User reviews

IMAGINE: JOHN LENNON is a very personal and emotional scrapbook that takes us right into the mind and soul of the great artist who departed this world much to early. Largely comprised from hundreds of hours of Lennon interviews and personal home movies, this feature is narrated in John's own words, giving us a bird's eye view of his life and experiences before, during, and after The Beatles. It's a candid and close look at Lennon the musician, the husband, the father and, most significantly of all, the Man.

The documentary begins in 1971 at Tittenhurst Park in England, where John and Yoko lived and were then working on John's great IMAGINE album in a studio adjoining their home. Through John's own memories we then go backward in time to his birth, his rise to fame with the Beatles, the breakup of the group, his key meeting with Yoko Ono, all the exploits of John and Yoko through the late sixties and seventies, Lennon's retirement to raise his son Sean in 1975, and ultimately his happy comeback into the limelight in late 1980, when he was tragically assassinated and the entire world came to a screeching hault for millions.

For rabid Lennon fans there are very juicy segments included, such as John recording "How Do You Sleep" (his infamous swipe at Paul McCartney) with the assistance of George Harrison on slide guitar. We see the very candid and human sides of John from inside the glass of the recording studio as he swears at an engineer for not being able to send forward the proper pre-recorded verse of "Oh Yoko" so that Lennon can add his backing harmonies to it. A real treat is a lengthy segment from the 1969 "Bed-In" period where we get to see a visibly perturbed Lennon trying to maintain his peaceful stance while sparring with ultra-conservative artist Al Capp while the man continually attacks and insults John and Yoko right to their faces. Another key bit of business features Lennon storming into a newspaper office to confront a journalist who's just written a seething article denouncing the Lennons. A real gem of a clip concerns a scruffy hippie who's camped out at Lennon's garden overnight and tried to meet the famous ex-Beatle. With the cameras capturing their confrontation, John tries to explain to the far-out young man that he's just a regular guy who writes songs, some of which don't really mean anything special, and that he's only human. After this, John invites the hungry man into his home to give him breakfast.

John Lennon's appeal to the true fan was that he was very honest about who he was and what he believed in, and we could always relate to him and feel he was as real a person as we were. This film manages to capture the essence of John and it's a job very well done by director Andrew Solt, who had to plow through hundreds of hours of material, most of which must have been indispensable, to try and form a definitive representation of Lennon's whole life. If there is a tiny flaw in the film at all, it may be because John's life was so extraordinary that it's virtually impossible to get it all together in such a short space of running time; there is a sense of everything being squeezed together rather quickly (especially the Beatle years), where several hours would probably have been more adequate!

Yoko Ono has gotten such a bad rap over the decades, and that's a real shame, as it's so obvious through her own observations and actual on-film reactions here that she was as in love with John and as respectful of him as he was toward her. It should be understood and accepted that John wanted to be with Yoko and that she "saved him from a kind of death" (as he once said). It may be difficult for some to accept that Lennon drifted away from the idea of being "one of the boys" with the Beatles and getting married and devoting his life to his relationship with Yoko, but it's what made him feel happy and fulfilled. As John himself said in one of his very final interviews for PLAYBOY in 1980:

LENNON: "Listen, if somebody's gonna impress me, whether it be a Maharishi or a Janov or a Yoko, there comes a point when the emperor has no clothes. Because I do stupid things, I've done stupid things. I am naive but I'm also not stupid. So there comes a point where I will see. And nobody can pull the wool that long. So for all you folks out there who think that I'm having the wool pulled over my eyes, well, that's an insult to me. Not that you think less of Yoko, because that's your problem; what I think of her is what counts! But if you think you know me or you have some part of me because of the music I've made, and then you think I'm being controlled like a dog on a leash because I do things with her, then screw you, brother or sister... you don't know what's happening. I'm not here for you. I'm here for me and her and now the baby. Anybody who claims to have some interest in me as an individual artist or even as part of the Beatles has absolutely misunderstood everything I ever said if they can't see why I'm with Yoko." ***1/2 out of ****

In 1987, seven years after John Lennon's tragic murder, a book came out. I've forgotten the title and the author, but it portrayed Lennon VERY negatively. It showed him as a cruel, egotistical monster who abused drugs and alcohol up to his death. The book was written by somebody who had never talked to anybody who knew Lennon. Yoko Ono was shocked and pushed to have this documentary made to set the record straight.

