Customer Reviews

The Hours and Times

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Short, sharp, and crispy imagined and photographed, "The Hours and Times" presents a casual-to-the-point-of-verite look at John Lennon, and the Beatles manager and worshiper, Brian Epstein as they spend a weekend in Spain after the detonation of Beatlemania, but before the explosion.

It's pretty common knowledge that Epstein was in love with Lennon; common knowledge also that Lennon had issues with his own sexuality and curiousity, that he was equally in awe of and disgusted by Epstein. This movie offers a hypothetical treatment of two days in their relationship.

Many people will complain that this movie moves slowly, that not a lot happens. I found that to be one of its virtues, because the performances seem (to me, anyway) to be so dead-on, and the script is so careful not to show off, that at times it does feel like we're watching documentary footage of the two famous, troubled geniuses. Unlike most movies, this film says exactly what it has to say in just about an hour... and then ends. I both admired the movie's restraint and was sorry to see it end.

So many details seem right, too: hotel lobbies and suites in Barcelona; the interior of a 727 (of which we only really see two seats); Lennon sketching in pajamas, being casually cruel to his wife, Cynthia; Epstein listening to the radio and gently crying.

One particular scene, in which John squares off against a shrewd stewardess and they resolve the drama by twisting to a new Little Richard single, contains enough truth and beauty and sadness to fill an entire, full-length movie.

If you've ever poured over a book of Beatle photographs and marveled as much at the famous faces as at the little details in the background -- Coke bottles, packs of Marlboros, rings and board games, transistor radios, suits and shirts and ties -- you really should see this movie.

Despite the description, this film is not at all sensationalistic or exploitive. It's very sensitive and arty and very in-keeping with both Lennon's and Epstein's personalities. You really feel both characters' frustration: Lennon's at being at a confusing crossroad of oncoming fame and unwanted fatherhood and Epstein's at desparately wanting someone he can never have. It's more a dual character study than anything else. Lennon was fascinating in his angry young man stage and Epstein was hopelessly, pitifully attracted to people and circumstances that could only bring him pain. Lennon was not gay (in fact by all accounts he was downright homophobic at that age) but his empathy for Epstein's plight was so strong. He was torn between his heterosexuality and wanting to ease Epstein's suffering. A relationship would have been completely impossible and they both knew it. This film was quite realistic in not tacking on some kind of would-be happy ending or any ending at all, because with this type of situation, nothing is resolved, nothing ends -- it can't be any other way. If you're a Lennon fan, you really should see this.

I loved this movie. Not very much happens as far as the plot goes but the character study is intriguing. The cinematography is great and the black and white cinematography creates a moving work of art.

I also lived in Barcelona so it was great to see the director's sweeping panoramic shots of the city.

I am a big Lennon fan, so I just had to see this movie. I was very pleased, even though the film was a low budget, it was very well done, and the actor who played Brian was exellent for the part(he ws good at complaining) Ian Hart ws also exellent as John. It seems that nobody really knew what happened between John and Brian...other books(The Beatle Anthology) say that he said it was never that kind of relationship, but we will never know. I imagine that what happened might have been similiar to what happened in the movie. The bathroom scene left me without words, but I guess I shouldn't of been suprised, nor am I bothered by it. One thing I don't get is near the end of the movie, it shows Brian and John laying in the same bed together, naked(but semi-covered by sheets)John is asleep, and Brian strokes John's arm... All in all it was very good, and I reccomend it to any John or Brian fan who can stomach a few seconds of seeing them make out.

This movie is simply the sexiest movie I've ever seen. Period. As a straight woman I never thought that sexual tension between two men could be so effective. The acting is excellent. I feel that Ian Hart is a little more accurate in his portrayal in this film than he was in Backbeat. The slow pacing works to the films advantage, and the ambiguous ending was great, I felt, although I have read other reveiws that thought it was rushed and sudden.
I am very privlaged to be able to add this DVD to my collection, not only becase of it's relevence to my Beatles collection, but becase it was a damn good film.

