Imagine: John Lennon

Imagine: John Lennon
October 7, 1988
Warner Bros.
Documentary, Musical
VHS
B

This biography, released close to what would've been Lennon's 48th birthday, and less than eight years after his murder, is not perfect.  It doesn't represent all of the important pieces of Lennon's life.  (There's no mention, for instance, of his dear friend Stu Sutcliffe.)  And while it's nice to get interviews with both of John's wives and both his sons, I wish that there had been contemporary interviews with his ex-bandmates.  (I mean, Ringo got along with everyone.  You'd think he at least would be here.)  That said, the movie does work as sort of a mosaic of sights and sounds of John Lennon's life.  You'll get more information from the various books on John Lennon (I reviewed a few on my reading blog), but you won't get the impact of his unique voice, by which I mean not just how he sang but what he had to say.

Beatles assistant/friend Mal Evans had small roles in A Hard Day's Night and Help!  Klaus Voormann was last seen in my movie collection as Von Schitzel in Popeye.  And Dick Cavett appeared in Annie Hall.