Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Such a frustrating disappointment

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Let It Be was the final film done by the Beatles.It happens to be a documentary wherein the recording sessions of the Fab Four for the release of the final album was being filmed by Michael Lindsay- Hogg.The band is shown rehearsing,performing,recording and sometimes arguing as they try to complete songs.Also included is the rooftop concert of the band which happens to be their final live appearance.Majority of the documentary shows John,Paul,George and Ringo are doing various things.Also,glimpses of Yoko Ono were caught on camera as she watches the band.Then,Billy Preston later join them.The end is near for the most influential and successful band in rock history.The viewer can see that the band members are no longer enjoying each other's company and what they are currently doing.Added to that,it was evident that there has been a lot of infighting among them and they are ready to go to different directions anytime soon. The presence of Yoko serves more of a distraction rather than an inspiration.But despite of the uninspired actions that the band members are currently taking and being on the brink of breaking up,they still managed to make great music.The musical talent of the group just shined throughout the documentary.The Academy Award it won for Original Music during its year of release only proves just that.

The concept, the film making, and most importantly, the content is not only compelling but also, it sums up the story of the most popular band of the 20th century. Unlike the previous films released, this one shows the Beatles in a real sense. From the photography to the separate studio cuts up to the moment of their final performance. Yes, it is as heart breaking for any Beatles fan because this isn't a "happy movie" full of pathos but rather, a bare bones, as real as you get look at how these 4 individual worked together toward creating and completing the work that fundamentally made a deep impact on society, both in the music and entertainment industries but also the social revolution that was going on at the time. Yes John, on behalf of all of us, you and the band passed the audition that will outlive us all...

OK, so let me get this straight: Magical Mystery Tour, which I've yet to see but have heard is quite bad and pretentious and dated, is allowed to be on DVD, but *this* is banned by the 1/2 Beatles? Why? Because at one point Paul and George have a little argument over a song? As the British would say, bullocks! What they show in the film of arguments and sulking is what happens in ANY band, and in fact is usually much worse - I was almost surprised there wasn't more of the taped back-and-forth exchanged in the film, given what's been said how bad it got amongst the fab four during their final year in recording, particularly on Let it Be aka Get Back (the most chilling thing overall is the presence Yoko, who keeps popping up looking like she could duke it out with Bergman's Seventh Seal Death dude and probably win).While I watched it on a reasonable if as a given muddy and slightly scratchy transfer online on bootleg, it was pretty much the film intact as it played almost 40 years ago. What makes it a must-see is not the direction, which is at best competent and at worst the weakest thing going for it - sadly, Al Maysles was already taken by the Stones, as his eye would have been perfect - but the Beatles and the music. I'd argue after watching this and listening to Let it Be... Naked that the majority of the songs are as great as the main tracks on Abbey Road. Indeed a few of the songs in the movie here, Maxwell Silver Hammer, Octopus Garden, wound up on that album, and are practically interchangeable from the rest of the output.We see the Beatles do what they do best, be Beatles, play and work out the kinks in classic songs, and also the camaraderie that shows what underneath the image given by the other goofier movies that they were simply incredibly talented musicians. This is evidenced by the scenes where they don't actually play or rehearse their own songs but goof around, play rhythm and blues tunes and even at one point a mariachi number sung by Paul! There's not a lot of time spent with them just talking or shooting the s**t - at most we get some reminiscing between Paul and John about the Maharishi or some noodling around here and there between takes. It's not even entirely accurate to say it's documentary, as it's more like an all encompassing, authentic home movie with some extra cash to spare on cameras and editing.It all leads up to that rooftop concert that is still one of those big bad-ass moments in rock and roll history (if, again, not filmed with the best lenses or cameramen, it was perhaps a given that they had to shoot it on the fly). The energy and fun comes through all the way, and contrary to the film's reputation Let it Be shows the Beatles as having fun and doing what they do best even in what was their darkest, near-end period. Maybe there's a longer cut out there that shows more of the arguments, more bickering back and forth and maybe some of Yoko leering on like a supernatural delusion. For me, at least, I'd rather not see it: what remains, and what should for God sakes be shown to a wider and more receptive Beatles audience, is very good stuff. 8.5/10

Let It Be started out as a documentary about The Beatles recording material for what was to be their next album. What director Michael Lindsay Hogg got instead was a documentary about a band who's best days were (unfortunately)behind them & were obviously tired of it all and each other. Hogg shot something like 100 hours,or so,of footage of the Beatles in an glum,dour & sometimes depressed state of mind,and the look on their faces (especially Ringo's)expresses this. The film is broken up in four parts. The first,filmed at Twickenham Studios finds them rehearsing songs,getting in some heated debates,all the time with Paul McCartney trying to be boss of the band (at least in front of the camera). The second part takes place in the basement studios at their Apple Records building,as they jam on some of the oldies that they loved in their youth. In this sequence,they at least seem to be in a somewhat better state of mind (but you could tell that things were far from ginger peachy among them). The third sequence finds them performing what looks like a pre cursor to the MTV style of music video,with the band (with Billy Preston,on organ)playing 'Two Of Us','Let It Be',and a far superior version of 'The Long & Winding Road',without the cloying strings of Phil Spector in the background. The last,and best sequence of the film finds them playing what would be the final public performance of the Beatles,live on the roof of Apple Records for the famous (infamous)free,lunch time concert,which would eventually be shut down by the local Police (also featuring Billy Preston on electric piano). This is a sad,but worthy film for old & new Beatle fans. Although this film earned a 'G' rating by the MPAA in 1970, it does contain a bit of off colour language that'll probably go over the heads of most folk