Lennon Naked (2010)

A profile of John Lennon in the late 1960s as the Beatles are set to fall apart.

Director:

Edmund Coulthard

Writer:

Robert Jones

Stars:

Christopher Eccleston, Christopher Fairbank, Allan Corduner

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Eccleston	...	John Lennon
Christopher Fairbank	...	Freddie Lennon
Allan Corduner	...	Art Janov
Andrew Scott	...	Paul McCartney
Naoko Mori	...	Yoko Ono
Michael Colgan	...	Derek Taylor
Craig Cheetham	...	Ringo Starr
Jack Morgan	...	George Harrison
Claudie Blakley	...	Cynthia Lennon
Rory Kinnear	...	Brian Epstein
Adrian Bower	...	Pete Shotton
Di Botcher	...	Dot
Eileen O'Brien	...	Lil
Debora Weston	...	Gloria Emerson
Dave Legeno	...	Les

Storyline

In 1964 a reluctant John Lennon is persuaded by manager Brian Epstein to meet Freddie, the father who abandoned him 17 years earlier, with the press in attendance. The meeting is short and bitter. Three years later Epstein is dead and John invites Freddie to his mansion but again things turn sour, due to Freddie's drinking and insulting Mimi, the aunt who raised John. The Beatles set up Apple records but the press are hostile and Lennon's comment that 'we're more popular than Jesus' doesn't help. Rows with long-suffering wife Cynthia lead to marital breakdown and John's meeting Japanese performance artist Yoko Ono. Family history is repeated as Lennon leaves Cynthia and their son Julian for Ono, by whom he has a second son, Sean. In 1969 John returns his M.B.E. in protest at England's support for the Vietnam War while his stunts with Yoko Ono to promote peace alienate the press. Some months later he disbands the Beatles to the other members' annoyance and, after arguments with Paul ...

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Plot Keywords:

male frontal nudity | male full frontal nudity | band | rock 'n' roll | song | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 November 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Essere John Lennon

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Blast! Films, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Eccleston was 46 at the time of filming, playing John Lennon in his twenties.

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Goofs

John Lennon says to his father, who is miming boxing, "Get in the house Rocky". He is referring to the boxer Rocky Marciano (1923-1969), not the film Rocky.

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Crazy Credits

Disclaimer in opening titles: "The following drama is based on real events, although some scenes are the invention of the writer."

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Connections

Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #13.55 (2010)

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Soundtracks

Money (That's What I Want)
Written by Berry Gordy and Janie Bradford
Performed by Barrett Strong

User Reviews

Contemporary tragedy beautifully done yet terribly painful to watch.

This sort of biopic is the best example of "we bring who we are to a film." I'm surprised at the few reviews I've read as they seem to think John Lennon was an adult. I thought the film daunting because it so obviously was exploring Lennon's psychological state and it was spot on. He was a man-child who did not mature. I can think of few films I've seen where we know we are watching someone who just can't get past their childhood pain. We are shown why Lennon is hurt. His mind swirls constantly around this pain. His reaction to his pain is barely veiled fury, a rage to hurt as many others as he can and an obvious self- loathing that cut to the quick. Lennon is absolutely crippled interpersonally. He sees "them" as all the people external to his self and then there is "me," who he knows is acerbic and difficult and he is stuck in this horribly vicious cycle. It is terribly sad and disturbing because, I suppose, Lennon is iconic.

Along comes Yoko Ono and by some completely mystifying chance, he hooks up with someone who allows that injured child to come out and play and feel some freedom of expression. Does this cure him? No. Does it help him? Maybe. You do feel he is a bit happier, though still desperate. He glues himself at the hip to Yoko and never lets go.

The film does not explore his creativity at all. In this I can't say the film is just as I don't know. But I did not think Lennon original, merely clever at being reactionary to anything that touched him. He refined "acting out" to an art form and melded this with Yoko's performance art. He lived his life asleep, his unconscious in total reign and it was a vindictive and hateful shadow that ruled him.

I wonder how this man wrote "Imagine." I now think it was as much a personal plea to his inner self as it was a plea to the world.