‘I’m talking to a myth…’
It seems that every year there is a new Beatles adjacent book/documentary/podcast or whatever, and every year, these releases beg the question, what more could there possibly be to say about these people and their music. Well, based on this release, there is still plenty left in the tank yet…
Director duo Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland) and Sam Rice-Edwards combine for One to One: John & Yoko, a feature length documentary focusing on Lennon and Ono’s time in New York City and culminating in the ‘One to One’ benefit concert at Madison Square Garden (Lennon’s only full live performance after leaving The Beatles). MacDonald and Rice-Edwards use a combination of archive clips, recorded phone calls and remastered footage of the concert itself to create a visual mosaic of a time in Lennon’s life in which he seemed truly happy (something that makes his violent death at the age of 40 even more tragic).
While some of this footage I had seen before, the decision to place Lennon’s time in NYC in historical context through the use of archival footage not related to the film’s subject matter is an ingenious one. This ensures that One to One is not just a film about John Lennon, it is also a snapshot of a city and a country in turmoil at the start of the ’70s following the death of the hippy dream and the end of the Swinging Sixties. As always, Lennon is a fantastic orator – funny, acerbic, insightful – and it’s also interesting to hear Yoko Ono’s take on the, quite frankly, horrific abuse that she endured throughout their relationship (and beyond). It is also striking just how incredible the live footage is. It shouldn’t be surprising that one of the most influential musicians of all time can put on a show, but somehow, it is. I got a bit emotional thinking about all of the live performances that were denied us following Lennon’s tragic death in 1980.
One to One: John and Yoko doesn’t really do anything revolutionary, but then it doesn’t have to. By hyper focusing on one specific time in Lennon’s life, the film reveals yet another layer to a man and to a marriage that have already been scrutinised to death – highly recommended for Lennon fans everywhere.
