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Years after the release of the documentary Let It Be, Ringo Starr spoke about how much he disliked the film. It showed The Beatles at their lowest point, with many coming to regard it as their breakup film. Starr believed the film lacked joy, particularly after viewing far more optimistic footage in Peter Jackson’s Get Back. Despite the harsh words from one of his film’s subjects, Let It Be director Michael Lindsay-Hogg said he didn’t care about Starr’s opinion.

Ringo Starr did not like ‘Let It Be’

All of The Beatles found Let It Be challenging to watch because it depicted them arguing with each other. Starr said the film lacked any of the happiness that was present in the studio, even as they were fighting.

“I didn’t feel any joy in the original documentary, it was all focused on one moment which went down between two of the lads [McCartney and Harrison],” Starr said in a Zoom Q&A (via NME). “The rooftop concert [unannounced Beatles gig from the Apple Corps rooftop in 1969] was also only about seven to eight minutes long. With Peter’s, it’s 43 minutes long [laughs]. It’s about the music and a lot of joy.”

Lindsay-Hogg didn’t let the criticism from Starr bother him.

“Personally, I don’t care,” Lindsay-Hogg told Rolling Stone. “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. Don’t forget, we shot it in January ’69. We are editing it through August, maybe September ’69, and it’s probably ready, September, October ’69.”

Lindsay-Hogg also wholeheartedly disagreed with the idea that there was no joy in the film. 

“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,” he explained. “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.”

Ringo Starr liked ‘Get Back’ much more than ‘Let It Be’

Starr found Jackson’s Get Back to be a much more pleasant viewing experience. He felt nothing but gratitude toward the Lord of the Rings director for reworking the footage.

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“Peter Jackson took control of it, and we do thank him from the bottom of our heart,” Starr told Ultimate Classic Rock. “It’s now a six-hour masterpiece … There’s so many moments in the whole documentary, in the whole making. We keep looking around the corner for the hobbits.”

Michael Lindsay-Hogg said both ‘Get Back’ and ‘Let It Be’ were truthful

Starr believed Get Back showed a more truthful version of The Beatles. Lindsay-Hogg disagreed, though. He thought both presented the band honestly. While there were moments of joy, the band still fought.

“Well, it’s like talking about any family: both,” he said. “Both are true. If it was Tuesday, they might not be getting on that well. They might be frustrated by the work. They might be frustrated by what was going on at home. George might be frustrated by the fact that he wasn’t getting his due, as he thought. John might be frustrated by having some bad heroin. Who knows. But also, they were there to work for the most part.”

He said that Jackson was able to show more footage because he made a three-part series. 

“These are human beings living their lives, good days and bad days,” he explained. “Peter has a bigger canvas, so he’s going to paint a bigger picture.”

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