In an exclusive interview, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg opens up about the making of "Let It Be," the iconic Beatles documentary that captures the band's final moments of unity and eventual breakup. Despite the sense of camaraderie and excitement on set, Lindsay-Hogg reveals that there were subtle tensions simmering beneath the surface that he witnessed firsthand.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg never imagined that "Let It Be," the documentary he was filming in January 1969, would become a poignant chronicle of the Beatles' impending breakup. As he captured the band working on their final album, Lindsay-Hogg was unaware of the intense conflicts that would ultimately tear them apart.
"When we were filming, there was no sense that they would break up," Lindsay-Hogg told Fox News Digital. "There was a sense that they might have gone off and made solo albums like people do these days, but the nucleus was going to stay together, and that's what I thought many people thought."
The initial reception to "Let It Be" was marked by sadness and a sense of loss, as the public mourned the band's breakup. However, Lindsay-Hogg believes that with time, the film has gained a new perspective.
"And then you get to the roof, and you see their excitement, camaraderie and sheer joy in playing together again as a group and know, as we do now, that it was the final time. And we view it with the full understanding of who they were and still are and a little poignancy."
In the decades since its release, "Let It Be" has been largely unavailable, but a recent re-release has brought it back to the public eye. The resurgence of interest in the documentary has been attributed to the popularity of "The Beatles: Get Back," Peter Jackson's 2021 film that utilized hours of unused footage from the original production.
Lindsay-Hogg credits Jackson's support and the success of "Get Back" for helping to revive interest in "Let It Be." He emphasizes that the two films offer distinct perspectives on the Beatles' final days, despite sharing similar source material.
"Everyone has known that ‘Let It Be’ still exists and has existed for 50 years. And I think the very, very warm reception that ‘Get Back’ had, plus Peter Jackson saying there are two movies, one is ‘Get Back,’ one is ‘Let It Be,’" he said. "They're not the same movie. They're two very distinct and different movies, and they both are about telling the same story, but in a very different point of view about the Beatles."
Despite the availability of high-quality audio and video technology today, Lindsay-Hogg faced challenges in capturing the intimate moments between the band members during the original filming of "Let It Be."
"I had that in the original," Lindsay-Hogg explained, referring to a tense exchange between McCartney and Harrison about Harrison's involvement in the songwriting process. "But because the technology wasn't very good in 1969, when it came back, and I heard it after lunch, all I could hear was the sounds of knives and forks and on the plates, people laughing on the other side of the room. And I couldn't hear any proper conversation."
In "Get Back," Jackson was able to enhance the audio from the flowerpot recording, revealing a significant conversation between McCartney and Lennon about their relationship and how they viewed Harrison's treatment.
Lindsay-Hogg also emphasized that the Beatles had final approval on the film and could have removed any footage they deemed inappropriate. However, he recalls that they were generally satisfied with the documentary.
"I was watching all the time, what was going on, once it turned into a documentary and, in my role as director, I was conscious of at certain points, the camera's not intruding on them," he said.
His efforts to remain discreet are evident in the scene where McCartney and Harrison are arguing, where the cameraman was positioned high up in a gantry to ensure they felt uninhibited. Lindsay-Hogg believed that it was crucial to respect the Beatles' privacy while capturing their interactions for posterity.
"I knew there was an historical significance to what turned out to be ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Get Back.’ Because [the Beatles] did change the world. Not only are they wonderful musicians and extraordinary people with a story, which is both joyful and tragic, with what happened to John and George, but there was a time that they did change the world, and they deserved to. They’re very smart, and they're incredibly talented."
The documentary's iconic rooftop concert remains Lindsay-Hogg's favorite moment, as it encapsulates the essence of the Beatles at their peak.
"When you see the four of them playing like they played together when they were teenagers. And having the sort of sense of discovery that they had as teenagers, and the sense of excitement coming at this point in the movie, the conclusion of the movie, when we'd seen them as men going in different directions, we now see them as they were in their most glorious days," Lindsay-Hogg said.
"Let It Be" is currently available on Disney+, offering a poignant and intimate glimpse into the final chapter of the Beatles' story.
