Kevin Macdonald on Showcasing John Lennon’s ‘Political Engagement’ (and Recreating His New York Apartment) in ‘One to One: John & Yoko’

As a lifelong Beatles fan who has spent countless hours immersed in their music and history, I can’t help but feel like I’ve stumbled upon a hidden treasure with the upcoming documentary “One to One: John and Yoko.” The raw, intimate recordings of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, captured during their groundbreaking years in New York, offer an unprecedented glimpse into the lives of these cultural icons.

In 1971, John Lennon and Yoko Ono relocated to New York and grew increasingly suspicious that their phone was being tapped by authorities. Consequently, they started recording their conversations. Now over half a century later, some of these previously unheard recordings serve as the core of Kevin Macdonald‘s new documentary, “One to One: John and Yoko,” which is set to debut in Venice on August 30th.

1. During separate conversations, Ono openly shares her experiences of being accused of breaking up the Beatles, while Lennon discusses his plan for a U.S. tour to raise bail money in each city they perform, with an attempt to involve Bob Dylan and discourage A.J. Weberman from bothering him. The film features numerous humorous exchanges as Ono tries to secure flies for a new artwork project; however, obtaining the flies too early was deemed problematic because, as one gallery figure explains, “the issue is, flies die daily.”

As a movie enthusiast, I found the phone calls, coupled with an abundance of footage – ranging from personal home movies to commercials and news clips from that tumultuous era – invaluable in creating a completely enveloping documentary film experience. These resources provided me with an unexpectedly captivating perspective on one of the most iconic cultural icons of history.

“During an 18-month span, following Beatlemania, the pair found themselves living in a modest two-room apartment in New York’s West Village, after abandoning their life of opulence in the U.K. They quickly became influential figures for the counterculture and anti-Vietnam War movements, and were frequently sought out by activist groups for their celebrity endorsement.”

The event culminated with the 1972 “One to One” charity concert, a performance that marked John Lennon’s last complete concert prior to his passing in 1980.

According to Macdonald, the project – his inaugural venture under a contract he signed last year with Plan B – originally came to him as a charity concert featuring refurbished and enhanced footage, along with audio remixed by Sean Ono Lennon. However, he expanded the project’s focus, delving into the question of what motivated Lennon and Ono to stage such an event. The film eventually reveals that their motivation was rooted in John and Yoko’s political activism, as well as their frequent television viewing, which had exposed them to the struggles of children with special needs (their compassion for these children was sparked by a news report they watched).

Moreover, the documentary highlights Lennon’s remarkable “openness” during his time in New York, a trait characterized by both his curiosity and deep intellectual curiosity. This quality, according to him, was uncommon among “one of the most renowned individuals on the planet.”

The entirety of “One to One: John and Yoko” is crafted using a collage technique primarily from archival material, except for one vital aspect – specific scenes set inside their apartment, interspersed throughout the movie to provide pauses in the storyline’s progression.

With a suitable filming budget at hand, Macdonald chose to invest it in meticulously recreating the apartment based on photographs. He persuaded his Oscar-nominated wife, set decorator Tatiana Macdonald, who had been retired, to rejoin the team and supervise the production.

“He explains that they delved deeply into the details of it, spending several months meticulously searching for specific wall posters and disorganized records,” he says. “His wife remarked that it was one of the most challenging tasks she’s ever encountered due to its investigative nature.”

But it all worked out.

McDonald expresses his satisfaction, stating that some individuals who’ve viewed it commented, “It seems they transformed John and Yoko’s apartment into a museum.”

See a teaser for the ‘One to One: John & Yoko’ below.

2024-08-29 21:51

Kevin Macdonald on Showcasing John Lennon’s ‘Political Engagement’ (and Recreating His New York Apartment) in ‘One to One: John & Yoko’

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