First off, for those who don't know...this film is based purely on conjecture
around a real-life event. In the spring of 1963, before The Beatles really blew up worldwide
and were mostly known in England, John Lennon, then age 22 going on 23, did in fact
go off on a vacation/excursion with The Beatles' manager and friend Brian Epstein,
who was 6 yrs John's senior, educated & refined, and a businessman who had a
definite vision for where this charming band of boys could go!
It's no secret that Brian "fancied" young John, who was the daring renegade of the band
and had more of a gruffness and edge to him than the others did.
John spoke his mind always!---Kill or Cure.
John was highly intelligent, thoughtful, witty, and had a way with words which
could inspire or assassinate, depending on his mood....and those often swung in all directions.
John's life hadn't been an easy one, he was working class, full of angst & sarcasm,
and he was handy with his fists too if he had to be.
He was curious about all things in life....high and low...and wasn't afraid to explore them.
It was known among "the lads" that Brian was a "puff", a british slang for a gay man,
though they really didn't have problem with it because for the most part their
relationship remained a professional one, save he and John's strange
curiosity / flirtation / antagonization thing! (-:
It was said that John could be crass and cruel to Brian one minute,
calling him names and making off-color remarks regarding his sexuality behind his back
and also in his face too, but then in the next minute he'd be hanging out with Brian
and hovering on his every word and gesture.

Now those are the things we know....
the rest of this film from therein, is pure speculation & fantasy.
I do personally feel that at that point in his life, John Lennon was what
is known today as "bi-curious". (Just has always been a hunch, the more I read about him.)
This isn't an uncommon thing among young men from their mid teens up until around 25 or 26,
some later on in their lives and some never, but youthful curiosity and experimentation
is nothing to be ashamed of and doesn't really define what your sexuality will be.
It's just poking around (so to speak) and finding out what appeals to you and what doesn't.

Having said that, there are very frank sexual discussions between the two in the film,
there are moments of levity, there are moments of frustration, moments where John seems
to want to plunge headlong into being sexually intimate with Brian, who in my opinion,
makes himself seem all too willing and desperate for John, and opens himself up to
manipulation and John's hot & cold advances/rejections, which always leave poor Brian
on the losing side of the game emotionally.
You get the feeling that John may have loved this mental S&M dynamic to their relationship.
Waving the juicy steak (himself) in the tiger's face, only to snatch it back at the
last minute, just when the tiger's interest & hunger is piqued!
There seems to be in Brian a characteristic fantasy which has been the downfall
of many an otherwise intelligent and productive gay man!
The desire to attain something they can never truly have....
the hot masculine mostly straight or bi-curious man who doesn't frequent the gay scene
and has maybe only acted on his hidden desires once or twice in a very limited capacity.
To this day, lots of gay men drive themselves to distraction and/or ruin trying to
reach for this fantasy! It usually always ends in heartache for them.
There's a scene where John leaves the room while Brian is napping and runs a bath,
strips naked, jumps in the tub and begins to play his harmonica, knowing full well
that Brian would hear it, wake up, and venture into the bathroom to catch John in
all his naked early 20's masculine splendor, with a flirtatious come hither
man-boyish grin on his face. John says, "I was waiting on you to come and scrub my back!"
and slowly turns his back to Brian.
Brian wastes no time washing John's back....rubbing him, massaging him,
dipping the wash rag into the warm water, rubbing against John's submerged backside
on the way back out of the water. It's very sensual, and he and John gaze into each
others' eyes and begin to kiss passionately!
Brian then strips naked himself and joins John in the bath....
they entwine bodies and kiss and embrace passionately for awhile....
Brian's flood gates of desire are about to explode open past the point of no return!
Just then, as quickly as it started, John turns ice cold and abruptly leaves Brian
in the tub alone. You feel Brian's anguish, frustration, loneliness & alienation
all in that instant! John of course, is impervious, and acts very aloof as Brian finally
comes out of the bath, clad in his boxers and a bathrobe and stands behind him.
"What are you thinking about?" he quizzes.
John just looks off blankly, very distantly, and says
"Nothing that I can put into words."
You then understand John's inner turmoil and conflict as a young man, who's married
and has just recently become a father for the first time, who clearly enjoys his relations
with women and being one of the guys amongst his band mates, and yet he has these
deep longings for male-to-male intimacy which scares him as much as it titilates him
and stirs his insatiable curiosity! (HEY!!--You've got to hide your love away!)