It's full of home movies, news footage, videos all narrated by John Lennon himself (he recorded over 200 hours talking about his life and work). It's not a whitewash of him--it does point out he was a mean drunk and he is shown swearing and telling off Phil Spector in a recording studio when a song was not working out. It also chronicles his remark about the Beatles being "bigger than Jesus Christ" and totally ignores how horribly he treated his first wife Cynthia. But, aside from that footage, there is also interviews with Johns wives, his children and, basically, everyone who knew him (curiously, none of the Beatles were interviewed). He comes across as a very talented, peace-loving man--he has his dark moments but everybody does. His confrontations with Al Capp and Gloria Emerson are just fascinating.

I remember seeing this in a theatre in 1988 and most of the audience walked out crying. 15 years later the ending still packs a punch. It shows people crying at the peace rallies held after Lennon's death and ends with the "Imagine" video him and Yoko did. Also "In My Life" plays over the closing credits. A fascinating, very moving documentary of a great man. Recommended.

I can't say enough about how much John Lennon's death still hurts me when I think about it, and I wasn't even alive when that terrible date (8 Dec 1980) transpired. But through the duration of "Imagine: John Lennon," I felt at ease with his death. I felt that Lennon was sitting there next to me telling me that he's fine, and that he will never be dead as long as his music live forever in the minds of his fans. Lennon's life was captured brilliantly in this documentary. His brilliance, his unique spirit, and his controversial opinions about the crooked elements of the world are reverently presented. I thanks the makers of this film for omitting the name of the eternally damned soul who selfishly brought the end to the physical life of Lennon. Lennon lives on, but the scars left by his passing will remain. For those who do not know Lennon's life very well, this film is perfect for them. Together, you, me, and Lennon can imagine a world free of hatred in our lives and the lives of future generations. It is possible if we just give peace a chance. I love this movie and it's portrayal of the life of the most influential entertainer of the past couple centuries. What more can be said about such an amazing life?

Forget the unmistakable legend of the Beatles for about two hours! This one is entirely about John! I give kudos to the producers who show how this complex and fascinating artist was also a brilliant man and a wonderful human being with strengths as well as frailties! Just listening to and watching the people from John's life (his two wives and sons especially) as they talk about him clearly shows how much they not only loved him, but that they miss him terribly. I went out and rented this film for the first time in years last December around the 20th anniversary of John's cruel and senseless murder! I loved seeing him triumph over the crooked Nixon White House in the latter's attempt to deport him. I also had to smile when the so-called "lost weekend" was over and he was back with Yoko, which only got better with Sean's birth! I found myself touched by the scene where he tells the vagrant the truth behind his songwriting, and then invites him in for a meal. I never met John personally, but after seeing this film I felt like I knew him. By the time the film got to the footage of the Lennons walking in Central Park shortly before his death, I cringed when I heard John's recorded voice saying "...until I'm dead and buried; and I hope that's a long, long time". The slowed-down footage against the background music of the crescendo coda of "A Day In The Life" leading up to the tragic event was well-edited and made its desired impact (the glasses falling and shattering on the cement). Then the newsreel footage of the mourners from around the world. As a fan of John's, I didn't have to look at that footage for very long before losing my composure and feeling the profound sense of loss I felt years ago when it happened. In short, I cried long and hard. I won't give the son of a bitch who shot him the satisfaction of mentioning his name. He is the lowest form of life on earth, and this film does John justice by not giving any mention of his name either. Those who love John will love this film. It doesn't portray him as a big shot rock star! It portrays him as I think he wanted to be seen: as a vulnerable human being, just like us!

