Trailer and poster for upcoming Lennon documentary

Poster

There are (at least) two documentaries on the way about John Lennon. One revolves around the “One to One” concerts and will be shown at the Venice Biennale next week, the other is about the week John & Yoko were presenters on an American daytime talk show. It debuts in US cinemas on October 9.

“People tend to think that somebody will save them. There’s only – people can save us. Only us all deciding to do something about it.”

Kino Lorber has revealed an official trailer for a documentary called Daytime Revolution, a look back at a major cultural moment in the 70s. This fascinating film, Daytime Revolution, will look at all that went into John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s legendary weeklong 1972 residency as guests on The Mike Douglas Show — the most-watched daytime talk show at the time — and their impact.

This is very similar to another doc premiering at the 2024 Venice Film Festival called One to One: John & Yoko – which is also a time capsule film about John & Yoko in 1972.

Daytime Revolution is more specific, focusing on this very moment and their TV appearances. A document of the past that speaks to our turbulent present, Daytime Revolution is a time capsule reminding us of art’s power to break down barriers, and the bravery of two artists who never took the easy way out as they fought for their vision of a better world. This looks like a compelling and inspiring look back at a major moment in US history and how culture can make a difference.

Here is the trailer.

Over to the other film.

ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO

The programme for the Venice film festival has posted the above photo from this British production, together with a synopsis:

This documentary film, set in New York in 1972, explores John and Yoko’s musical, personal, artistic, social, and political world against the backdrop of a turbulent era in American history.

At the core of the film is the One to One charity concert for special needs children, John Lennon’s only full-length concert between the final Beatles concert in 1966 and his death. The film includes a wealth of previously unseen Lennon archives, including personal phone calls, home movies filmed by John and Yoko as well as restored and remastered footage from the One to One concert with remixed audio overseen by Sean Ono Lennon.

The director says: “I wanted to make a film that would surprise and delight even the most dedicated Lennon/Ono fan by focusing on one transformative period in their lives and telling the tale through their own words, images, and music. Built around the beautiful 16mm film footage of the only full-length concert John gave after leaving the Beatles (re- scanned and re-mastered so it is unrecognisable for those who have seen the 1980s VHS release), I hope the film will introduce the audience to a more intimate version of John and Yoko—while also reflecting their politically radical and experimental sides”.

100 minutes.

An administrator over at the new Nutopia Forum says: Streaming and physical releases (DVD/BluRay) will likely be 2025.