A restored and remastered version of John Lennon’s autobiographical film Imagine (1972) will be released in American theatres on September 17. The original film was broadcast on television and clocked 70 minutes. According to a report in Indiewire, the refurbished version will include 15 minutes of previously unaired footage, including performances by Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono’s Plastic Ono Band. There is also footage of Lennon performing with musicians such as George Harrison, Klaus Voormann, Nicky Hopkins, and Alan White.
Recognised as one of the most successful and influential musicians in history, Lennon co-founded the Beatles with Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in 1960. He was shot and killed in the archway of his Manhattan apartment building on December 8, 1980, by deranged fan Mark David Chapman.
Imagine was made by Lennon and Ono and named after Lennon’s 1971 solo album and its title track. The original film includes cameos by Fred Astaire, Dick Cavett, Jack Palance, Jonas Mekas, Andy Warhol and Phil Spector. Imagine has been restored with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack from Grammy award-winning musician Paul Hicks.
The Beatles have been the subject of several films and television specials, including Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s documentary Let It Be (1970), Andrew Solt’s 1988 biographical film Imagine: John Lennon, the documentary television series The Beatles Anthology (1995), and Sam Taylor-Wood’s Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy (2009).