This was my bad, I mistook this as a Yoko exploitation vehicle when it was released and really deprived myself of an excellent biography. John Lennon, The Beatles still loom very large in pop culture and may for quite some time. But as a fan, I find most film documentaries generally are either too lengthy and even preachy or too segmented and incomplete; with nothing really doing the trick. So much so, that I think their music or silly Hollywood movies are still the best and most candid contact we have available. Having said that, by concentrating on John Lennon only, I think this film is able to rise above the rest of whats out there. It cleverly makes use of interviews and sound bytes by John so that he's almost narrating the entire film. It does not dwell too much on his time after the Beatles and with Yoko. Instead its a pleasant balance on all phases of his most fascinating life. There's a ton of stuff I had never seen before and even better, some complete takes of the familiar stuff we know too well. For instance, there is a comprehensive bit involving John and Yoko's bed in for peace that includes a nasty exchange with a pompous cartoonist. Also a terrific scene in a recording studio. The real stuff baby. I think its interesting that as time has passed, John's ideas just don't sound so ridiculous and drug induced as they once did. He instead really comes across as a visionary trying to make dullards and dimwits understand what are now extremely sane concepts. Very odd I must say.

"Imagine" is an excellent look at John Lennon, as a young boy, a rocker, a Beatle, an advocate, a husband, a father, and finally, as a legend.

For those (like my sister) who dislike Yoko Ono and blame her for breaking up the Beatles, Yoko is present, but there is plenty else here.

John Lennon isn't an easy man to figure out, and I don't think this documentary tried to. Rather, it attempted to show all sides of him - the Beatle, the drug side, the sketch artist, his attempt to distance himself from the Beatles, stating that he had grown up, his musical journey, his hard-headedness, demands as a musician - the whole thing. One of the nicest scenes is one in which he speaks with a vagrant about his music and then has him come in for a meal. So with all his preaching about peace and being one in the world, he walked the talk.

Lennon provides a lot of the narration, which is taken from hundreds of interviews. There are also interviews with Yoko, Sean, Julian, his ex-wife Cynthia, and others.

If you grew up with the Beatles as I did and mourn the death of John Lennon as I do, or even if you just like his contribution to music, this is a very good look at the Beatles' most off-beat and possibly most brilliant member - a man who continually searched for an identity that kept changing.

It revolves around the recording of song "Imagine" as well as the album of the same name in 1971. It is narrated by Lennon from tons of interviews he gave. After the scene is set, it goes back to the beginning of The Beatles and and see many familiar clips of performances of "Twist And Shout", "From Me To You" and "Help".

The most fascinating part of this documentary are rare home movies of John at home and of some news segments probably not seen since they were aired. A striking scene shows where an obsessed fan found his way to John's England estate. The young man is confused and may be on drugs but believes John's songs are speaking directly to him, asking him the meaning behind his "I Dig A Pony" song, John tells him it was just playing around with words, literally a nonsense song. John gently tells him the songs should not be mixed up with his own life and offers the guy something to eat.

John is gentle when dealing with his fans, but he can have a temper when dealing with technicians in a recording session, or reporters who say they miss "the old Beatles". It sure is intriguing stuff for any Beatles fan and definitely worth your time.

There are rock musicians, rock stars, rock gods and than there is John Lennon, the man who embodies Rock and Roll and changed the world with his heartfelt and joyous words. Now we are given the privilege to see this genius and former Beatle as the human he was in the documentary Imagine: John Lennon.

The movie's main focus is on, of course, John Lennon. Not the critics, not the fans, not the Beatles and not the walrus...John Lennon, a human being. The movie is filled with home videos of Lennon and friends working on the Imagine album and videos of Lennon and his family enjoying life away from his hectic life as a musician. There is even a video of Lennon inviting an obsessed fan into his house for breakfast.

