Just Give Me Some Truth

Last week I saw two films on John Lennon, and both were disappointing.  As a Beatles fan(atic) from way back, it troubles me to see distortions onscreen, particularly when the audience may consist of people unfamiliar with Lennon's life who may take these depictions to heart.

The first was the feature film +Nowhere Boy, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood.  The best thing I can say about this film is that Aaron Johnson looked, in long shots, like the young John, especially when he had his Buddy Holly-like glasses on.  The most effective scenes were those when John and Paul first meet and the Quarrymen play their first gigs.  On the other hand, the scenes with Ann-Marie Duff (estranged mother Julia) were exaggerated (her acting, their relationship with each other).  Yes, Julia was young when she had John, but I've read many many books on the Beatles and didn't expect to see her attraction to and love for him so over-the-top flirtatious, nearly incestuous.  John grieved deeply and always after her sudden death, but it wasn't because of any sexual attraction; it was because he was just starting to know her after years of absence.


Christopher Eccleston in Lennon Naked had the accent down, but is too old to be portraying John Lennon in the the mid-60's through early 70's.  That alone was distracting, but more than that, again we had stereotypical Lennon anecdotes, including

•  his cruelty to others (Cynthia, childhood friends, Brian Epstein)
• his possible sexual liaison with Brian Epstein (the beginning of the film concentrates on this)
•  his childishness/failure to "grow up" (jumping into pool with clothes on, bed-in being mocked by the press)
• his insensitivity to the other Beatles when breaking up the band (at least they showed Paul jumping the gun by announcing he was quitting before Lennon could get the word out)

Although these things are documented and well known, to concentrate on them without also showing clearly his creativity, humor, and generosity seems just another attempt to sensationalize. 

Fortunately, Lennon NYC on PBS Monday night redeemed John's portrait.  Of course, it was a documentary, so we saw what was.  Documentaries can also distort, but this one did not.  John didn't come off looking like a saint -- his excessive drinking and boorish behavior during his famous "Lost Weekend" was honestly depicted, as was his neglect of Julian.  But we saw his outspokenness against the Vietnam War and Nixon's efforts to have him deported for this; his love for NYC/America; his great love for Yoko and Sean.   And, of course, his huge talent in action.  It was fascinating to see how the melodies came and lyrics were revised as the songs evolved.  This is the John Lennon we should remember.