Well, I won't give the rest of the film away, but it's very interesting to watch.
It was basically an arthouse kind of film and only lasts for 56 or 57 minutes.
But the director, the writers and the actors really were able to work it.
In the end, only John Lennon, Brian Epstein, and the almighty eyes of the universe
know what truly went on between them on that lost weekend excursion in
Barcelona 47 springs ago, in a fleeting moment in time before destiny intervened!
And to tell you the truth, I could really care less!
It wouldn't dim John Lennon's musical & lyrical genius not one bit to me,
nor take away from what he and the rest of the Fab Four (and Brian as their manager)
accomplished in the 60's and has meant to the pop culture of the world ever since!

In 1963 when brand-new father John Lennon went on holiday with The Beatles' green manager, Brian Epstein, instead of heading off to Tenerife with his other three bandmates, it opened a Pandora's box of speculation as to the exact nature of that trip to Barcelona. Those who intimated that it had been a bit of a "honeymoon" were later viciously attacked by an irate Lennon, who insisted till his dying day, to one degree or another, that it had merely been a business trip. We'll never know ther exact nature of that "business" and, frankly, this reader doesn't really care to know, but the brief film poses an interesting conjecture as to what may or may not have transpired. Sadly, the only two people who know the truth of the matter are sitting in Nirvana together, laughing their butts off at all of us who continue to be fascinated by the endless permutations of history as it pertains to our heroes, The Beatles. This is a sensitive and cinematically above par attempt at portraying one of those presumptions.

This package includes a "Featurette" which should be viewed before the feature. It explains why it looks like a successful film student project and why its' minimalist values take some getting used to. That will put the movie at an unoffical [approx.] 70 minutes.
A part of Beatles' lore is that the same-sex leanings of their genius Manager, Brian Epstein, became fully known to his group's leader, John Lennon, at a vacation spot, just before the world consumed both parties.
In 1988, when this film was started, such a relationship had more resonance, culturally. Today...so what? A couple of guys take off for a week or so, and something happens that one of the guys is not sure he wanted to happen. Anyway, it still holds alot of interest because...it's "The Beatles".
A good scene is near the end: at the Hotel Suite in Barcelona, "Lennon" draws a bath, soon to be joined by "Epstein". An embrace follows, initiated by John. Is it true romantic passion, or is it a complicated man's expression of *brotherly* love?
We are inclined to believe an aspect of the artists' personality was impulsive and honest, because suddenly he appears repulsed by his move, and he is "saved" psychologically/socially by a female fan who shows up at the Hotel, in an alluring outfit, ready to rumble, ready to dance? She is carrying a copy of Little Richard's new recording of "I'm In Love Again". Lennon grabs it, mentions that his group opened for Richard the year before, places it on the turntable and dances freely about with the lady - a groovy little twister, I might add.
This scene seems to snap JL back into that brave new (inherited from Richard and co.) world, where "straight" is the way for a young, rockin' stud.
Intentionally or unintentionally, there are black and white qualities of Richard Lester's classic "A Hard Day's Night", featuring John and co.
Ian Hart, playing the 23 year old Lennon, seems a bit too young, but his understated performance is excellent. David Angus as Epstein, has alot less resemblance, but his brooding, tormented portrayal is notable.
"The Hours And Times" is anyone's "Life" and times really *hours* and times?

An art-house film about what may have occurred during Brian Epstein and John Lennon's four-day vacation at Barcelona, Spain in 1963. Filmed in black and white, with a style very reminiscent of 1950's/early 1960's photography and direction, give the film a bit of a documentary feel to it.
David Angus did a very good job capturing the persona of Brian Epstein as I've seen via Beatles documentary footage. Brian is clearly the central character in theis film. Ian Hart portrays John Lennon, and with a little imagination on the viewers' part, he did Ok, but it seems that Mr. Hart plays Lennon a little too young here. (Ian Hart reprises John Lennon a few years later on "BackBeat" as a younger Lennon but with a different aproach).
With out giving away the story, both men goes to Spain with different expectations. Some items showcased within are documented or previously written about and others clearly came out of the film-maker's head.
This film is definitely not main-stream so it may not appeal to everyone. I like off-the-wall stuff. After seeing this, I was not disappointed. I may have given this flick five star but Ian Hart's non-stellar performance as Lennon cost it. (Well, it got him a second chance to play Lennon again I guess).
Try it, you may like it.

It's basically what you expect but, taking in consideration what John Lennon said about the trip was that, "It was NEVER CONSUMMATED. But we did have a pretty intense relationship." That's exactly what they followed in the movie including the famous bathroom scene. So rating this I give it 4 stars for following the facts they have. But the ending was dumb.