Still, even with the videos of a simple Englishman goofing off with friends there are many clips of the music itself. It includes Lennon's Elvis inspired rock genesis in Liverpool and Hamburg with the Beatles that launched their successful career. The movie moves on to Lennon's tour of America that took him away from the wife and kids, and then onto the unbelievable Sgt. Pepper album that is still critically acclaimed as the greatest album of all time.

Yet you can't fit everything about a legend like Lennon into a one hundred minute documentary, so all of the other Beatles albums were cut. Instead there is again more of the man behind the legend, such as him spending time with his newborn son Sean and instead of showing the breakup of the Beatles, it shows him sailing on a boat smoking a cigarette. Workingman's hero.

Now if you want a movie that explores the many dimensions of this rock icon than this isn't it. No this movie doesn't go into his spirituality, his thoughts on music, his influences and the Beatles nor does it even mention the name of the person who killed him. Yet this movie shows what John Lennon truly was: a father, a friend, a man.

Just like Lennon said, "I don't believe in Jesus....I don't believe in Elvis....I don't believe in the Beatles...I just believe in me, Yoko and me, and that's reality."

This documentary is seriously lacking, even given the nature of the form. Even as a look at just his post-Beatles career, this completely distorts Lennon's life. Granted, you couldn't possibly encompass the full John Lennon story in a couple of hours of footage. Choices must be made. And therein lies the problem.

Some of the choices in this documentary are good. I especially like footage of Lennon dancing home in a white suit with Yoko, apparently after getting married and looking quite stoned. There is some choice footage of Lennon interacting with fans, some of whom are quite bizarre. And there is a very interesting piece of footage showing Lennon singing one of his anti-Paul McCartney songs in a session that he ends abruptly after calling Paul a vile name.

Which brings me to the bad choices. They are choices of omission. What is the one thing a person might want to know about John's life? I think a good question would be, "How did you really feel about Paul McCartney and the breakup of the Beatles." That question, or any like it, is not posed. Lennon is simply shown reading about the Beatles breakup in the newspaper as if he were an absolute bystander to the whole thing. At one point, Lennon is quoted as saying that he and McCartney are "fine," and at another, he is shown swearing at him. That is about the extent of it. Something is amiss. One of the most important partnerships in music history is given glancing treatment. Lennon, at least at one time, had hurt feelings. Why? And why is McCartney glaringly absent?

Well, a fellow by the name of Elliot Mintz is listed prominently in the credits as a "Consultant." He even is interviewed to give his opinions about John (as opposed to interviewing, say, Paul, or even George or Ringo). Who is Elliot Mintz? Well, a close associate of Yoko's. That might explain why footage is selected to make her look like a victim, as with the famous Al Capp "debate" footage in which professional provocateur Capp says what many people of the time thought (negatively) about Yoko, and why McCartney and Lennon's work together is pointedly ignored throughout the film. How you could possibly think you could have a balanced presentation of John Lennon without including his relationship with his boyhood friend and adult writing partner is beyond me. Yoko (Mintz) obviously thought differently. Lennon himself said, in his last interview, that he had had two dominant relationships in his life: Yoko, and Paul. We are shown only one. I wonder why.

Of course, one could be cynical and observe that as Yoko increased her influence, John's interest in mass-appeal non-political music declined and his political agitprop activities soared. And, one could further reason that those two indisputable facts are likely not coincidental. And then, one might conclude that Yoko viewed John's political activism as a reflection of her influence over him, his devotion to her, and thus "their" shared history, while relegating Lennon's work with The Beatles to the dustbin (because it did not include her). And thus, we have the reason underlying this work's orientation, given Mintz's control, on John as political renegade rather than as groundbreaking musician. Imagine that Yoko is showing off her own creation here.

