96 of 98 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Lennon Legend, December 14, 2003
I have so many mixed feelings about this DVD. While I welcome and look forward to all John Lennon releases, this particular collection has both great features and some stumbling points.
To begin with, the sound is stunning. Most of the songs have been remixed in 5.1 and are almost revelatory in their clarity and power.
The only problem I have with the release are some of the actual videos themselves. It should be noted that all of the video used itself looks fabulous, considering it was primarily sourced from obsolete analog formats. Here goes:
1. Imagine: More or less the same footage we've all come to know and love, with much greater clarity.
2. Instant Karma: This is a live performance, and really great to watch.
3. Mother: A simple montage of photos, but effective. Can someone explain the strange addition of Brian Epstein in this video however?
4. Jealous Guy: Footage of John singing the vocal track in the studio, mixed with the boat rowing footage from Imagine.
5. Power to the People: A truly bad video visually, it looks like a seventh grade slide-show presentation
6. Cold Turkey: Another live performance synched to the studio version.
7. Mind Games: This has some really wonderful footage of John wandering around NYC mingling with people, dancing, and such. One of the better videos, and only marred by a quick shot of John from the morgue. I found that element really distasteful.
8. Whatever Gets You Through the Night: This video is superb. It features a number of John's drawings animated and colorized.
9. #9 Dream: This is an interesting video with footage from one of John and Yoko's short films called Smile. Something about the footage of John really struck me, as he appears so natural and relaxed. It's kind of amusing that May Pang's vocals on the song are made to appear to be Yoko's in the video.
10. Stand by Me: Live footage previously seen on "The Old Grey Whistle Test"
11.(Just Like) Starting Over: This is initially a very, very emotional and harrowing video. It begins with the premise of where John would be now had he lived, which is a terrific and powerful concept. However, rather than sticking with that idea, the video degenerates into cheesy looking graphics of the photos flying around everywhere. It's ultimately redeemed, but I think they bungled the chance for something truly great.
12. Woman: Footage of Yoko...the same video that was released by Yoko in 1981.
13. Beautiful Boy: This is a home video of Sean playing and talking with Yoko, and John sort of sitting there and talking to other people. I think this video was in really poor taste as it's a song that John wrote about how much he loved Sean. Shouldn't the video focus on--maybe I'm crazy--him and Sean?? Especially considering ALL the footage of the both of them available?
14. Watching the Wheels: Okay, there's some redemption to the above as this video features mostly footage of John and Sean together. Very nice to watch.
15. Nobody Told Me: A compilation of old Imagine footage and clips of John with Andy Warhol, Miles Davis, etc. It's ok, but not really anything we haven't seen before.
16. Borrowed Time: Has lots of home footage and outtakes from previously unavailable sources...
17. Working Class Hero: A really good video filmed at Strawberry Fields and John's childhood home. It's nice to see that footage, but again, the phantom of John's death is paraded out again. Sadly, these images are prevalent throughout the DVD. It's just not something I think John would want drawn so much attention, too. Why not focus on the positive aspects of his life, and message more?
18. Happy Xmas (War Is Over): This is a brilliant video, and while some have critized it as Yoko politicizing, I think it's artistically great and I think John would have completely approved.
19. Give Peace a Chance: Includes the Bed-in footage, various protests, and--again--vigils for John in 1980.
Overall, it's a must buy if you're any kind of John Lennon fan. It's good in that either the beginning John Lennon fan, or the long time devotee is going to find something good to see. My main points of contention are not that it was bad, but that it could have been even better than it was.
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142 of 151 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Some comments, October 31, 2003
It's a great package, love the menus and can't fault the picture quality given the source material. I cant comment on the 5.1 as i don't have it.
1. Nice to see the OTHER version of the TOTP 'Instant Karma'. The one on the DVD is the black polo neck version. The one on the 'John Lennon Video Collection' was the flowery shirt/denim jacket version.
2. REALLY annoyed to see that for 'Cold Turkey' they've overdubbed the single version on to of the live version footage from 'Live In NYC'. The video made for the single is GREAT. Why substitute this??
