Hey, it’s the Beatles!

The 1970 documentary Let It Be, which is now streaming on Disney+ after being impossible to see for decades, follows the Beatles as they record music, occasionally argue, occasionally laugh, collaborate on songs, and ultimately play the famous rooftop concert that was eventually ended by the London police.  Paul McCartney smiles and laughs and jokes but he also obsesses over every little musical detail and often seems to be talking in order to keep anyone else from getting a cross word in.  John Lennon dances with Yoko Ono and occasionally smiles but often seems like his mind is elsewhere.  George Harrison smiles whenever he know that the camera is on him but, when glimpsed in the background, he doesn’t seem happy at all.  Ringo patiently waits for his chance to perform, sometimes bored and sometimes amused but always the most likable of the bunch.  He and George work on Octopus Garden and it’s a charming moment, if just because it’s obvious that both men would rather be there than in the studio.

Even if you haven’t seen Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back (which was constructed out of material that was shot for but not used in this documentary), Let It Be is often time one of the most depressing behind-the-scenes documentaries ever made.  The more the individual members of the Beatles smile and perform for the camera, the more one can see the cracks that have formed in their relationships.  With Lennon spending most of his time with Yoko, it’s Paul who dominates the documentary.  Paul comes across as being charming and talented but his habit of nonstop talking gives the impression of someone who is desperately trying to hold together a sinking ship.  At one point, George snaps that he’ll play the guitar however Paul tells him to and it’s obvious that, for George and probably the others as well, being the world’s most popular band has gone from being a thrill to just being another job.  When Paul and John talk about how much fun they had when they first started playing live in  Hamburg, it’s obvious that the conversation is at least partially staged to set up the rooftop concert but there’s a genuine sadness to their voices.  Even as they write and record new songs, they’re realizing that all things must pass.

But then the Beatles give a rooftop concert and they bring London to a halt and, for a few minutes, it seems like everything is going to be alright.  Standing on the roof and performing a wonderful version of Get Back, the Beatles are suddenly a band just having fun and it’s delightful to see.  Later, John Lennon gets a devilish gleam in his eyes as he sings the raunchy (for 1969) lyrics for I’ve Got A Feeling.  Even George looks happy for a few moments.  People gather in the street below to watch and the camera is quick to show us that both young and old love the Beatles.  Of course, eventually, the police show up and shut down the show.  (Of course, being British police, they’re very polite about it.  One has to breathe a sigh of relief that the Beatles didn’t try to do their rooftop show in New York or Los Angeles.)  It’s a reminder that nothing lasts forever.  Eventually, every concert comes to an end.

It’s interesting to compare Let It Be to another 70s documentary about a famous British rock band.  In Gimme Shelter, the Altamont Free Concert ends with a murder as Mick Jagger pleads with the crowd to stop fighting and just sit down.  In Let It Be, things end with a random joke from John Lennon, who would himself be murdered in just ten years.  Both Gimme Shelter and Let It Be are about the end of an era and both are full of regret and a longing for a simpler and more idealistic era.  For those of us who want to understand history, they’re essential.