Capp, who admittedly comes across as a sneering blow-hard, touches on a good point, incidentally. What did Lennon mean in "The Ballad of John and Yoko" when he said "they" are "gonna crucify me"? Why would he use that imagery only a few years after the famous "Jesus" comment that caused so much trouble? Lennon just blows Capp off, that one hit a little close to home, I think. Another interviewer practically does a follow-up, likely years later, taking some pointed shots at Lennon as having become little more than a cynical self-promoter with all of his fairly empty and extravagant peace gestures. His non-answer to her is one of the more revealing parts of the documentary. I'm sure it was put in there, though, to elicit a completely different response from the audience ("Look how much a martyr John became because they never understood his important work for peace").

Somewhat perversely, in tune with this work's obvious attempt to canonize Lennon for his political outspokenness while treating his music as little more than his day job, the footage selected indeed does tend to suggest that his primary legacy is as a self-promoter and activist rather than as a musician. Talk about turning reality upside down.... I doubt that is the message that would come across in a more balanced presentation. I do understand, though, why the people who control his estate would portray him that way.

Documentaries are more about the living than the dead. The real summary of Lennon's work has yet to be made and won't happen until everyone with personal agendas departs the scene.

This movie is very cool. You have to listen closely to what people say in the movie and you will learn cool stuff, first hand. This movie shows the great Phil Spector doing his thing. It rates a 10 stars just for being able to see this man at work on this no 1 album in 1971, also voted 80th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. This genius of a man who we have recently destroyed and stomped on like a bug; really shins in this movie. He died January 16, 2021 in a prison toilet bowl hole of COVID-19, I blame the right wing, perverted, Nazi like, conspiracy driven legal system for that. Like the Imagine song goes: All I want is the truth Just give me some truth.

I love the way John handles the obviously very mentally unstable young man who makes it past security to his house. Again you have to listen. The man insists that John Lennon's music and songs are written especially for him. (This seems to be a prevalent problem with music today amongst many of our youngest and brightest.) He reaches out to him and even invites him inside for some food. John was a phenomenal, almost saint like; human being. This entire world would be better if he was still alive. (another reason to watch this movie)

Also Andy Warhol makes a appearance in the film. I really like the scene with George Harrison and John; you could see that friendship they had from the Beatles days come to life on film. They have this conversation while eating breakfast that looks really serious between them. I loved that look John had of excitement in what he was saying; like it meant something to the world. A true artist always has this with them. Also in the movie John mentions the Crippled Inside song and John uses this southern accent to sing the song. When he describes the song he had that look in his eye again. I think even the small Crippled Inside song had a huge amount of meaning to John as not only a artist but a activist.

Reality sometimes makes people uncomfortable. John Lennon tried to help people see the truth of reality and bring us all together; to work together and end war. He was way ahead of his time; maybe ahead of the time left for planet earth, as we know it. That never made John wrong; just truthfully unique in his love for mankind. People were excited about his ability to speak beyond the norms. What is a normal and kind love for all the earth? Is there a normal human limit for love; for the human race? John wanted unity and an end to war, if it were possible; who would disagree with that? Who would say; that it is not normal for our empathetic and brightest people like John Lennon, to try to stop suffering?

I almost forgot the whole reason I wrote this review. My mom had mentioned in a email that my favorite Uncle, Uncle Bill had been over her house recently. My Uncle Bill was always my favorite relative on my mom's side of the family. We used to talk about music together. He gave me the Imagine Album on my 11th birthday.

The 1960's and 70's were a time of change uncertainty for our country. War waged on in Vietnam, the "hippie" era was in bloom, and there was of course the music. There was only one voice heard in all of these areas: John Lennon.

Imagine: John Lennon is Andrew Solt's documentary about the rock legend John Lennon. It spans over 40 years from his early days in Liverpool and Hamburg to that fatal December night in New York City, 1980. It showcases his musical talent and outspokenness for peace, love, and music.

