Borrowed Time: Lennon's Last Decade

Greetings again from the darkness. Documentarian Alan G Parker is not the British director Alan Parker who was twice Oscar nominated (MISSISSIPPI BURNING, 1988; MIDNIGHT EXPRESS, 1978), but he is the same Alan G Parker who has directed numerous music-based documentaries, including projects on The Sex Pistols, The Beatles, Status Quo (I'd like to track down that one), and KISS. As the title makes clear, his latest work is a focused look at John Lennon's final years in New York, leading up to his murder in 1980.

When we think of John Lennon, we tend to associate him with three things: The Beatles, Yoko Ono, and his being murdered in cold blood outside The Dakota, his NYC residence. Parker's film focuses on the 1970s after John and Yoko moved to New York. Through interviews and archival clips, we get the sense that John was constantly attempting to discover who he was, post-Beatles era. Whether he was a husband, a father, an activist, or a recluse, one thing seems certain - music was vital to his existence. In fact, he was in the planning stages for a tour to support his "Double Fantasy" album in the days before he was gunned down. Some of those involved contribute here.

Lennon fans are the target here, and even though I just watched and reviewed Kevin Macdonald's ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO just two weeks ago, the numerous interviews on display here are still interesting, providing personal insight into the man. These interviews are with folks like Tony Bramwell, Ray Connolly, and Phillip Norman, and include friends, musicians, journalists, and other industry sorts. Most of the recollections are personal in nature, though based in the professional world of music. There is a sense of awe as each explains their connection to the icon. What's missing is any sampling of Lennon music.

We gain insight into the planned tour (and the next album), plus some details about May Pang and "the lost weekend", his legal row with Paul ("How do you Sleep?"), and the drug use. There is also quite a bit regarding Lennon's struggle to obtain his Green Card, and the challenges of being dad while bearing the weight of being a former Beatle. Parker includes the now infamous street interview of gum-chewing Paul McCartney who was still somewhat in shock immediately after his lifelong friend's death. We also see Ringo and George appearing on a talk show sharing their thoughts. For many, this doc will prove to be a bit too long and filled with too many personal recollections, yet Lennon fans will always accept a bit more on the man who continues to fascinate so many years later.

Opening in UK cinemas on May 2, 2025.

Documentary about John Lennon's final decade, which he largely spent in New York.

Released theatrically in a 2h 20m version, and then given an extra hour for an alternate version on streaming and Blu-ray (the version viewed here) this is the antithesis of the recent One To One Lennon documentary, which had no talking heads: this has virtually nothing but - mostly older men who lengthily ramble on (the worst of which is the TV producer who was in hospital the night Lennon was taken there); there is a little archive footage too.

While there's no doubting the sincerity of the project, it's not stirring viewing, despite a few scoops, the main one being about the ex-Beatle's planned 1981 international tour, because it's unambitious and plain in its presentation, with not a chord of Lennon's music of course.

It assumes the viewer knows the story already so, for example, we aren't even told about Sean being born in 1975. It's nice to see the likes of Ray Connolly, Andy Peebles and Bob Harris but, in the end, there are just too many people, as a Paul McCartney song title had it.