Imagine: John Lennon |  | Director: Andrew Solt
Actors: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
Buy Used: $50.00
as of 7/31/2010 14:38 EDT details
Used (2) from $50.00
Seller: okred
Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 214594
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Discs: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 100 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
ISBN: 6304712979
UPC: 085391181927
EAN: 9786304712979
ASIN: 6304712979
Theatrical Release Date: October 7, 1988
Release Date: June 20, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
It can hardly be a coincidence that this "deluxe edition" of John Lennon - Imagine should be issued in late 2005, a couple of months after what would have been the former Beatle's 65th birthday and mere days before the 25th anniversary of his death. Whether that's cynical, poignant, or just good marketing is moot; what matters is that Lennon's impact, not just as a musician but as a public figure, remains largely undiminished. The film, released theatrically in 1988, will already be familiar to many fans. "Narrated" by Lennon himself and culled from hundreds of hours of footage, much of it home movies shot by John and Yoko Ono, Imagine is a substantial, reasonably illuminating portrait of the man, warts and all, from childhood through the Beatle years, his solo career, and his life with Yoko straight up to his fatal encounter with Mark David Chapman. It's the new bonus features that are the principal draw here; but whether or not they qualify as "deluxe" is arguable. The Lennons' radio interview with a BBC reporter is notable mostly for John's patience in the face of idiotic questions like "Is love very important to young people today?" The ten or so minutes spent with Lennon's school headmaster, William Ernest Pobjoy (love the name), yield little insight, especially considering that the two were at the school at the same time for just one year, half a century ago; likewise, a new "making of" documentary with Ono, writer-director Andrew Solt, producer David Wolper, and others isn't exactly ground-breaking. However, a previously unreleased performance of "Imagine," with Lennon and some unknown accompanists on acoustic guitar, is nice, as is some heretofore unseen footage of the Lennons at home on their Tittenhurst Estate. Add to that a fine transfer and Dolby digital sound, and you have another addition to the filmed legacy of the Beatles--a subject that, for many of us, will never be old news. --Sam Graham
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 82
 Best Film Biography I've Seen June 2, 2010
Barbara Badham (petaluma, CA)
Wow! If I could give this more than five stars I would. The film footage, at about an hour and 45 minutes, is largely culled from Lennon's own home movies and the extensive interviews conducted with him over the years. He "narrates" what you are seeing, and the soundtrack offers up 36 songs. You get to see this complex man through the eyes of many other people--there are interesting interviews with Cynthia and Julian Lennon, George Martin, Aunt Mimi, Yoko Ono, and Sean Lennon, to name just a few. You get a helicopter tour of John's gorgeous Tittenhurst estate, hear him describe his relationship with his mother, watch him invite a homeless man in for lunch, and see conservative cartoonist Al Capp (of Li'l Abner fame) argue with John during his bed-in. There is plenty of Beatles' coverage as well that allows you to appreciate their wit and charm, without their becoming the focus. (Actually, I would have liked to hear more commentary from them about this man who led them into fame and then walked away from them as individuals after the group's break-up. Now THAT would be interesting.) The film depicts John from cradle to grave, handling his death openly without sensationalizing it. Now almost 30 years later, this DVD offers us a personal look at his artistic and political legacies and it seems like they are secure. Watch it as a tribute and as a review of history, and skip the "deluxe extras." You will enjoy it more.
 Imagine, different books with same title March 23, 2010
Sheena Carver
Review of the sky-blue coffee table book:
This is a slim coffee table book with photographs of John Lennon, interspersed with song lyrics from "Imagine," and includes a handful of photos of John with Yoko. I love the photos of John when he was younger, looking so handsome and often sporting a witty smirk. Overall, though, I wasn't enthused with the book. With so few pages -only 48- there isn't much room to showcase the artistic beauty of the man who dreamed of "all the people living life in peace." (3 stars)
Review of Imagine, the children's book:
This is a children's book with illustrations to go with the lyrics to John Lennon's song, Imagine. The artwork is sweet and colorful, with pictures showing Central Park and the New York skyline. This is a nice book for open minded peace-loving parents & teachers to share with children. (4 stars)
Dry, clinical, biased and incomplete November 1, 2009
Nowhere Man
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Compared to all that "Beatles rare and unseen" hastily issued material during the last 20 years, this documentary is really excellent: coherent, articulated, well-documented and illustrated. Nevertheless, after having watched it to the last bonus, beyond the sadness, I remained with a taste of sand, of dryness and of incompleteness, despite the richness of sounds, images and footage. No comparison with the generosity and equanimity of the Beatles Anthology.