The movie goes back and forth from John Lennon's home recording studio in 1973 to Lennon's life story. It's an interesting way of telling a man's life. The first half is mostly about the rise of The Beatles. Starting in Liverpool, bassist Paul McCartney, guitarist George Harrison, and drummer Ringo Starr create a sound that will rock the world. They go from playing small, rowdy venues in Liverpool and Hamburg, to the "big time".

Their album "Meet the Beatles" is just the ticket they need to make it across the pond to the US. Beatlemania is reaching critical mass and Lennon was having difficulties controlling his personal life and his life on the road. His wife Cynthia and son Julian have to be second to the band. Cynthia won't stick around for long, she eventually asks him for a divorce.

As The Beatles begin to experiment in drugs, there music too sounds a little experimental. Using many different sounds and beats, they will once again have a rock and roll revolution. Their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band became one of their most famous. But all isn't "Strawberry Fields" in the studio. With Lennon's latest girl Yoko Ono, the band feels like she is impeding on their creativity. After more than 10 years together, The Beatles are no more.

This was not the end for Lennon. Solt goes way beyond The Beatles in this movie. He shows us his private life with home videos and interviews with Yoko, Julian, his other son Sean, and close friends of the family.

For fans of The Beatles and of Lennon, this movie is ideal. It's a great look into the life of the legendary singer/song writer. The music is fantastic and the movie itself is well put together. For those who have some interest in this subject, the movie may be slightly boring.

The one thing you can't overlook is Lennon's impact on pop culture. He was the voice of a generation that wanted nothing more than to, "give peace a chance". It seems like everything he did had some meaning behind it. He wrote songs about his kids, about his father, and about Yoko. He also had many politically charged songs and some "choice" album covers.

This documentary was cleverly done and well put together. Although it at times has some not so interesting information, for the most part it is a fantastic look into the life of a cultural icon.

The man was a walking heart and a noble soul and I miss him very much. But his spirit lives on and watching this film is a good way to celebrate him. His personal sacrifices in promoting the peace movement were tremendous. Despite the heartless (and subtle racism) of Yoko-bashers, watching this film will help Beatles fans, music experts, and any viewer come to understand their love, the arch of his life, and his untimely and unfortunate end. The music will make you cry with joy. Undoubtedly John Lennon's music is the best and most profoundly personal music, especially for grieving and spiritual rehabilitation, in music history. His lyrics are insightful and bold, with a humanist zeal that defies blind ideology and religious zealots in the name of rationality, introspection and peace. If only more people in positions of influence would listen to John today, maybe we'd be in a better global situation at the moment. Timeless. - David

As a big Beatles fan, I've seen lots of documentaries and shows about them; but this one has a lot of stuff I've never seen before, mostly because it focuses on John. The music of course is fantastic as always but what's most valuable is the candid looks we get at Lennon. A vagrant, probably stoned, confronts Lennon at his home in England, asking what the different lyrics mean and the ex-Beatle tries to talk some sense, comforting the confused man, and inviting him inside for a meal. It's even eerier considering what a later confused fan was to do. And some of the strongest parts of the film are long sequences of John confronting someone over his antiwar politics and tactics. Particularly Al Capp, famous cartoonist of "L'il Abner" who proves to be a royal a**hole here, insulting Yoko and John stays surprisingly level-headed throughout. It's a really dynamic scene. He actually loses his temper more when confronted by a NY Times reporter who tells him how immature it was for him to send back the MBE; he shouts back that maybe she liked the old him, the mop-tops and A Hard Day's Night but she needs to grow up. And finally, there's some footage taken not long before Lennon's death when a young man is thrilled to meet him, asking inevitably "When are you guys gonna get back together?" Little did he know that in a few days (or weeks, I'm not sure when this was taken) that dream would be shattered once in for all.

I loved this film for the narration and assembled footage - but the audio NEVER sounded as good as it did in the theater. At the time I was so excited with the surround remixes -wow (this was before 'Anthology'). But the VHS release sounded flat and echo-y, the DVD didn't fare any better.

