Back in theaters for a limited run is John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s 1972 feature film Imagine. Imagine includes previously unreleased cinema-exclusive bonus material, restored footage, remixed, remastered and an immersive Dolby Atmos soundtrack mix. Produced and directed by John and Yoko, who, “with numerous guest stars including George Harrison, Fred Astaire, Andy Warhol, Dick Cavett, Jack Palance, and Jonas Mekas, create a world of imagination as rich and moving as the music that accompanies it. The ground-breaking music film features a different visual treatment for every song, and follows John and Yoko during the recording sessions for Imagine in both the UK and New York, as they co-produced the record with Phil Spector.”
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One of the highlights of the Imagine film and accompanying doc, Gimme Some Truth, is seeing the ex-Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison interacting in the studio. Harrison felt that Lennon’s tumultuous childhood not only shaped Lennon’s life — but the Beatles’ entire career: “John was, like, very tough. I mean, he had that ability to be gentle and soft and was lovely, but, y’know, he was acid, too. He gave that hard edge to the Beatles. He was an orphan, y’know? Well, he. . . his father left home and you’ve heard the songs, (sings) ‘Mother, you left me, but I didn’t leave you.’”
John and Yoko archivist Simon Hilton, who led the team in restoring Imagine, told Pulse that they tried above all else to remain true to what the film looked and sounded like nearly 50 years ago: “In the film and the audio, we wanted to be really authentic to the originals. To have authenticity, but in the audio, to just bring John out a bit and to give more clarity — almost like you’re taking a sock off somebody’s head. And that’s exactly what we wanted to do to the pictures, too. And in some cases, when we got into the grading of the pictures, we actually got them to dial things back. And Yoko attended all the color grading (sessions) and was there for the finished grade. And we were really careful that it really feels like you’re there.”
On October 5th, the Lennon estate will be pair the couple’s 1972 Imagine film with the 2000 documentary, Gimme Some Truth: The Making of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ Album. The two films will be issued together on Blu-ray and DVD, with restored and enhanced 5.1 surround sound.
