Imagine: John Lennon (1988)

Director:

Andrew Solt

Writers (WGA):

Sam Egan (written by) &
Andrew Solt (written by)

Release Date:

7 October 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Music

Tagline:

Discover John...the angry youth, the musician, the radical, the husband, the father, the lover, the idealist...through his own words and personal collection of film and music.

Plot:

A biography of the rock music star.

Plot Keywords:

John Lennon | Song | Male Nudity | 1970s | Title Based On Song

Cast

John Lennon	...	Himself / Narration (archive footage)
Yoko Ono	...	Herself (also archive footage)
Paul McCartney	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Harrison	...	Himself (archive footage)
Ringo Starr	...	Himself (archive footage)
David Bowie	...	Himself
Phil Spector	...	Himself (archive footage)
Cynthia Lennon	...	Herself - John Lennon's first wife (also archive footage)
Julian Lennon	...	Himself
Sean Lennon	...	Himself (also archive footage)
Al Capp	...	Himself (archive footage)
May Pang	...	Herself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dick Cavett	...	Himself
Salvador Dalí	...	Himself (archive footage)
Gloria Emerson	...	Herself, New York Times reporter (archive footage)
Brian Epstein	...	Himself - Beatles' Manager (archive footage)
Mal Evans	...	Himself (archive footage) (as The Plastic Ono Band)
Elton John	...	Himself (archive footage)
George Martin	...	Himself - Beatles' producer
Elliot Mintz	...	Himself (also archive footage)
Jack Palance	...	Himself
Derek Taylor	...	Himself - Beatles' Publicist (archive footage)
Klaus Voormann	...	Himself (as The Plastic Ono Band)
Andy Warhol	...	Himself
Alan White	...	Himself (as The Plastic Ono Band)
Allan Williams	...	Himself - Beatles' Booking Agent
Jon Cobert	...	Himself (lennon's band) (uncredited)

Directed by
Andrew Solt

Writing credits (WGA)
Sam Egan		(written by) &
Andrew Solt		(written by)

Produced by
Bud Friedgen	....	associate producer
Kevin Lee Miller	....	associate producer (as Kevin Miller)
Andrew Solt	....	producer
David L. Wolper	....	executive producer
David L. Wolper	....	producer

Cinematography by
Néstor Almendros

Film Editing by
Howard Heard
Bert Lovitt

Set Decoration by
Sarah Knowles

Makeup Department
Bernadette Mazur	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ted Kurdyla	....	production manager
Paul La Mori	....	post-production supervisor
Matthew Salvato	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jerry Field	....	assistant director
Lewis Gould	....	first assistant director

Sound Department
Sukey Fontelieu	....	sound editor
Jerelyn J. Harding	....	sound editor (as Jerelyn Golding)
Frank Jones	....	sound re-recording mixer
Carolyn Tapp	....	foley recordist (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Peter Allwork	....	aerial photographer
Bob Balzarini	....	video assist operator
Ira Brenner	....	camera operator
Peter Girolami	....	lighting technician
Mike Hammerer	....	grip
Jonathon Leigh	....	assistant light (as Jonathan Leigh)
Clayton J. Liotta	....	assistant camera
Larry McConkey	....	steadicam operator
Robert T. Prate	....	grip
Algernon Ramirez	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Bud Friedgen	....	supervising editor
David Gaines	....	additional editor
Craig Holt	....	assistant editor
Joe McJimsey	....	assistant editor
Mary Nelson-Duerrstein	....	negative cutter
Karen Schwartz	....	apprentice film editor

Other crew
Debra Ack	....	researcher
France Patrick Andre	....	researcher
Glenn Baker	....	researcher
Cindy Berenson	....	production assistant
Jessica Berman	....	researcher
Kimberly Carnevali	....	production assistant
Ilene Cherna	....	photo researcher
Jack Egan	....	researcher
Darren Foreman	....	production assistant
Ron Furmanek	....	researcher
Laura Graham	....	production assistant
Karol Greene	....	researcher
Rachelle Katz	....	production executive
Julian Ludwig	....	production executive
Kirsty MacCalman	....	researcher
Karla Merrifield	....	photo researcher
Tom Murray	....	production assistant
Vikkie Pudden	....	photo researcher
Auriel Sanderson	....	production assistant
Tony Secunda	....	researcher
Helene Seifer	....	researcher
Helmer Sieber	....	production assistant
John Solt	....	researcher
George Speerin	....	production assistant
Jonathan Strauss	....	researcher
Paul Surratt	....	researcher
Howard Taksen	....	production assistant
Jean-François Vallette	....	researcher
Susan Welsh	....	production assistant
Fenno Werkman	....	researcher
Marc Wolff	....	aerial coordinator
Michael Hyatt	....	title designer (uncredited)

Thanks
Drew H. Fash	....	acknowledgment: archive source
Debbie Supnik	....	special thanks (1988)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1989) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical) (35mm print)
• Cable Hogue Co. (2000) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2005) (Japan) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Cinema, The (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (????) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Capitol Records  soundtrack

Also Known As:

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Iceland:L | Portugal:M/12 | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

George Martin remixed The Beatles songs used in the film for Dolby six-channel stereo used in theaters. He called the task one of the biggest challenges of his career.

Quotes:

John Lennon:All we are saying is give peace a chance.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Lennon Legend: The Very Best of John Lennon (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Nowhere Man

Very good moving documentary

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.