Imagine: John Lennon (1988)

 

Picture: B     Sound: C+     Extras: B-     Film: B+

 

 

In one of her smartest moves ever, Yoko Ono sought out the most talented documentary filmmakers she could find because she felt eight years after John Lennon’s assassination (the same eight years of The Reagan Administration to boot for that matter), the time had come to deal with his death in an important way.  The legacy deserved to be captured in a way that could stand the test of time, the kind of time that could wash away certain key aspects of the legacy if certain people had not spoken up about it.  The result was the work of director Andrew Solt, who with legendary producer David L. Wolper delivered Imagine: John Lennon in 1988.

 

The film begins with Lennon, then begins to cross cut back to life chronologically and is complemented by interviews throughout.  Instead of being about his life after The Beatles as some may have expected, it is about everything in his whole lifespan and as vivid as a journey through some kind of time portal.  Both of his sons (Julian & Sean) as well as his wives are among the interviewees, as well as Lennon himself among others via archival footage.  As we watch, the film paints a portrait of how important the man’s contributions were to the world, both within and beyond music.  Even if you did not agree with him, it was not The Beatles that were the troublemakers or somehow ruined the world like Right Wing revisionism would like to claim.

 

The ugly recent rumor about his claiming his politics were just a publicity stunt causing his assassin to come after him does not gel with the constant FBI hunting and endless attempts at deportation of him (and Ono) up until his death.  Instead, this film reminds us what was really going on and especially after 9/11/01, reminds us that the real terrorists were the Klu Klux Klan (by their own admission in one clip), religious extremists and darker forces who prefer chaos over peace and productivity.  As a matter of fact, after watching the film, we are reminded that the last dark event that affected the world profoundly to take place in New York City was Lennon’s murder.

 

However, the film is not harping on death or what might have been, but what was and is, as well as what was achieved that still holds up today.  The ideas musically, artistically and politically that are the legacy of Lennon, Ono and The Beatles that the best music artists still aspire to, successfully more often than credit is given for.  It is also great to see and hear the liberal use of music and footage of Lennon and The Beatles and for a good reason as the music is very, very rarely licensed out for anything.  That alone proves the greatness of the legacy in this digital, sound byte world.  What Lennon and The Beatles were about had to do with complete thoughts and whole states of being like the signature song this film is named after.  If that is subversive, then a change is long overdue.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is a surprise, with fine color and picture definition throughout.  The film was originally released in 35mm, but consisted of all kinds of footage from kinescopes, to Super 8mm film, to 16mm film to 35mm film.  In its time, Ono and the producers put out top dollar to do the transfers and restoration right and all in the photochemical realm.  Nearly two decades later, the pay off results are enormous.  The formats not as large or sharp as 35mm are reproduced nicely, while actually 35mm footage is stunning.  That especially includes footage from Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s Let It Be, George Dunning’s Yellow Submarine and The Beatles at Shea Stadium.  It demonstrates the shortcomings of digital at this time for film restoration and preservation, while adding extra levels of impact to an already amazing work.

 

The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo is supposed to have Pro Logic surrounds, and though this was a Dolby A-type analog theatrical release, there are hardly any surrounds on this DVD.  It plays back better in stereo and why a 5.1 upgrade was not made is puzzling.  After the remaining Beatles were not happy with the remix Miramax did on their set of A Hard Day’s Night, I hope other companies have not become shy about audio fidelity for the band’s material.  With that said, the surrounds in the theater were really good for their time and the PCM 2.0 16Bit/44.1kHz Stereo sound on the old 12” LaserDisc were as healthy, so this cannot be considered a good representation of the original sound.  It is clean and clear otherwise; something you can experiment with at home until you get the desired sound.

 

Extras include a DVD-ROM link to the John Lennon Music Guide, the original theatrical trailer, Lennon singing Imagine in an acoustic performance never before released, a BBC radio interview with Lennon, interview with the headmaster of Lennon’s grammar school, a trivia track that shows up throughout the film as subtitles when watching the film and a tribute featurette to Lennon.  Except for the trailer, these are all new extras that never appeared on the VHS or LaserDisc editions of this title and a great complement to one of the best music documentaries ever put on film.  Imagine: John Lennon is more powerful that ever and its release on DVD now could not be timelier.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo