'Let It Be' director “doesn't care” that Ringo Starr thinks film is “miserable”

Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the director of The BeatlesLet It Be film, has said he “doesn’t care” that Ringo Starr isn’t a fan of the documentary.

Released in 1970, the project captured the Fab Four during recording sessions for their 12th studio album – also titled ‘Let It Be’ – and drew particular attention to heated exchanges between Paul McCartney and George Harrison.

Fifty-five hours of unseen footage from the Let It Be shoot – as well as 140 hours of audio – was repurposed by Peter Jackson for his forthcoming The Beatles: Get Back documentary, which arrives in the UK on November 25 via Disney+.

During a new interview with Rolling Stone, Lindsay-Hogg responded to Starr’s admission that he “didn’t feel any joy in the original” film. The drummer described the project as “miserable” and criticised it for focusing “on one moment between two of the lads [McCartney and Harrison]”.

Lindsay-Hogg said: “Personally, I don’t care. That’s his opinion. And we all have them. I mean, the polite version is everybody’s got elbows and everybody’s got opinions. I like Ringo. And I don’t think he’s seen the movie for 50 years.

“And I think, if you haven’t seen the movie in a long time, and you may not have the best memory in the world, all that kind of gets mixed up in your brain about what it was like. Because when I saw it last, I’m thinking, ‘What is he talking about?’ In fact, there’s great joy and connection and collaboration, and good times and jokes and affection in Let It Be.”

Starr also criticised Let It Be for only including “seven to eight minutes” of The Beatles’ show on the Apple Corps rooftop in 1969, while Jackson’s Get Back documentary presents a 43-minute version.

Lindsay-Hogg described the concert – which was The Beatles’ first live appearance in three years – as “magical”, adding: “And they’re having such a good time. They realise, wow, we’ve been missing this.

“And through much of the picture, they’re happy and they’re trying to work things out. You don’t always have a smile on your face when you’re trying to work something out. You’re thinking.”

He added: “So I just don’t think [Starr has] seen it for a long time. And again, with respect, I don’t care. As a human being, he’s wonderfully quick and funny.”

Ringo Starr made the comments during a Zoom Q&A session back in March.