Let It Be for 2016
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| Upcoming release from HMC |
According to early word from dealers in Japan, notorious bootleg company HMC will be releasing the 1992 Ron Furmanek restoration of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” movie as part of their ongoing TMOQ Gazette series. It’s the 1992 restoration that was originally announced as coming out on a video cassette back in 1997 from a UK based video company, which never happened.
Earlier this year, the Apple part of the movie was divided into 3 parts and uploaded on YouTube by Revolver Records and Video, although heavily watermarked. Now it looks as we can lay our hands on a DVD version of the film in far better shape than previous bootleg incarnations of it, as well as surpassing the early eighties release of the film for the home markets in USA, Germany and the Netherlands.
Of course, all the earlier official releases, including the theatrical one, have been in mono only, whereas Furmanek provided his restored version for Apple with a soundtrack which featured as much stereo versions of the songs as Furmanek was able to find in the Apple/EMI archives. Later bootleg DVDs have been able to use stereo versions as found on the original “Let It Be” album, “Let It Be…Naked”, the Glyn Johns compilations and various official promos and snippets from documentaries to render most of the soundtrack in stereo, but the Furmanek restoration will have even more material in stereo than these.
The best would be if Apple and The Beatles could get us an official release of the film, as further restoration work as well as new transfers from the original film to digital was undertaken in the 2000’s, but in the mean time, the HMC release will suffice for your viewing pleasure.
The movie is on the DVD and the soundtrack of the complete film is on the accompanying CD.
We have also heard that outtakes from the film will follow on a subsequent TMOQ Gazette release.
Great news!
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A few corrections:
1) Only PART of the stereo Apple footage was seen on YouTube as Savile Row.
2) I've been told that this is NOT the final cover art.
I would love to get a hold of this title. Ron's version of SHEA! was spectacular.
Michael Lindsay-Hogg said recently (while being interviewed about 1+) that there could be an offical release for 'Let It Be' in 'eighteen months'… I personally am not holding my breath (as Lindsay-Hogg also pointed out, Apple never give him any definite answers). But maybe such a high quality bootleg might panic Apple (and especially Universal) about losing money and force them into releasing the film officially. Not unlike the Alpha-Omega compilations leading to the the Red and Blue Albums.
Well stated Martin, I hope to see an offical release before I die, lol….
Didn't Furmanek also work on remixing the Magical Myatery Tour tracks or am I mistaken?
Yes, his mixes were released on VHS and Laserdisc in the 1980s.
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Michael Lindsay-Hogg said that he had personally overseen a more recent restoration. He hoped the film would be released alongside 'Let It Be Naked'
but Apple decided to just issue the album. Lindsay-Hogg also stated he wanted to show in the extras that it wasn't all doom and gloom at Saville Row. He said he filmed a lot of fun stuff and that the real nastiness started after Klein's arrival.
I just hope the bloody thing comes out while I am still alive…
You and I think on the same page Martin; hopefully this HMC release will spur Apple into getting off their chairs and get it released this year.
"I just hope the bloody thing comes out while I am still alive…"
You might want to put something in your living will, Martin. Continue all resuscitation until the Let it Be Blu-ray comes out.
My luck, I'll be deaf, dumb and blind by then.
well apple won't release it this year because ron howards documentary comes out around christmas time this year.and apple doesnt wanna release anything to hurt sales of that.so if they do release it,it will be 2017 or 2018.personally i think they will release the beatles at shea stadium in 2017 and then let it be in 2018.
Many have this version now…it's not been restored in any way except adding some stereo soundtrack….the film is a different 'cropping' edit…it is 'brighter' than the others…somewhere like the theatrical widescreen version…color is more balanced and less contrast….the film itself still is no sharper than the theatrical…doing a comparison of the let it be footage on the Beatles 1 DVD and Anthology DVD shows it still has a long way to go.Mccartney and Starr have given the OK to release the film…it is being held up because all 4 parties have to agree…the former wives(mainly Yoko) don't want it released….so it's dead locked. It's worth it to add this version in any ones collection but it is not restored.