Beatles announce new film from 'Let It Be' footage

Here's the press release:

London – January 30, 2019 - Apple Corps Ltd. and WingNut Films Ltd. are proud to announce an exciting new collaboration between The Beatles and the acclaimed Academy Award winning director Sir Peter Jackson. The new film will be based around 55 hours of never-released footage of The Beatles in the studio, shot between January 2^nd and January 31^st, 1969. These studio sessions produced The Beatles’ Grammy Award winning album Let It Be, with its Academy Award winning title song. The album was eventually released 18 months later in May 1970, several months after the band had broken up.

The filming was originally intended for a planned TV special, but organically turned into something completely different, climaxing with The Beatles’ legendary performance on the roof of Apple's Savile Row London office — which took place exactly 50 years ago today.

Peter Jackson said, "The 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available to us, ensures this movie will be the ultimate ‘fly on the wall’ experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about - it’s like a time machine transports us back to 1969, and we get to sit in the studio watching these four friends make great music together.” 

Although The Beatles were filmed extensively during the 1960s - in concerts, interviews and movies - this is the only footage of any note that documents them at work in the studio.

The Let It Be album and movie, having been released in the months following The Beatles’ breakup, have often been viewed in the context of the struggle the band was going through at that time. 

“I was relieved to discover the reality is very different to the myth,” continues Jackson, “After reviewing all the footage and audio that Michael Lindsay-Hogg shot 18 months before they broke up, it’s simply an amazing historical treasure-trove. Sure, there’s moments of drama - but none of the discord this project has long been associated with. Watching John, Paul, George, and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating - it’s funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate”.   

"I’m thrilled and honoured to have been entrusted with this remarkable footage - making the movie will be a sheer joy.”

Jackson will be working with his They Shall Not Grow Old partners, Producer Clare Olssen and Editor Jabez Olssen. The footage will be restored by Park Road Post of Wellington, New Zealand, to a pristine standard, using techniques developed for the WW1 documentary film which has been nominated for a BAFTA for best documentary.

The untitled film is currently in production and the release date will be announced in due course. This film is being made with the full co-operation of Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono Lennon, and Olivia Harrison.

The Executive Producers are Ken Kamins for WingNut Films and Jeff Jones and Jonathan Clyde for Apple Corps.

Following the release of this new film, a restored version of the originalLet It Be movie directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg will also be made available.

Get thee to Cleveland. John Lennon's Epiphone from rooftop concert is on display at Rock Hall of Fame

Copyright Lennon Archive

It's one of 15 guitars now on display. From the Rock Hall of Fame: "At the heart of countless rock anthems, head-bangers and ballads is the guitar. 15 iconic instruments, including John Lennon's '65 Epiphone Casino, are now on display in our newly launched Guitar Gallery. See how we put the guitars up on display and click to rockhall.com for more behind-the-scenes stories."

The guitar, as the video shows, was used in the rooftop concert in "Let It Be." 

What do Beatles fans want? "Let It Be" on DVD

One of the many bootleg "Let It Be" DVDs. 

We conducted an unscientific poll last week on Twitter on what people want the Beatles to release in 2017. (See the actual poll below). We gave four choices to choose from: Shea Stadium on DVD, "Let It Be" on DVD, a Sgt. Pepper 50th anniversary package or the Beatles music on Blu-ray.

The results weren't too surprising. Of the 194 votes that registered, "Let It Be" won by a landslide with 60 percent. Shea Stadium came in second at 20 percent. The "Sgt. Pepper" set was third with 16 percent and the Blu-ray Beatles audio was last at four percent.

This was kind of a test of the Twitter poll and we probably should have run it longer. But "Let It Be" is always coming up as a strong choice whenever these discussions arise. ("Hollywood Bowl" on CD was also in demand before its release last year.) The only question is how much longer we'll have to wait for "Let It Be" -- and whether it'll come while all of us are around.

(Be sure to check out our "That's What I Want Beatles Store" for a huge selection of everything Fab.)

What would you like to see the Beatles release in 2017? #beatles music

— Steve Marinucci (@SteveMarinucci) January 3, 2017

"A Hard Day's Night" not a classic?

So the other day, we picked up this book because we love old movies. More than 5,000 entries, the cover says. So we're looking through the book and all the ones you'd expect are there. "Casablanca." "Gone With the Wind." "Ben-Hur." "King Kong." "The Godfather." Not everything in the book is on the list of best movies, but many are, as they should be. But some of the worst were there, too, like "Plan 9 From Outer Space." 

So, as we often do with books, we go looking for Beatle mentions. Like "A Hard Day's Night." Turn the pages to the H's. Not there.  Huh? And no "Help!," "Magical Mystery Tour," "Yellow Submarine" or "Let It Be." Hmm... Curiously, though, the Monkees' "Head" is listed. As is the Dave Clark Five's "Having a Wild Weekend." So is "Jimi Hendrix." "Jailhouse Rock." "Rock, Rock, Rock." "Go, Johnny, Go!" "Beach Blanket Bingo." "Beach Party." 

Tucked in the back are checklists of directors' films. It is there (and only there) we found AHDN, plus "How I Won the War" and the McCartney tour film "Get Back" listed. In tiny print.

The key seems to be the mention in the Editor's Note that the book excludes ("painfully," it says) British films, except for early Hitchcock films and also James Bond movies, but makes an exception for films that "feature predominately Hollywood-associated casts or directors." So presumably, then, John Boorman, who is British, incidentally, and his direction of "Having a Wild Weekend" makes it, but the films of Richard Lester, an American, do not?

By the way, this is not a recent book, but came out in 1999. I have to admit I like the book otherwise because I love reading about classic movies. But this was a huge error and there's no excuse for it. 

(For all the best Beatles news, please subscribe to our Beatles Examiner, Paul McCartney Examiner, George Harrison Examiner and Ringo Starr Examiner columns. And don't miss the weekly Beatles radio show "Things We Said Today" we co-host with Allan Kozinn, Al Sussman and Ken Michaels.) We would very much appreciate you.) 

More audio coming from "Let It Be": "All I Want Is ... "

On top of the already announced HMC "Let It Be" DVD is this audio release from Masterjedi. As you can see from the back cover, it says it will combine tracks from the Glyn Johns acetate mix and the Ron Furmanek film mix.

Track list: Glyn Johns’ acetate: "The One After 909" /"I’m Ready" / "Save The Last Dance For Me /"Don’t Let Me Down" / "Dig" / "I’ve Got A Feeling" / "Get Back" / 
"For You Blue" / "Teddy Boy" / "Two Of Us" / "Maggie Mae" / "Dig It" / "Let It Be" / "The Long And Winding Road" / "Get Back" (reprise)

Furmanek’s "Let It Be" Mix – "Two Of Us" / "Let It Be" / "The Long And Winding Road" / "Get Back 1" / "Don’t Let Me Down" / "I’ve Got A Feeling" / "One After 909" / "Dig A Pony" / "Get Back 2," "Get Back" (reprise).