Oh well, to hear John in his own words and follow him so closely on film is well worth watching.

And about the studio scene... Actually, John is yelling at Phil McDonald (who was also the engineer on the 'Plastic Ono Band' album among many others). Phil Spector is standing next to John -while singing backing vocals!

Eight years after John Lennon's death, and seventeen years after John's most popular solo album "Imagine" came out, this documentary was released. It was 1988 and the shock of Lennon's murder was lessening, and then they released this. But this documentary wasn't made to make people feel sad, but instead, it showed John Lennon's life from his early days living with his aunt, to his days with the Beatles, to his radical solo work and life with Yoko Ono. John is put in neither a positive nor a negative light here, so you can make the decision yourself. Was John a nut case, or a genius, or both, or something completely different altogether?

This documentary is full of old interviews, archive footage of the Beatles concerts, and along with that it has new interviews from Cynthia Lennon, Yoko Ono and Julian Lennon, among others. It shows John's time in the recording studio, and his life with Yoko and how much he loved her, and she loved him. It gives us interesting footage from his home too.

The more interesting scenes in this film are one's that we wouldn't normally see. A bum was walking around in Lennon's flower garden, and John asks him why, and this man believes John is writing his music for this man. They end up inviting him in for some lunch. That was probably the best scene in the movie, and the one that described John's overall attitude throughout his life. He was writing for himself, and for his wife, but if any other person felt personally touched by his music, then his message was universal. As shown in this movie, it wasn't his goal to reach others, only himself.

All of John and Yoko's more artistic moments are featured here too, including their bed in's, and their artistic ideas like covering themselves with a blanket so no one can see what they look like. During their bed-in, they invited over Al Capp, creator of the Lil Abner cartoon strips, and he tries his hardest to rip them to pieces, which is irritating, but yet again, one of the best scenes in the movie.

This documentary has some really neat footage, and that's the stuff that makes this good. The 1988 interviews were interesting on giving insight, but the footage from Lennon's solo work prime in the early 70's is what shows what he was about, and is what makes this documentary.

My rating: *** out of ****. 100 mins. Not rated, contains language and nudity.

Andrew Solt's "Imagine: John Lennon" is a documentary about the singer. There's plenty of focus on his music and activism, but mostly it looks at him as a person. In addition to the ample footage of John making his inimitable music and expounding on philosophy, there are interviews with people who knew him (Yoko, Sean, Cynthia, Julian). And the scene of John and Yoko's bed-in for peace makes clear that Al Capp was a real creep.

Another documentary about Lennon that's worth seeing is "The US vs. John Lennon", about Nixon's efforts to keep him out of the country. Both documentaries note that, while Lennon got taken from us, his dream of world peace lives on. Indeed, political movements the world over take inspiration from him. May his memory live forever.

Great documentary.

This is a biographical documentary made with the help of family and friends but not the other members of the Beatles although George does show up post-Beatles. It still covers the Beatles and treats them with respect. There is a lot of Lennon's private video and recordings. It goes through the standard bio moves. There are great bits of music sessions and John talking about his life. There is one hippie who shows up at his door. The guy was tripping and the encounter is very compelling. It hella meta when John is arguing with Yoko about his love song to her. Al Capp's confrontation with John and Yoko during the Bed-in becomes quite intense. That's a great moment because it allowed humorist Capp to land quite a few hits. It's not soft-peddling anything. Also, one should check out Capp's casting couch stories. John comes off looking petty as he song-battles Paul. That's not to say that this has everything. There are some darker issues that are missing. In the end, it's their lives in their own words.

This is a well done Andrew Solt documentary made up with some wonderful never-before-seen home movies. The late musician's own narration makes for an eerie portrait of the former Beatle. You will see John Lennon as being witty, sarcastic, determined and loyal; but also childish, bawdy, and irreverent. This multi-talented musician will be loved and remembered for generations to come. Over 30 songs make up the soundtrack. Very worthwhile and musically historic.

