John Lennon is as big an icon in death as he was in life. Despite being dead for 28 years, The Beatles front man, who also had a massively successful solo career, is still influencing generation after generation of musicians and songwriters.
I myself, admit to holding the man in the utmost esteem, thinking he is probably the greatest musical talent to come out of the UK in the 20th century. Unlike Paul McCartney, I haven’t lost respect for Lennon’s body of work, mainly because he died while still being credible.
I tend to soak up every piece of news, and pop culture snippet I hear about Lennon, so the news that there is a movie biopic being made in to his early life fills me with massive anticipation. Especially as the man behind the film biopic of Ian Curtis’ life is also writing the screenplay for this film.
Control was a controversial, but ultimately truthful look at Ian Curtis’ life. Curtis was the lead singer of innovative Manchester band Joy Division before his untimely death from suicide in 1980, coincidentally the same year that Lennon was killed by Mark Chapman.
The new Lennon biopic will be based on Nowhere Boy, a book by Lennon’s half-sister Julia Baird. Lennon was raised by his Aunt Mimi, who disapproved of his mother Julia for apparently “living in sin”. Which in those days would have equated to living with someone without being married to them.
Matt Greenhalgh, who won an award for Control, is the man charged with bringing Lennon’s early days to life, even though he was at first nervous about tackling another musical biopic so soon after the Ian Curtis film. He said:
“When looking for my next project I was wary of musical protagonists – but when John Lennon was floated, that vanished. He is beyond music; above it even,”
“And his early life as told in Julia’s book took me into a world that illuminated so much about this legendary genius. I could see the drama and film immediately. The women in his life, the men who weren’t, the birth of rock’n'roll; all imposing on a brilliantly complicated adolescent mind.”
“The nagging questions, the icy secrets, the need for love. John’s angst and anger pouring out into his music, his thankful salvation. Without this story we would never have heard the Beatles – can you imagine that?”
The film is receiving funding from the UK Film Council’s development fund for established film-makers, which has had mixed success so far. But on this occasion, their decision to fund the film looks to be a good one, as this is a side of the former Beatle’s life we hardly know anything about.
[Photo Source: CJ Sorg at Flickr]
You know what man? This is a sliver off topic almost, but I went to a record store yesterday and when I walked in I heard this music that was very soothing and it almost sounded Beetel-esque. after that song was over another started to play and I had to ask the dude at the counter what it was. He told me it was Sean Lennon and i was really impressed. It was soothing, relaxing and very nice to listen to.
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[...] was announced in July that a new biopic was being made in the UK about John Lennon. The film would be based on Nowhere [...]
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[...] with John Lennon at the time of his death in 1980. McCartney was talking about the new film, Nowhere Boy, which includes McCartney singing Here Today, a song he wrote immediately following Lennon’s [...]
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