John Lennon Movies
There are few details of the short life of musical genius John Lennon that haven't been virtually memorized by his disciples. A bare-bones precis of his existence would include his Liverpool childhood, his formation of the Quarrymen, aka the Silver Beatles aka the Beatles in 1961, the world-wide fame, the drug-and-religion experimentation, the controversial alignment with Yoko Ono, the 1970 Beatles breakup, the five-year retirement (1975-80) to raise son Sean, and his senseless murder outside New York's Hotel Dakota in December of 1980.Lennon's film career, though but one small aspect of his creative energies, is worth a brief recap. First there were the films with his fellow Beatles: A Hard Day's Night (64), Help (65) (in which for two delicious seconds Lennon shamelessly plugs his recently published book of doggerel In His Own Write), Yellow Submarine (67) (that's Lance Percival doing his speaking voice, but that's Lennon in the vocals), Magical Mystery Tour (69) and Let It Be (70). There was Lennon's one-and-only solo acting assignment as a bespectacled British Tommy in How I Won The War (68) -- in which, as he watches his guts spill out of his body, he turns to the camera and says ominously "I knew this would happen. Didn't you?" There were the oddball, home-movielike projects, made with his friends and with Yoko Ono, of which Bottoms (an engaging if pointless study of the human derriere) is the most entertaining. And, best of all, there was the posthumous, lovingly assembled Imagine: John Lennon (88), including the famous 1969 anti-war "Bed-In," the TV confrontation with ultraconservative cartoonist Al Capp, never before seen footage of Lennon at home and at work, and of course several plaintive renditions of the title song. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
- Add The Beatles: Destination Hamburg - The Early Years to QueueAdd The Beatles: Destination Hamburg - The Early Years to top of Queue
Released to coincide with the 45th anniversary of The Beatles' signing with EMI, this documentary tells the complete story of what many music fans consider to be the greatest rock and roll group of all times. From their early days as The Quarrymen to their later inception as the Fab Four, the history of The Beatles is traced through interviews, restored film clips, and contemporary footage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lennon, Paul McCartney, (more)
- 2007
- Add Mike Douglas: Moments and Memories to QueueAdd Mike Douglas: Moments and Memories to top of Queue
Per its title, the compilation release Mike Douglas: Moments and Memories serves up a collection of nostalgic clips from the popular talk program The Mike Douglas Show. Featured guests include Bob Hope, Bob Newhart, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Steve Martin and a young Billy Crystal. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lennon, Yoko Ono, (more)
- 2005
- Add John and Yoko: Give Peace a Song to QueueAdd John and Yoko: Give Peace a Song to top of Queue
Paul McGrath's documentary John and Yoko: Give Peace a Song offers a wealth of still photographs and film footage from the day that the former Beatle and his new bride recorded "Give Peace a Chance," during their infamous bed-in. The filmmakers utilize a wealth of rarely seen footage to explain how the duo cooked up this protest/publicity stunt. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2003
First-time director Samuel Benmchetrit's 2003 debut Janis et John (Janis and John) follows the comedic exploits of a down-on-his luck insurance salesman as he attempts to make up for some very poor financial decisions. Pablo Sterni (Sergi Lopez), the aforementioned insurance salesman, has, until recently, been an honest business man. As of late, though, Pablo had been siphoning money from one of his more successful client's accounts -- one that covers a very expensive sports car. When that client, Mr. Cannon (Jean-Louis Trintignant), turns in a loss claim for that car for a half-million francs, Pablo finds himself in a tight spot. Inspiration strikes when Pablo learns that his hippy-dippy cousin Leon (Christopher Lambert, billed as Christophe Lambert) has just inherited a million francs from his recently deceased father. Leon, a perpetually stoned record store owner, lives solely for the day his 1973 vision of John Lennon and Janis Joplin's Christ-like return to Earth is fulfilled. After visiting with his cousin, Pablo decides to assist Leon in reliving his dream -- as well as parting him with much of his inheritance -- by convincing his wallflower wife, Brigitte (Marie Trintignant, murdered mere weeks before the film's debut, thus marking her final film appearance) and an out-of-work actor (François Cluzet) to impersonate Janis and John. Janis et John was selected for inclusion in the 2003 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sergi López, Marie Trintignant, (more)
Corresponding with the CD release of the same name, Lennon Legend is intended as a far-reaching overview of the career of one of the most revered rock & roll songwriters of the 20th century. Compiling previously-unseen clips, including "Working Class Hero," "Everybody Had a Hard Year," and "Give Peace a Chance," the video includes 20 classic John Lennon tracks, hand-selected by the production's executive producer, widow Yoko Ono. What's more, the video also collects the couple's home movies, his newsreel footage, and personal drawings, all of which form a portrait of the man at different stages in his career and life. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 2002
- Add John Lennon: The Messenger - In Spite of All the Dangers to QueueAdd John Lennon: The Messenger - In Spite of All the Dangers to top of Queue
John Lennon: The Messenger is a multi-media event that attempts to give the viewer insight into the life of the rock legend John Lennon. The DVD is a straightforward biography of the man that focuses on the later portion of Lennon's life. Included in the DVD is a CD consisting of interviews with Lennon. Finally, a 32-page booklet with pictures and timelines round out this package. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1993
A sing-along video that gives participants the feeling that the band is there in the room. Includes "A Ticket To Ride," "Help," "Michelle," "We Can Work It Out," and more. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1992
A combination of studio and live performances, The John Lennon Video Collection features 19 music videos from Lennon himself, including anti-war favorites "Imagine" and "Give Peace A Chance", as well as "Jealous Guy", "I'm Steppin' Out", "Grow Old With Me", "Borrowed Time", and "Stand By Me", among many others.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- Add The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit to QueueAdd The Beatles: The First U.S. Visit to top of Queue
In February of 1964, Beatlemania began to spread to American shores with the first U.S. visit of John, Paul, George and Ringo to play a short American tour and make two appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show. Noted documentary filmmakers David and Albert Maysles had the presence of mind to realize there was a story here, and they followed The Beatles with their cameras throughout their first American adventure, capturing the magic of their music and the glorious madness that was Beatlemania. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Richard Lester, who directed A Hard Day's Night and Help!, was the man behind the cameras for this documentary look at Paul McCartney's 1989-1990 world tour. McCartney and his band perform 20 songs spanning Macca's solo career as well as his years with the Beatles, including "Band on the Run," "Live and Let Die," "Coming Up," "Get Back," "I Saw Her Standing There," "Can't Buy Me Love," "The Long and Winding Road," and "Fool on the Hill." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul McCartney
This music documentary is produced and directed by the same filmmaker who brought Monterrey Pop to the screen. It features performances from a 1969 Toronto rock 'n roll festival. The film shows performers Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Eric Clapton, Bo Diddley, Alan White, Klaus Voorman and John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the Plastic Ono Band. Although many other people appeared in the 12-hour-long festival, the filmmaker chose to record the whole performances of these few, rather than give highlights of the entire festival. Festival-goers booed and walked out on a performance by Yoko Ono and her brand new Plastic Ono Band. Film reviewers at the time were similarly affected. Latterly, though, both her performance and this film have grown in interest and watchability, particularly given the rarity of such thorough documentation of these key performers' work in concert. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
Letting Go stars John Ritter as a widower and Sharon Gless as a lonely unmarried woman. They meet during a group-therapy session. Romance is inevitable, but the road to true happiness is pockmarked by a series of comic complications. Advertised as a straight romantic drama, Letting Go is actually more akin to the screwball comedies of the 1930s, with a strong satirical bent regarding "behavior modification" theories. The made-for-TV film debuted May 11, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Named for a 1965 Beatles' song, this standard teen drama is about a quartet of students who form a band with the express purpose of playing Beatles' music for a special concert at graduation time. Short on cash, they more or less hotwire some makeshift amplifying equipment and then proceed to shock the bananas out of one of the players, who ends up in the hospital. The poor, fried band player does not know it, but his girlfriend is in trouble with the school authorities for some hanky-panky with someone else. A friend saves the day, and life goes on -- and on. A glimpse of the future reveals the results of these halcyon high school days. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1983
A unique look at the history of 20th century France as illustrated in popular culture, Le Bal is set in a Parisian dance hall and features no narrative, no dialogue, and no continuous characters. The film moves from one dance number to the next, as the music reflects the political and cultural tenor of the times, from the Popular Front of 1936 to the German Occupation of World War II, on to the breezy openness of the post-war era and the open rebellion and turmoil of May 1968, and finally closing in the early 1980s. A troupe of dancers portrays all the film's characters, with make-up and costume changes (as well as appropriate period music) indicating the different time periods. Directed by Ettore Scola, Le Bal was based on a stage production that was a great success in Europe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1982