I believe this documentary is the best portrait of Lennon and The Beatles on film.

It revolves around the recording of song "Imagine" as well as the album of the same name in 1971. It is narrated by Lennon from tons of interviews he gave. After the scene is set, it goes back to the beginning of The Beatles and and see many familiar clips of performances of "Twist And Shout", "From Me To You" and "Help". The most fascinating part of this doc are rare home movies of John at home and of some news segments probably not seen since there were aired. A striking scene shows where an obsessed fan found his way to John's England estate. The young man is confused and may be on drugs but believes John's songs are speaking directly to him, asking him the meaning behind his "I Dig A Pony" song, John tells him it was just playing around with words, literally a nonsense song. John gently tells him the songs should not be mixed up with his own life and offers the guy something to eat. After we see the psychedelic Beatle years of "Strawberry Field Forever" and "Sgt Pepper", it goes into John's years of peace protests and marriage to Yoko Ono where the press and some fans turned on him. One news reporter refers to him as the most "way out" of The Beatles. The most memorable scene for me was when John and Yoko were doing their "bed-in" for peace in 1969, conservative cartoonist Al Capp (creator of "Lil Abner") came to heckle them. Capp sarcastically puts down the album "Two Virgins" in which John and Yoko appeared full frontal naked on the cover. He also complains about the lyrics to "Ballad Of John and Yoko" where John sings about "they're gonna crucify me", John tells Capp he is taking it too literally. Capp also tells him "I'm sure the other 3 guys are Englishmen!" This is a very well rounded portrait of Lennon as we see the witty, peaceful side most associate with him but we also see the anger and impatience most did not get to see. There is a scene where he angrily curses out a recording engineer for not setting up the correct version of a song he wanted. He loses his temper when NY Times reporter Gloria Emerson accuses him of self aggrandizing behavior with his peace protests. She says she used to admire him, but he tells her "Well I'm glad you liked the old mop tops, love, but I've grown up, but you obviously haven't!" We also get some rare home movies during the years he quit the music business to raise his son. Best scene is when he and Yoko meet a fan in Central Park, of course the first question he asks is "When are The Beatles gettin' back together?" John's funny answer was "Oh tomorrow, tomorrow!"

This documentary shows many great performances by John Lennon and many insider scenes. The scene when John invites the man looking for answers inside his mansion for a sandwich is a very sensitive moment. John shows that he is a genius and a very introspective person who knows his strengths and weaknesses. A must watch for all Beatles and Lennon fans and a very interesting look at a major celebrity of our time for the rest.

Imagine: John Lennon is indeed a fascinating and extraordinary film or more of like a documentary film that are not fills with usual typical documentary style which mostly fills with lot's of people got interviewed and telling their story, in here they limited the people they interview and the people itself that they interviewed was the one who are legit part of his life from Yoko Ono, Lennon's first wife Cynthia, and both of his sons Julian and Sean, and the rest was mostly narrated by Ono and Lennon himself, great unseen footage and perfect timeline representation of his life making it even more engaging, entertaining, and his life and his story is always fascinated me, No hell below us, Above us, only sky, Nothing to kill or die for, Imagine all the people Livin' for today, Imagine all the people Livin' life in peace, and Imagine all the people Sharing all the world.

..... and I'm still thinking of what we lost twenty -six years ago.When I think of all the great songs that never were...

The film begins with the wistful tuneful "real love" which the three other Beatles reworked on the second volume of the anthologies . It's a pretty good documentary although it does not really do the great artist justice.The most interesting moment is the argument with cartoonist Al Capp -who had already made a satirical comic strip about Joan Baez (Joanie Phonie) and was not probably exactly what people called "liberal" - But there are also interesting scenes during the "imagine" album sessions.

Released at the same time as the obnoxious Goldman's trashy book -which I also read and found disgusting-,"Imagine' is a must for any Lennon fan.But once again,THE film about the working class hero remains to be made.