Let It Be

Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, who today are the two remaining Beatles, dash to a piano and have some fun with it. Even with his beard and long hair, Paul is still the "cute one" (though no one would imply that the other three were ever ugly). They're eventually joined by George Harrison and John Lennon to sing "Don't Let Me Down," before "Maxwell Silver's Hammer." George is still the quiet one; in five minutes, he's hardly uttered anything. Paul seems a bit bossy, which he reportedly had a reputation for being. They all sing a silly version of "Two Of Us" before "I've Got a Feeling," two of their least appreciated songs. This iconic documentary is "Let It Be," which presents for audiences the Beatles recording their album of the same name, and yet it seems to have been forever remembered as the film documenting the breakup of the most iconic, influential, and excellent group of musical individuals in practically all of human history.

But the center of "Let It Be" seems to be focused on Paul. He calls Ringo "Rich" (the latter's real name, as in Richard Starkey) as they have a ball at the piano, sings with John, and annoys George to the point that during their slightly heated argument, George tells him, "I'll play, you know, whatever you want me to play, or I won't play at all if you don't want me to play. Whatever it is that will please you, I'll do it." He's frustrated, and it's more than clear that he's had it with being "pushed around" like a kid brother from his band mate.

It's almost sadistic of me to say so, but I really preferred to see more scenes like this. The back part of my conscious was yearning for something akin to the hysterical fight between the four in India in the film "Dewey Cox: Rock Hard," when Lennon (Paul Rudd) wonders if McCartney's (Jack Black) songs will "still be shit when I'm 64," before telling Ringo (Jason Schwartzman) that he should just feel lucky that they still let him play with his drums. Ringo smiles and says he just likes having fun, then waves his ever-present peace sign, barely opening his eyes. "Beatles," they are told, "stop fighting in India!" But for the most part, in "Let It Be," the four of them appear surprisingly cordial, which is intriguing especially considering all the tension behind the scenes. What's remarkable is that they stayed together for so long; George did, after all, have an affair with Ringo's wife. "No woman was out of bounds," George's ex-wife Pattie Boyd has said. And yet, here George is giving Ringo some tips on "Octopus's Garden," though he's cheekily grinning; perhaps he's teasing Ringo, or something. Everyone knows that despite their divisions, they all collaborated with each other in some form or another post-breakup, and my favorite consortium is an usual choice: "Photograph," which Ringo and George wrote for Ringo's album "Ringo." As Ringo pointed out at the "Concert for George" event Eric Clapton and Jeff Lynne organized in 2002, the song's lyrics, originally about a hopeless lost love, can also be applied to the death of a loved one. And this is a song he co-wrote with someone who had an affair with his wife.

The documentary won Best Original Song ("Let It Be"), but none of the four were present at the Oscars that year to receive the award. It's a shame we never saw them all together -- the closest was during the making of the "Anthology" documentary in the '90s. There are certainly highlights in "Let It Be," among them "Two of Us" and, of course, the rooftop concert. The director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, caught some almost surreal-looking scenes, such as a closeup profile of Lennon's lips as he sings, and an almost mesmerizing dance with Yoko. Speaking of, she appears, some might say, in an icy state, and fans probably are still under the impression that she broke up the band and will forever remain a terrible person. If you still think she did breakup the band, consider that McCartney has claimed that this isn't true, and if you think she's the real wicked one, consider that she and Lennon once received a letter from McCartney where he called her Lennon's "Jap tart."

Despite this being an essential for rock fans, and definitely Beatles fans, it's a letdown nonetheless. The music is great. The documentary, not so much.