The Beatles 'Let It Be' is Coming Exclusively to Disney+ on May 8

The Beatles Let It Be, the 1970 film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, is coming to streaming service Disney+ on May 8.

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With restoration from Peter Jackson's team at Park Road Post Production – the same group that produced the five-time Emmy award-winning docuseries Get Back – this is the first time the original has been seen in over 50 years.

The movie, released in May 1970 just after the announcement that Paul McCartney was leaving the Beatles, was accepted at the time as the final product from the band. The reviews were less than favorable and such was the negative state of mind from the band, that it cast a shadow over the entire legacy of the film and its accompanying soundtrack.

The original intention of filming the Beatles in rehearsal for a forthcoming tour placed Lindsay-Hogg up against impossible time restraints and tension-filled hours as the group's once-revered infrastructure was crumbling in front of the camera lens. With the exception of the joyous and raucous gig on the rooftop at 3 Savile Row and the inclusion of good friend Billy Preston, the entire project was not looked at fondly for the next five decades.

However, with the overwhelmingly positive reception received from the November 2021 release of Get Back, the original can now be viewed from a more realistic perspective. From the press release, Peter Jackson had this to say:

"I'm absolutely thrilled that Michael's movie, Let It Be, has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades. I was so lucky to have access to Michael's outtakes for Get Back, and I've always thought that Let It Be is needed to complete the Get Back story. I now think of it all as one epic story, finally completed after five decades. 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."

Let It Be, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, stars John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, with a special appearance by Billy Preston. The film was produced by Neil Aspinall with The Beatles acting as executive producers.