members are deciding whether to play a concert on the roof,was absolutely astounding to me. It was amazing to see the interaction between John, Paul and especially George. I found it fascinating that George was initially opposed to going up on the roof, but when John said that he wanted to do it, George seem to agree. I suspect there is similar footage, with the group making monumental decisions, that is not been released.

 

I'm tempted to start quoting from "The Horn" by Derek & Clive, but I fear I'd be banned forever!

 

I'm not sure whether the world really needs the original "Let it be" movie re-released in it's original version. As many outtakes have shown, the movie focusses on the darker moments and seems to document the end of the Beatles. That was underlined by the date of release as the final album.
But in fact these sessions led to one of their finest albums. So with another approach the material could be edited in a way, that even includes the "problems". But also shows the good times of the sessions finally leading to "Abbey Road" instead of the overrated "Roof Top concert", which was a funny idea, but didn't work out because of the cold January weather.

 

Aside from the (very minor) George/Paul argument, there are no 'darker' moments. They actually appear to be having fun playing a lot of the time.

 

LET IT BE should never be re-edited in any way. It's history, and the film is the film. If they choose to add any new "upbeat" footage as BONUS MATERIAL on the side, I'm all for that.

It's completely idiotic that LIB still has not been released on DVD/Blu-ray. I really think the white-washing of The Beatles and presenting them solely as this sugary "All You Need Is Love" quartet prancing about to the Cirque Du Soleil "Love" is not right. LET IT BE shows some rough patches, and that's a good thing. What are they trying to hide? We know the story: The Beatles Broke Up.

 

I really like the film myself, but hope for a more interesting edit. Much more music and better sound. It's a film for music lovers and Beatles collectors, not the average fan.

Those that want the same edit can have the original home video release. VHS tapes are still playable, or boots are a-plenty!

 

Two Virgins LP cover comes to mind at 0:06.