In a careful, step-by-step manner, this documentary traces the lives and careers of the Beatles from childhood to breakup. The post-Beatle lives of John, Paul, George and Ringo are gingerly touched upon in the film's closing sequences, with emphasis given the senseless 1980 murder of John Lennon. Through rare family photos, early home movies and TV kinescopes we are shown the matriculation of the Beatles from a bedraggled punk group to a well-tailored, mop-topped foursome under the aegis of Brian Epstein. We are also briefly introduced to might-have-been Beatles Stu Sutcliffe and Pete Best. George Martin, the producer who oversaw such late-1960s Beatles projects as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, reveals several intriguing trade secrets and wonderful bits of backstage gossip. By incorporating shots of Beatles merchandising, imitation groups, and the ear-piercing reactions of the Fab Four's fans (as well as several shots of disillusioned young ladies during the team's waning years), the amazing impact of the foursome on the 1960s music industry is forcefully brought home. Malcolm McDowell narrates this priceless pop-culture montage. The Complete Beatles was originally produced for home video by MGM/United Artists, the company which in 1982 held the video rights for the Beatles flicks A Hard Day's Night and Help. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerry Marsden
- 1982
A young provincial woman barely graduated from high school arrives in Paris and is assailed by the fact that she is alone. She encounters a Parisian woman slightly older than herself, and she clings to their friendship as though all the city were sinking around her. This closeness brings demands that most would find difficult, and the older woman is no exception. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marc de Jonge
- 1981
Actors pose as the Beatles, the classic rock superstars, in this musical based on the stage production. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mitch Weissman, David Leon, (more)
- 1979
British director Richard Marquand graduated from BBC documentaries to dramatized features with 1979's Birth of the Beatles. This chronicle of the Fab Four begins when the group consisted of five musicians: John Lennon (Stephen MacKenna), Paul McCartney (Rod Culbertson), George Harrison (John Altman), Stu Sutcliffe (David Wilkinson), and Pete Best (Ryan Michael). The group begins its career in the dregs of a Hamburg, Germany nightclub (most of the film was made on location). Under the tutelage of manager Brian Epstein (Brian Jameson), the group sheds its rough-hewn image in favor of choirboy haircuts and Eton collars; along the way, Sutcliffe dies and drummer Best is replaced by Richard Starkey, (aka Ringo Starr, played here by Ray Ashcroft). First aired in the U.S. on November 23, 1979, Birth of the Beatles is significant as the only Beatle biopic made while John Lennon was still alive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen MacKenna, Rod Culbertson, (more)
- 1976
All This and World War II is a fascinating but singularly pointless "musical documentary". Virtually all the footage has been culled from the vaults of Fox Movietone News, and edited in a linear manner in order to visually trace the history of World War II. Complementing this priceless newsreel film is a relentless musical score, comprised of Beatles tunes (though not sung by the Fab Four). Evidently all this effort was expended to make some sort of antiwar statement. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Bee Gees
Based on the best-selling Vincent Bugliosi book of the same name, Helter Skelter is a made-for-TV account of the investigation and prosecution of Charles Manson (Steve Railsback), who was convicted of leading a group of followers (known as "The Family") to murder seven people in California, including actress Sharon Tate. The film takes a Law & Order-like approach, starting with the discovery of the murders, which leads to the police gathering snippets of evidence that they eventually connect to the bigger picture. The second half of the movie concentrates on how District Attorney Bugliosi (George DiCenzo) attains a conviction despite the enormous amount of press coverage the case received. Nancy Wolfe, Christina Hart, and Cathey Paine portray the three loyal Manson Family members who were the co-defendants at his trial. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George DiCenzo, Steve Railsback, (more)
- 1974
Dick Van Dyke put his image and his career on the line with this searing TV movie about a "social drinker" who becomes a full-fledged alcoholic. Van Dyke plays a loving husband and father with a solid job and an excellent reputation, who blows it all with his excessive drinking. His wife (Lynn Carlin) tries to be supportive, but even she throws in the towel as Van Dyke's illness worsens. The film refuses to cop out with a happy ending, leaving Van Dyke as low as he can get short of sleeping in the gutter. Morning After was something of a public "A.A." testimonial for Dick Van Dyke, who had recently come to grips with his own real-life alcoholism. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1972
In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono saw a television report about the lamentable conditions at the Willowbrook School for Children, a facility for mentally and physically challenged children in New York state. They were so moved they volunteered their services to raise funds to help improve treatment and facilities at Willowbrook. Toward that goal, Lennon and Ono played a benefit show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, one of only a handful of live shows the former Beatle would perform after going solo. Filmed for television, John Lennon: Live in New York City features Lennon and Ono performing 14 songs, including "Imagine," "Power to the People," "Instant Karma," "It's So Hard," "Give Peace a Chance," and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
