LENNONYC

After his time as a member of The Beatles, which disbanded in 1970, John Lennon settled with his wife Yoko Ono in New York City. Despite much wrangling with the U.S. immigration department, he remained there until his death. In this conventionally constructed documentary, several of Lennon's close friends look back over this period. They include record producer Klaus Voormann, Elton John and, last but not least, Lennon's widow. Other key figures from this period, such as the late Harry Nilsson and Phil Spector, recently jailed for murder, appear only in archive footage. And there are also the ever-present, eternal songs - here in the form of demos or live recordings. The New York years are split into two eras. Initially, Lennon made himself heard both as a musician and activist. Upon the birth of his son, however, he withdrew from the public eye to devote himself to parenting. This period was preceded by a temporary separation from Ono, an opportunity he grabbed to have affairs, take a trip to California and drink with abandon. In 1980, he was planning a comeback with a new album and a world tour. But that all came to a sudden end, when he was shot dead outside his Central Park apartment building by a disturbed young man.