Today In Music History: The Beatles' Let It Be Opens In Theatres On May 13, 1970

The Beatles' Let It Be documentary, which featured John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr recording the 1970 album of the same name, premiered on this day 40 years ago.

 

The Michael Lindsay-Hogg-directed documentary was shot in January 1969. It doesn't contain any narration or interviews, and simply shows the band working on, rehearsing and recording the tunes that became Let It Be. The final part of the film features The Beatles' famous rooftop concert at Abbey Road in London, England.

The film premiered in New York City on May 13, 1970 and opened in the U.K. a week later. While the film wasn't well-received by critics, The Beatles won a best original song score Oscar, and the soundtrack (not the same as Let It Be the album) received a best original score Grammy Award.