3. The video for 'Mind Games' is so lovely to see. John wandering around surrounded by people who are obviously surprised and pleased to see him. Imagine wandering around NY (im not sure thats where it is , having never been , but I presume it is) and seeing JOHN LENNON! What GREAT footage and it saddens me watching it when you realise that was it was this ability, for him to wander around and not get TOO hassled, that ultimately killed him. Fantastic film but also, the saddest on the whole of the DVD. Made me cry in fact! I so wish I could wander about outside and bump into the late great Winston O'Boogie! I look at all those people in the video and think 'You lucky baskets!' :(
4. Loads of the videos have had stuff added in and/or taken away so that means in order to still have the originals we need to hold on to our vidoes of the 'John Lennon Video Collection'. For example 'Give Peace A chance' has been changed, there's lots of footage missing of the bed in recording with footage of war and conflict and marches added in. I would have prefered to have the ORIGINAL promo made in the 60's for the promotion of the single AT THE TIME. Lots of the 84 videos have also been tampered with. 'Nobody Told Me' includes a false start, but with footage from 1972 on the
screen and they've tried to make it look like we are seeing the recording of this song but we're not (cos we know!). The song also ends and doesnt fade and they've grabbed clips of John where he COULD be saying what we're hearing but we aren't. While it looks ok and we can pretend, I'm not sure if I like it.
5. Oh, and why exactly did John and Yoko wander around New York with stethoscopes, sticking them on every one and everything? What was that all originally filmed for?
6. I DO like how a lot of the songs don't fade and you get to hear how they really ended. ('Give Peace A Chance' and 'Nobody Told Me' being 2 that I remember)
7. I wonder why alot of re-editing of videos was done? The beginning of the original 'Nobody Told Me' has gone (the whispering bit), many bits have been moved about or taken out competely. I don't get it.
Anyway I see I've waffled on a lot. I'm not moaning, just making comment. It's a great DVD but I thought I'd be able to get rid of my old video. I can't. A lot of stuff isn't here.
One thing i forgot to mention was the new video to 'Starting Over'. It is truly SO sad!! It starts off with Johns quote about being 64 years old and living off the coast of Ireland with Yoko looking at their scrapbook of madness. It then goes on to show what could have been John and Yokos retirement home, filmed off the coast of Ireland (by the same bloke who did 'Free As A Bird'?). We get to see in the house, Johns old guitars and amps, old writings and set out on the table, all old photos, as if John's putting together his aforementioned scrapbook. Then a wind come along, blows away all the old photos and we end up flying around the sky with the photos. A cartoon drawing of John and Yoko then flys around for a bit before disapearing in a puff of cartoon smoke. The camera pans back down to earth and the IMAGINE memorial in Central Park and we see the Dakota, and then youcome back to earth and are reminded that John didn't get to 64 and all what we just saw was what we all wish HAD of been. It's VERY moving.
This reminds me, at the end of too many of the videos we are reminded what happened on Dec 8th 1980. Makes for depressing watching when a lot of the videos make you remember constantly that John was taken away!!
Regards
Mark Jones
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45 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Oh No Yoko!, December 1, 2003
By A Customer
Let me state emphatically that I love the music of the Beatles and of course John Lennon. However, this DVD is an insult to fans because of its revisionist history. There is no reason to create new videos for songs that already have videos. The original videos that can be found on VHS (the John Lennon Collection) are the vision of the artist. This new crop of videos is the concoction of wife Yoko. Now I ask you, to whom would you lean toward for artistic integrity? So as a public service announcement I advise not to discard your John Lennon Collection tape because those treasures may never see the light of day on DVD thanks to wife Yoko. Her massive ego will not allow John's original ideas to compete with this very unflattering portrayal of his music. This DVD is not totally without merit because the 5.1 sound is amazing and the bonus material is a real treat. However, if you want Happy Xmas (War Is Over) to be forever ruined for you then you have purchased the right DVD. The depiction of 9/11 victims and children with their brains bashed in makes this a very dark present to give a friend for the Holidays. Why fans would subject themselves to having a political opinion handed to them by wife Yoko, at a financial blow to them and a gain to her, is incomprehensible. This is a totally misleading title and project, loyal Beatle fans deserve much better!
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