LET IT BE

UK, 1970, 80 minutes, Colour.
The Beatles.
Directed by Michael Lindsay- Hogg.

Let It Be is a documentary about the Beatles and their music-making made just prior to their breaking up as a group. It shows them rehearsing, recording and giving a street performance. Filmed rather casually with detail close-ups of each of the Beatles at work and in conversation, the film gives an impression of them and their music rather than a study of them as persons. The well known personalities appear and it is of interest to see them working and joking. The selection of their songs is also interesting although quite limited. There are some personal remarks about their work and also about their time in India with the Maharishi. At the end some of the public give some comments, mainly favourable, about the Beatles.

The film does not explain the phenomenon nor their popularity but rather gives us an impression of them in their success. Paul Mc Cartney is the most vocal and has some observations to make, especially about filming, live performances and television specials. The Beatles as personalities appeared to advantage in Richard Lester's humorous films starring them, A Hard Day's Night and Help. The Beatles continued in popularity throughout the '70s and their music was the basis for a popular feature, Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts' Club Band with Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees.

A fictional feature about their early years as a group was made by Richard Marquand, produced by Dick Clark with actors taking the roles and the group Rain singing the songs: The Birth of the Beatles. Their music also featured in Yellow Submarine, an amusing animated imaginative story using the Beatles' songs and their spirit of - all you need is love. The Beatles were a phenomenon of the '60s and '70s and have made their mark also in the world of cinema.