MartinHafer
I should mention up front that I am not particularly a John Lennon fan. I don't dislike him but am somewhat indifferent to his work...especially his work post-Beatles. However, I watched this film because I am a huge fan of PBS documentaries...and in "American Masters" is one of my favorites. The film is about John Lennon and his life when he moved from London to New York in the early 70s. Among the many topics covered in the film is his marriage to Yoko, his anti-war work, the Nixon administration's attempts to deport him, his separation from Yoko (with his subsequent spiral into drinking and being a jerk), his studio work as well as his later years and, once again, fatherhood. The way I see the film, it's a gradual evolution until he became a person most of us could really like...at which point he was murdered.The documentary is made up of the usual interviews and film clips but what makes this one really neat (and a tad spooky) is that so much audio of Lennon talking and recording and outtakes are spaced out throughout the film. It's interesting to hear alternate versions of his songs, his commentary or even his saying goodnight to his young son. All in all, a very compelling, well made and interesting portrait of the guy from about age 30-40. Well worth seeing.
tavm
Just watched this on the DVR about three years after recording there. It chronicles former Beatle John Lennon's life and career after moving to New York with wife Yoko Ono. From their recording sessions to his outspoken rallies which led to deportation threats to his lost times in Los Angeles solo to a sabbatical while taking care of newborn Sean to a comeback with Ono just before his tragic fate. Quite insightful with many Lennon comments spread throughout and latter-day interviews with Yoko, Dick Cavett, Elton John, and many of the musicians who worked with him during those final years. So on that note, "American Masters: LennoNYC" is well worth seeing.
dbdumonteil
The title is right:the period goes from 1971 to 1980;some will argue that the artist's best albums ("imagine" and the outstanding "plastic Ono band" )were behind him,but it does not matter ,for it is an excellent biography ,which dwarfs "imagine :the movie" and allows us to watch previously unseen sequences ;every Beatles fan should see it and it's amazing there are only two comments to date .There are roughly three parts : The activist,with a FBI file,with absorbing interviews with members of Elephant's Memory;Then the lost week-end -the role of Harry Nillsson and the "pussy cats "album are almost passed over in silence ;besides they do not tell us why Lennon had to record "rock and roll";ditto for the stint with Bowie.That said ,Lennon's confusion is perfectly depicted and Yoko is frank.And finally the househusband years ,which shows Lennon had found peace of mind and happiness ,after eventful years;the death of the working class hero is treated with a great sense of decency ,letting us feel what we lost and what they (Sean and Yoko) lost:with hindsight,it is a blessing Lennon retired for five years because his son has memories of his father who shared his life and took care of him for those precious times.(which made the song "beautiful boy" so endearing and so overwhelming :"the monster's gone (!) and your daddy's here") lots of people are featured:Jack Douglas,Elton John,photographer Bob Gruen,May Pang,and many more ;the Beatles appear in short flashbacks but the dream is over and we just have to carry on.Watch it!
blanche-2
"LennonNYC" is a wonderful documentary about John Lennon's life in New York City. It's sad at the same time, because his love of freedom and the Dakota's policy of letting people loiter outside the building cost him his life. Lennon himself took no security precautions, enjoying what he felt was the anonymity of New York. It's true, people are more laid back there about seeing celebrities. But there are always nuts around, and Lennon, alas, met one.There is lots of footage of Lennon in interviews and also recording - he was on top of the world with his Double Fantasy album. Though no one says it, I think he had been "written out" for a time. And when his son Sean was born, Lennon felt like it was the beginning of a new life for him. Before his death, he was happier than he had ever been - grown up, as he put it, and at peace with his life. That someone could take that away from him is very cruel.Excellent.
AD
