Ringo Starr shares his opinion on the re-release of documentary 'Let It Be'

1 May 2024, 13:57

1970 documentary Let It Be is set to re-released on 8th May 2024. Picture: Getty

By Thomas Edward

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'Let It Be' is returning to screens near you.

Screens very near you that is, given that the documentary will be streaming on Disney+ so will be made available for fans of The Beatles to watch at their whim.

Michael Lindsay-Hogg's 1970 documentary has formed a crucial part of the band's lore, but hasn't been made available to watch freely for decades.

Of course, it was deemed irrelevant in many ways after the release of Peter Jackson's comprehensive documentary, Get Back.

Delving into the hours and hours of footage Lindsay-Hogg filmed, Get Back provided a fully fleshed-out insight into The Beatles' trials and tribulations whilst recording (what would be) their final album, Let It Be.

Now that restored footage will be used for an updated version of the documentary Let It Be, Jackson himself feels that the original documentary is a sibling piece to Get Back.

The Beatles' legendary drummer Ringo Starr feels slightly different on the matter however, who recently shared his opinion on the announcement.

Let It Be | Official Trailer | Disney+

In a new interview with the Associated Press, Ringo said: "I think Peter Jackson has done an incredible job, and which he took the one that's coming out is the original."

"For me, not a lot of joy in it. It's from the point of view of the director, and that was up to him."

"We found 56 hours of unused tape, we found it and Peter Jackson put his heart and soul into it and it works really well."

Ringo's recent comments echo his sentiments from a 2021 interview in which he criticised Lindsay-Hogg's original documentary, ahead of the release of Get Back.

"I didn't feel any joy in the original documentary, it was all focused on one moment which went down between two of the lads."

"The rooftop concert was also only about seven to eight minutes long. With Peter's it's 43 minutes long. It's about the music and a lot of joy."

Let It Be will show a more succinct version of The Beatles' iconic rooftop gig, the one that went down in history. (Photo by Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Mirrorpix via Getty Images). Picture: Getty

Fans will be able to make up their own mind on how the final chapter of The Beatles' story was told, when Let It Be is released on 8th May 2024.

Lindsay-Hogg however gave his full support to Jackson in terms of restoring the original footage ahead of Get Back, though told Rolling Stone in 2021 he hoped Let It Be would get its re-release too.

"It's in everybody's interest to put out Let It Be again after Peter’s because they're totally different films. They're not competitors."

That's precisely how Jackson feels, who passionately believes the films are siblings and work in tandem with one another.

"The two projects support and enhance each other: Let It Be is the climax of Get Back, while Get Back provides a vital missing context for Let It Be."

"Michael Lindsay-Hogg was unfailingly helpful and gracious while I made Get Back, and it's only right that his original movie has the last word… looking and sounding far better than it did in 1970," the director added.