In one sense, Let It Be director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1970 film documenting The Beatles’ recording sessions of January 1969, and their famous concert on the rooftop of the Apple building, could be viewed as something of a coda to the main event.
At the time, both the film and the accompanying album of the same name reached the public a month after the band’s break up was announced. In the present day, its rerelease follows Peter Jackson’s epic Get Back docuseries, which drew on the 60 hours of raw footage of the same sessions to provide a more complete account of the recordings.
So, why the fuss? Rereleases and remasters are a standard feature of both the film and music industries, and The Beatles’ media and commercial juggernaut has arguably led the way in this for a long time. First, there’s the sheer length of time since the film was last generally available – more than 50 years.
