Is The Beatles' New Documentary Rewriting The Band's Breakup?

Apple Records partnering with Peter Jackson to direct a new Beatles documentary edited from the hours of footage recorded for the 1970 film, Let It Be is great news for the band's fans, but could this new edit of the Let It Be footage be rewriting the story of The Beatles' breakup?

Let It Be is a documentary about The Beatles rehearsing and recording the album of the same name. Filmed in the early part of 1969, the band would break up later that year before officially dissolving in 1970. It's notorious for including sequences that hint at the discord brewing between band members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, building off tensions that first surfaced while The Beatles were recording "The White Album."

Let It Be has since become an incredibly tough film to find, which makes the news of Jackson's restoration especially exciting. However, seeing as it's an officially sanctioned re-editing of the material, there's a real chance the film might soften just how badly the individual Beatles come across in the footage. In which case, might the purpose of Jackson's new documentary be to rewrite the history of The Beatles' breakup in the same way Bohemian Rhapsody changed the story of Queen?

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Page 2: Is Peter Jackson's New Documentary Rewriting The Beatles' Breakup?

Let It Be (1970) Covers The Band's Breakup In Detail

The 1970 documentary directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg covers the period in early 1969 when The Beatles were recording what they thought would be their final album - Let It Be. Originally conceived as a television special that would then accompany a live concert broadcast - one last hurrah for the immensely popular and successful band - the film uses a "fly on the wall" perspective as it observes The Beatles rehearsing. Unfortunately, what actually came of the project was far from the spectacular sendoff they imagined, and instead, the footage documents in detail the beginning of The Beatles' breakup.

Linday-Hogg's final cut of Let It Be only clocks in at around 80 minutes, meaning that the majority of his footage has never been released. What the film does show, however, more than illustrates the growing tensions among The Beatles. Most famously, the final film includes a scene of Harrison and McCartney bickering over how to play a particular guitar riff, with Harrison's frustration coming across as he tells McCartney: "I’ll play whatever you want me to play, or I won’t play at all if you don’t want me to play. Whatever it is that will please you, I’ll do it." Harrison actually eneded up quitting the band during this time, though any indication of such wasn't included in the final cut of Let It Be, and shortly thereafter he was coaxed into returning.

While Let It Be is mostly a collection of petty squabbling and the occasional performance, the film does culminate in the band's famous rooftop concert atop Apple headquarters on Savile Row, an impromptu idea to give the film some sort of happy ending. Afterwards, The Beatles would remain together long enough to record what was their true final album, Abbey Road - an experience that was far more pleasant and served as a fitting goodbye from the band - but it was Let It Be that laid bare the cracks forming within the band, signaling that the end of The Beatles was near.

Let It Be Is The Biggest Gap In The Beatles' Past

The Beatles are one of most discussed bands in history, and every moment of their career has been analyzed over and over again for new generations of fans. Most of the band's discography and filmography has received remastered releases and are readily available to purchase, rent, or even stream. But not the Let It Be film, which has been out-of-print for decades.

Let It Be was released in theaters in May 1970, months after The Beatles had broken up but before the band had officially dissolved. In 1981, the documentary received a home release on VHS and LaserDisc, but it was a poor quality transfer. Today, the film only lives on in illegal bootlegs as any official copies have become nearly impossible to find. Portions of Let It Be, including some of the never-before-seen footage, was remastered and included in The Beatles Anthology and as promotional material for the remixed album, Let It Be... Naked. And a DVD release of the film almost happened but it was reportedly blocked by both McCartney and Starr, who didn't want the pettiness on display in Let It Be to tarnish The Beatles' global brand.

That period in January 1969 is both the most documented point in The Beatles's career - with cameras rolling hours a day, week after week - but it's also the biggest gap in The Beatles' past, with much of the footage remaining unseen even today. Or rather, that was the case until the announcement of Peter Jackson's forthcoming documentary, which promises to revisit the footage and reveal the full scope of what went on during the recording of Let It Be.

Page 2: Is Peter Jackson's New Documentary Rewriting The Beatles' Breakup?

The Beatles performing the Let It Be Rooftop Concert

Peter Jackson's Documentary Covers The Same Story As Let It Be

Earlier this week - on the 50th anniversary of The Beatles' rooftop concert, no less - it was announced that director Peter Jackson is being given access to all the of the footage recorded in 1969 - including some "55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio" - in order to edit together a new film. Using the same restoration techniques employed for his recent World War I documentary, They Shall Not Grow Old, the production is being overseen by Apple, The Beatles' record label, and has received the approval of McCartney and Starr as well as Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison.

Jackson promises that his film will deliver "the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience," adding that the footage filmed by Lindsey-Hogg is "simply an amazing historical treasure trove." Jackson's documentary is expected to deliver roughly the same narrative as the 1970s version, featuring the band's rehearsals and recording sessions for Let It Be as well the climactic rooftop concert. However, what isn't exactly clear is what agenda (if any) Jackson himself is bringing to the project. Is he simply creating an impartial account of what went on behind-the-scenes, or might Jackson be changing the narrative?

Is The New Documentary Rewriting The Beatles' Breakup?

The Beatles Recording Let It Be in The Beatles: Get Back

Revisionist history isn't anything new, and certainly not when it comes to famous musicians. The most recent example is 2018's Bohemian Rhapsody, a film which dramatizes a less-than-factual account of Freddie Mercury's rise as the frontman of Queen. And while Peter Jackson's new Let It Be documentary is using actual footage and not recreating events with actors, it's hard to imagine Apple, the surviving band members, and the estates signing off on film that exposes The Beatles warts and all.

The vast majority of footage Lindsey-Hogg filmed for the documentary has never been seen by the public, but over time some has leaked out on to the bootleg market. In other cases, it isn't video footage but audio that's leaked, as was the case with bootleg audio tapes made from the film crew's recorders. For example, Harrison walking out during a session and not returning for days isn't referenced in the 1970 film, but bootleg audio of the incident exists. And it's thanks to leaked material like this, fans have been given a glimpse at what Lindey-Hogg's final cut doesn't include, hinting at the tense exchanges taking place just off-screen. Jackson's documentary might still exclude include these unfavorable sequences, choosing to stick with a sanitized account of the events. After all, why else would McCartney, Starr, and Lennon and Harrison's estates agree to a new version of the documentary after 50 years of trying to keep the footage under wraps?

Then again, perhaps Jackson and his team will act impartially, seeking to present as honest a depiction as possible of the band's final months? It's obviously no secret that the recording sessions for Let It Be were unpleasant, and The Beatles Anthology doesn't shy away from discussing how stressful the whole experience was for the band. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, McCartney disputes the claim he's opposed any sort of Let It Be re-release, adding that: "The objection should be me. I don't come off well." There are also plans for the original 1970's Let It Be film to be re-released following the release of Jackson's version, suggesting the film isn't as loathed as some would believe.

Only time will tell how much Peter Jackson's new Let It Be documentary will sugar-coat the miserable experience The Beatles had recording that album, but either way, it's sure to become the definitive account of what transpired in January 1969.