Nothing new here for die-hard John Lennon or Beatles fans, but if you're under thirty, this is a decent primer on the life of the legendary musician. The documentary traces Lennon's early life and interest in the guitar, and how he took up with his first band, The Quarrymen, bringing Paul McCartney into the fold after meeting him and hitting it off from the start. Following the Beatles' break out in Hamburg, Germany, Brian Epstein saw their potential and signed on as their manager, changing their image and ushering in 'Beatlemania' following a successive string of Number #1 hits in 1962/63.
Beatlemania eventually took it's toll on Lennon's first marriage to Cynthia Powell and their son Julian. Lennon's controversial remark on the Beatles' popularity compared to Jesus also caused the band some grief with the uproar that followed. Personally, I took his remark objectively and never considered it to be a put down of Christianity the way the media hyped it. Eventually, the band grew weary of the ceaseless fan screaming and never ending tour dates that ran them ragged, and played their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29th, 1966. If you're watching this film, stay attentive and you'll catch a glimpse of a ticket for this concert, with the hefty price tag of - get this - four dollars and fifty cents!!!!
With the emergence of Yoko Ono on the scene, Lennon began to separate himself from his other band mates, becoming at the same time more active politically. The ten year span that followed the 1970 breakup of the band is given whirlwind treatment here, and ends with comments by former Quarrymen Colin Hanton and Rod Davis, along with Lennon's sister Julia. Oddly, there's no music in this film which seems like a bit of a disservice to the Beatles. The technical specs for this mini-doc indicate an eighty minute run time in black and white, and color. However my viewing on a cable channel ran for just an hour including commercials, so there are obviously some editing omissions that affected the story. Considering the out-sized appeal of John Lennon's musical legacy, this film barely scratches the surface.
Beatlemania eventually took it's toll on Lennon's first marriage to Cynthia Powell and their son Julian. Lennon's controversial remark on the Beatles' popularity compared to Jesus also caused the band some grief with the uproar that followed. Personally, I took his remark objectively and never considered it to be a put down of Christianity the way the media hyped it. Eventually, the band grew weary of the ceaseless fan screaming and never ending tour dates that ran them ragged, and played their last concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on August 29th, 1966. If you're watching this film, stay attentive and you'll catch a glimpse of a ticket for this concert, with the hefty price tag of - get this - four dollars and fifty cents!!!!
With the emergence of Yoko Ono on the scene, Lennon began to separate himself from his other band mates, becoming at the same time more active politically. The ten year span that followed the 1970 breakup of the band is given whirlwind treatment here, and ends with comments by former Quarrymen Colin Hanton and Rod Davis, along with Lennon's sister Julia. Oddly, there's no music in this film which seems like a bit of a disservice to the Beatles. The technical specs for this mini-doc indicate an eighty minute run time in black and white, and color. However my viewing on a cable channel ran for just an hour including commercials, so there are obviously some editing omissions that affected the story. Considering the out-sized appeal of John Lennon's musical legacy, this film barely scratches the surface.
