julia baird Tagged Articles at Cinematical

"As we approach the 40th anniversary of the storied summer of 1969," our friends at SnagFilms remind us, why not celebrate the life of one of rock's biggest icons? Admittedly, Inside John Lennon, an unauthorized, 52-minute feature written and narrated by Henry Stephens, could have been titled Worship John Lennon. It's respectful and reverent almost to the point of religious devotion. Lennon's sister, Julia Baird, gets center stage; she's eager to set the record straight about their banjo-playing mother, trash the Beatles' first single Love Me Do ("It was a load of rubbish, wasn't it?"), explain away John's leaving behind his first wife Cynthia and son Julian as necessary in order to keep his career on track, and vilify Yoko Ono like the Devil.

Other, apparently new interviews for this 2003 doc were conducted with original members of the Quarrymen (as John's late 50s skiffle band was called before it morphed into the Beatles), the Beatles' first manager, their chauffeur, the general manager of Apple, and similar supporting players. John's voice is heard on audio tape, as is Paul McCartney, and a multitude of TV clips are included. All the expected highlights are touched upon: John's early ambitions to be an artist, meeting Paul, the death of John's mother, Hamburg, Pete Best, Brian Epstein, the movies, the mania, "bigger than Jesus," Shea Stadium, the "lost weekend," and his tragic death. There's nothing revelatory here, but it brings back many good memories, and that feels like summer to me.

We've embedded the film below for your viewing convenience. More information is available at SnagFilms. Please note: NSFW due to occasional profanity.

We've seen tons of movies about both John Lennon and The Beatles. One focused on the early days of the band; another focused on the killing of Lennon. Documentaries galore displayed the artist's life and/or career, comprehensively or specifically. And, of course, Lennon and his band mates have starred in their own movies. But how about a dramatic telling of little Lennon, the kid who would grow up to be one of the most famous men of the 20th century? Last week, a film titled Nowhere Boy, based on the book "Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon," penned by one of Lennon's half-sisters, Julia Baird, received funding from the UK Film Council, and is therefore on its way to your Beatlemania collection in only a matter of time.

The most exciting thing about Nowhere Boy, the thing that makes it more than just another movie about Lennon, is that it's being scripted by Matt Greenhalgh, writer of the phenomenal Ian Curtis biopic Control, who was attracted to the book's psychological insight into Lennon's character. Baird's telling is not without controversy, mostly due to its portrayal of Mary "Mimi" Smith, the aunt who raised Lennon from the age of 4 (and who Baird did not live with). Because it's about the childhood of a person idolized by millions, there are sure to be other criticisms and controversy once the movie is released. Will it be permitted, though, or even necessary to feature any of Lennon's later music, either from The Beatles or solo?