Major shortcomings:
1. The complete absence of the other Beatles "testimonies and points or view" is at least weird in a material where you find even Aunt Mimi. If they declined to participate, the producers should have mentioned this "detail".
2. In spite of the somewhat spicy and controversial details--Al Capp's visit during the bed-in, John's argument with a journalist, John's anger when recording with Phil, John's calling Paul names in his 'How Do You Sleep?' recording session, John's frustration that the papers said Yoko was ugly--meant to give the impression (illusion?) of objectivity, the "orientation" of the documentary it's obvious, therefore needless to be explicated. Yes, the producers said they weren't influenced by anybody. At best, they made a clear effort of, let's say, diplomacy. But no, it IS tedentious, subjective and ultimately unfair.
3. Lots of essential details, crucial for a fair understanding of Lennon's personality and life were omitted, passed under silence, leaving the watcher (buyer/customer) with a poor, unilateral, cartoon-like view of John Lennon. Something like one of his caricatures.
But, as John would say in 1980, music is the most important of all, and there are some pieces of music in this documentary.
Lesson in Peace and Understanding. Like living with Lennon. September 9, 2008
J. Powell (Brooklyn, NY United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This DVD is simply great, if you are even slightly interested in John Lennon.
It contains so much "behind the scenes" footage, that I was very surprised that he was as accessible as he appears in this documentary.
One scene shows a lost young man, who trespasses on Lennon's property in London. Mr. Lennon was kind and empathetic enough to go out and talk with the fan, and then subsequently invite him in to eat at their table.
It's kind of freaky, in a way that might portend his final chapter.
I was never overly impressed with Lennon's singing voice, and I can deal with the politics, since he seemed genuine in his efforts. What I always admired about Mr. Lennon and the older version of the Beatles, is that he could really JAM. This DVD intertwines so much of his best music (and much Beatles music too) to chronical his life. The Ballad of John & Yoko, intertwined with their "love in / sleep in" is really cool and puts the "era" into perspective. This film clearly reveals a loving and caring person, who struggled to find his own answers in spite of his huge celebrity status. Some of the other video of the NYC years, are like watching your own home movies. It's simply very well done, and will provide deeper insight into a very important musical and historical figure.
All You Need Is... September 2, 2008
DD (Chicago, IL)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
...more people like John Lennon! When I became aware this film was available on DVD here on Amazon, I went whoopie...now I have a place where I can express my emotions for John. He was far more than my favorite Beatle. I looked at him as a kindred brother. Even though I never met the man in person, I felt I met him through his music. It's as if his words became my own. Perhaps not everything, but nearly everything I ever said or did was directly because of his influence. When Chapman shot him down all those years ago now, part of me died too...and I can honestly say I have not been the same since. But Chapman did nothing but immortalize John. I'm sure John himself would allow Chapman to go free today knowing John's love for people. But this documentary doesn't only shed light on John, but John's life with the Beatles. And what better man to shed light on the Beatles but the group's founder? I do feel this is the best documentary ever done about the Beatles. It's loaded with rare insights. I love when John says "When I was with the Beatles, I thought we were the best group in the whole world. Believing that we were is what made us what we were..." I also love the bed-in scenes and John's defense when he returned his MBE. He truly lived up to his words when he wrote "Imagine no possessions..." Who else but John would do something like giving up medals as a testament for peace??? I especially love the later scenes with John & his family. He could finally be John the man and not John the ex-Beatle, even though that tag has regretfully stuck with all of them. My favorite scene is the slow motion shot of John's glasses flying off his head and shattering on the ground. That really symbolized the end of it all...the dream really was over...no more Beatles, no more John. If you really want to experience it all in a unique way, see this film. It's the next best thing to having John there with you....in the end, all you really need is Imagine.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 82
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