Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Discuss official releases and re-issues. The only links allowed here are to the Beatles YouTube channel or other band-sanctioned platforms.
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Lord Reith
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Lord Reith »

Patrick Healy wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 8:58 am To quote from the press release announcing Get Back's delay to September 2020:
'A fully restored version of the original "Let It Be" film will be made available at a later date.'
Keep in mind that Get Back was at this point just going to be a feature film.
I see, but the key phrase there is "at a later date" meaning "any time in the next 40 years"!
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by dascottjr »

I can't help thinking of this sound bite from a Yoko Ono interview in 2008:

Bill DeYoung: What about the ‘Let it Be’ DVD? Years ago, Neil was saying it was being readied.

Yoko Ono: (laughing) You know, life is a long time. And I hope you have a very long one, Bill.
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Fun 4 None »

Mr Bump wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:21 am Let It Be was released on laser disc in the 1980s. When Peter Jackson's Get Back came out, one of the revelations was the image quality - all the colours and lighting were clear and superb, leaving the old footage looking really poor.

What state was Let It Be, image wise? I never saw it at a cinema but I would suggest the laser disc edition is the best there is, and it's already out there.
Let it Be is the same film quality as Get Back. Jackson has already restored Let it Be too so this lack of availability must fall on someone at Apple.
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Mr Bump »

Fun 4 None wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:04 pm
Mr Bump wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:21 am Let It Be was released on laser disc in the 1980s. When Peter Jackson's Get Back came out, one of the revelations was the image quality - all the colours and lighting were clear and superb, leaving the old footage looking really poor.

What state was Let It Be, image wise? I never saw it at a cinema but I would suggest the laser disc edition is the best there is, and it's already out there.
Let it Be is the same film quality as Get Back. Jackson has already restored Let it Be too so this lack of availability must fall on someone at Apple.
You're saying the original Let It Be movie has been restored already?
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Fun 4 None »

Mr Bump wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:43 pm
Fun 4 None wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:04 pm
Mr Bump wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:21 am Let It Be was released on laser disc in the 1980s. When Peter Jackson's Get Back came out, one of the revelations was the image quality - all the colours and lighting were clear and superb, leaving the old footage looking really poor.

What state was Let It Be, image wise? I never saw it at a cinema but I would suggest the laser disc edition is the best there is, and it's already out there.
Let it Be is the same film quality as Get Back. Jackson has already restored Let it Be too so this lack of availability must fall on someone at Apple.
You're saying the original Let It Be movie has been restored already?
Yes
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Wogew »

Fun 4 None wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:45 pm
Mr Bump wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:43 pm
Fun 4 None wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:04 pm

Let it Be is the same film quality as Get Back. Jackson has already restored Let it Be too so this lack of availability must fall on someone at Apple.
You're saying the original Let It Be movie has been restored already?
Yes
Several times, actually. Ron Furmanek's restoration (along with his remix of the songs) was done in the early nineties and slated for release in 1998, but it never happened.
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Fun 4 None »

Wogew wrote: Thu Mar 09, 2023 1:28 pm
Fun 4 None wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:45 pm
Mr Bump wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 6:43 pm

You're saying the original Let It Be movie has been restored already?
Yes
Several times, actually. Ron Furmanek's restoration (along with his remix of the songs) was done in the early nineties and slated for release in 1998, but it never happened.
Yeah there was Ron's (which was leaked onto an HMC DVD) then in the 2000s there was Bob Smeaton's remaster (Seen in the George Harrison doc and McCartney 321) and then the Peter Jackson remaster which has been sampled in things like the London video on the Beatles YouTube channel.
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Lord Reith »

I still feel like I'm living in some kind of weird alternate reality every time this film is mentioned. Like how long ago was it now? 80 years or something? What the freaking heck is their problem? Just put the damn thing out and get it done.

It beggars belief that we are well into the 2020's and things like Shea and Let It Be are not available. We're not talking some arcane outtakes that were never meant to be seen or heard. These were made for public consumption. Let us consume them!
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by FilmObscurest »

The "remastering" hack job on the image of Get Back appalled me. No grain. Everything was squishy, plastic and lifeless. Disgusting. Can't believe there are actually people who thought it (visually) looked good.

P.T. Barnum was right, I guess.

I'm certain the Let It Be release (if they ever get around to it this century) will look the same. Exact same destructive 'restoration.' But I want it on DVD so bad I'll probably still buy it. Sad, though. I wish we could see the earlier remastering jobs. Or just a flat 4k scan of the original filmstock or negative. (whichever exists in better condition)
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Re: Is 'Let It Be film restored' once again a broken promise?

Post by Rickenbacker325 »

FilmObscurest wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 4:23 pm The "remastering" hack job on the image of Get Back appalled me. No grain. Everything was squishy, plastic and lifeless. Disgusting. Can't believe there are actually people who thought it (visually) looked good.

P.T. Barnum was right, I guess.

I'm certain the Let It Be release (if they ever get around to it this century) will look the same. Exact same destructive 'restoration.' But I want it on DVD so bad I'll probably still buy it. Sad, though. I wish we could see the earlier remastering jobs. Or just a flat 4k scan of the original filmstock or negative. (whichever exists in better condition)
Very good observation…besides being horribly cropped if you look carefully certain things actually look cartoonish and in my opinion at least…the audio at times seems “detached”. The unaltered Nagra audio would probably work better in many instances. And as far as the cropping…its done for the modern day generation that can’t have anything in black and white and every TV image(besides the obsession with vertical videos) has to fill the screen
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