Imagine: John Lennon (1988)

It can hardly be a coincidence that this "deluxe edition" of John Lennon – Imagine should be issued in late 2005, a couple of months after what would have been the former Beatle's 65th birthday and mere days before the 25th anniversary of his death. Whether that's cynical, poignant, or just good marketing is moot; what matters is that Lennon's impact, not just as a musician but as a public figure, remains largely undiminished. The film, released theatrically in 1988, will already be familiar to many fans. "Narrated" by Lennon himself and culled from hundreds of hours of footage, much of it home movies shot by John and Yoko Ono, Imagine is a substantial, reasonably illuminating portrait of the man, warts and all, from childhood through the Beatle years, his solo career, and his life with Yoko straight up to his fatal encounter with Mark David Chapman. It's the new bonus features that are the principal draw here; but whether or not they qualify as "deluxe" is arguable. The Lennons' radio interview with a BBC reporter is notable mostly for John's patience in the face of idiotic questions like "Is love very important to young people today?" The ten or so minutes spent with Lennon's school headmaster, William Ernest Pobjoy (love the name), yield little insight, especially considering that the two were at the school at the same time for just one year, half a century ago; likewise, a new "making of" documentary with Ono, writer-director Andrew Solt, producer David Wolper, and others isn't exactly ground-breaking. However, a previously unreleased performance of "Imagine," with Lennon and some unknown accompanists on acoustic guitar, is nice, as is some heretofore unseen footage of the Lennons at home on their Tittenhurst Estate. Add to that a fine transfer and Dolby digital sound, and you have another addition to the filmed legacy of the Beatles--a subject that, for many of us, will never be old news. --Sam Graham Amazon.com

A Great Documentary Film

David Wolper and Andrew Solt did an excellent job with This Is Elvis and an even better job with John Lennon:Imagine. As a viewer, fan and non-fan alike, you grow to know him, agree and disagree with him, listen to him and ultimately cry when the music ends. The first time I watched this, I did all of the above even knowing how the story ends. The movie is that powerful. Seeing John and Yoko in Central Park walking past a bunch of guys playing basketball, I wish it had been me who saw them.

Unfortunately, the film is not without it's flaws. The other three (Paul, George, and Ringo) went asked to participate. Who better to talk about John than three other men who knew him best? The "Lost Weekend" period is glossed over. This period would make an interesting movie by itself, but here it's treated as a footnote.

All of the emotions come back when I watch Imagine. John Lennon was my first celebrity I lost. You always remember the first. For fans and non-fans, this is a good overview of his life. December 18, 2008

Lesson in Peace and Understanding. Like living with Lennon.

This DVD is simply great, if you are even slightly interested in John Lennon.
It contains so much "behind the scenes" footage, that I was very surprised that he was as accessible as he appears in this documentary.
One scene shows a lost young man, who trespasses on Lennon's property in London. Mr. Lennon was kind and empathetic enough to go out and talk with the fan, and then subsequently invite him in to eat at their table.
It's kind of freaky, in a way that might portend his final chapter.
I was never overly impressed with Lennon's singing voice, and I can deal with the politics, since he seemed genuine in his efforts. What I always admired about Mr. Lennon and the older version of the Beatles, is that he could really JAM. This DVD intertwines so much of his best music (and much Beatles music too) to chronical his life. The Ballad of John & Yoko, intertwined with their "love in / sleep in" is really cool and puts the "era" into perspective. This film clearly reveals a loving and caring person, who struggled to find his own answers in spite of his huge celebrity status. Some of the other video of the NYC years, are like watching your own home movies. It's simply very well done, and will provide deeper insight into a very important musical and historical figure. September 9, 2008

All You Need Is...

...more people like John Lennon! When I became aware this film was available on DVD here on Amazon, I went whoopie...now I have a place where I can express my emotions for John. He was far more than my favorite Beatle. I looked at him as a kindred brother. Even though I never met the man in person, I felt I met him through his music. It's as if his words became my own. Perhaps not everything, but nearly everything I ever said or did was directly because of his influence. When Chapman shot him down all those years ago now, part of me died too...and I can honestly say I have not been the same since. But Chapman did nothing but immortalize John. I'm sure John himself would allow Chapman to go free today knowing John's love for people. But this documentary doesn't only shed light on John, but John's life with the Beatles. And what better man to shed light on the Beatles but the group's founder? I do feel this is the best documentary ever done about the Beatles. It's loaded with rare insights. I love when John says "When I was with the Beatles, I thought we were the best group in the whole world. Believing that we were is what made us what we were..." I also love the bed-in scenes and John's defense when he returned his MBE. He truly lived up to his words when he wrote "Imagine no possessions..." Who else but John would do something like giving up medals as a testament for peace??? I especially love the later scenes with John & his family. He could finally be John the man and not John the ex-Beatle, even though that tag has regretfully stuck with all of them. My favorite scene is the slow motion shot of John's glasses flying off his head and shattering on the ground. That really symbolized the end of it all...the dream really was over...no more Beatles, no more John. If you really want to experience it all in a unique way, see this film. It's the next best thing to having John there with you....in the end, all you really need is Imagine. September 2, 2008

A worthy documentary

John is my favorite Beatle, so I really enjoyed watching this documentary about his incredible life. Although by now some of the film footage has been issued in other films (this was after all made in 1988), not everyone has seen all of the films and documentaries made about John or The Beatles, and it's always a treat regardless to see interviews and film footage you haven't seen before. Among the great moments are the confrontation with cartoonist Al Capp during John and Yoko's bed-in, John's heated argument with a female journalist who thought turning in his MBE was some empty protest, interview footage with John's aunt Mimi, and the bonus feature of an interview with John's former schoolmaster. The film is also loaded with great songs, many of them accompanied by videos, like "Strawberry Fields Forever," "Mother," "Imagine" of course, "Jealous Guy," and "God" (a song that always gives me chills).

As great as the documentary is, though, and as priceless as the film footage is, I kind of wish there had been more balance given to the different parts of John's life. I know that the original first cut was massive (20 hours), and that obviously it had to be edited down a lot to be shown in theatres, but another hour or so wouldn't have hurt. It seemed like most of the focus was on John's life in the Seventies, which in itself could be the subject of several films. It would have been nice to have given equal time to his childhood, early adulthood, and Beatle years in addition to mostly his solo years. While most fans already know his pre-1970 life backwards and forwards, particularly the Sixties, it still could have been expanded a bit more. When you're getting just John's perspective on the Beatle years, it's a slightly different experience than learning about them as a collective group. Other than that, I thought the film was fantastic, and with a number of nice extras. August 15, 2008

Dream is over

When this film was first released, it was quite interesting, introspective and entertaining. Now on DVD it almost seems like an afterthought with the release of The Beatles Anthology DVD set. It still holds up well, but sometimes the anti-war Lennon gets boring. Makes you wonder how great his solo career may have been had he concentrated on his music more than his politics & causes. A nice addition to any Beatles or Lennon fans collection. May 30, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...