Details on the Lennon/Ono "Legend" DVD...the Press

[mikenycLI]

Courtesy of abbeyard...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE






LENNON LEGEND DVD TO BE RELEASED

IN U.S. ON NOVEMBER 18



REMARKABLE DOCUMENT FEATURES NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN FOOTAGE, NEW AND REMASTERED VIDEOS AND ANIMATIONS,

5.1 SURROUND SOUND AND OTHER FEATURES





(New York, NY) – Capitol Records will release the Lennon Legend DVD in the U.S. on November 18th, 2003. The remarkable document features never-before-seen footage from the Lennon/Ono archive, rare newsreel and private footage, 15 new and newly-remastered music videos, 5.1 surround sound, new animations of Lennon’s drawings and an extensive photo gallery including rare and previously unseen images.



This definitive DVD has been a labor of love for executive producer Yoko Ono. Featuring much unseen footage, it is an extraordinary companion to the Lennon Legend album, which has now sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide.



The DVD is a state of the art example of the possibilities offered by new technology; existing videos have been restored, music has been remixed from the original masters in 5.1 surround sound, and a brand new collection of short animations in the style of John Lennon’s drawings has been created as a special feature.



Using material from her extensive archive, Yoko and director Simon Hilton have created a stunning film that captures the multi-faceted genius of John Lennon.



Featuring 20 tracks in total, the DVD features footage that has been traced back as close to its original source as possible. In many cases this meant going back to the original film negative, which was then digitally re-transferred and remastered. With footage shot on video, it was necessary to go back to John Lennon’s original camera tapes (all on long-obsolete formats) and have them retransferred.



Apart from Yoko’s archives, footage was sourced from all around the world. This turned out many previously hidden gems including “Everybody Had a Hard Year” (an excerpt from John and Yoko’s Film #6, which features a previously unseen performance by John and Yoko from December, 1968), and “Imagine (live)” which was filmed at the ‘Salute to Lew Grade’ concert in 1975 and was John’s last live performance.



Another highlight is an all-new video for “Working Class Hero,” which features new material shot at John’s childhood home in Liverpool, plus newsreel Beatles footage and coverage from the candlelight vigils around the world that took place after John’s death. Other new videos include “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” and “Give Peace A Chance,” featuring the original ‘Bed In’ footage from May, 1969, plus additional protest footage from the era, concluding with the tens of thousands who gathered in Liverpool, London and New York for vigils on December 14th, 1980, singing “Give Peace A Chance.” Meanwhile, no words are necessary to describe the new film for “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”; the images say it all with uncompromising power.



Also included is a photo gallery containing an extensive selection of rare and unseen images.



Yoko Ono says, “This is as definitive a collection as it’s possible to be. John’s life was an amazing one and one that I feel privileged to have been part of. Compiling this DVD has been a very emotional experience: unearthing rare footage, watching it increase in clarity before my eyes, reliving hundreds of memories that were part of our lives and which are now being passed on to a new generation. It is a film made with love and hope – my love for my husband and our hope that peace will prevail in the world. Give peace a chance!”



Director Simon Hilton says, “Yoko was very keen that the DVD’s film and video content should be of the highest possible quality, to accompany the stunning new audio remasters. We explored all the archives around the world – from EMI and Abbey Road to New York, all the possible stock footage and newsreel sources, plus several attics and basements too, blowing dust off old film-cans, rubbing them and watching the genie appear. As we turned the archives upside down and inside out, we also uncovered all sorts of hidden gems, included here and within the ‘extra features’ section of the DVD.”



Yoko adds, “I would also like to thank the staff at Abbey Road who worked on this project. They not only understood what I wanted but executed the ideas with incredible professional precision and creativity.”







FULL FILM DETAILS:
IMAGINE

A brand new transfer, taken from a first-generation 35mm inter-negative of the original 16mm Imagine film negative. Restored and remastered for the very first time in a stunning new digital transfer, the detail is so good that you can even see John’s eyelashes in the close-up! Directed by John & Yoko, this was originally filmed on July 22, 1971, and is now seen with its full original intro sequence.

INSTANT KARMA!

John & The Plastic Ono Band, filmed for BBC 1’s “Top Of The Pops” on February 11 1970.

This version has never before been commercially released.

This is a longer audio version of the original album version, containing extra choruses at the end.



MOTHER

A brand new video featuring a journey through emotive stills from John’s life.

This is the full album version of the song (The previous ‘Lennon Legend’ compilation contained only the single edit)



JEALOUS GUY

A new video taken from footage of John recording “Jealous Guy” in the studio at Tittenhurst Park Studios in June 1971, and the “Jealous Guy” driving and rowing sequences (filmed on July 21, 1971) used in John & Yoko’s “Imagine” film.



POWER TO THE PEOPLE

An extended version of John & Yoko’s original “Power To The People” video, including John & Yoko on the Oz march protests on August 11th, 1971.



COLD TURKEY

A new video, taken from 16mm film performance footage of John & ‘The Plastic Ono Elephant’s Memory Band’ live onstage in New York in Madison Square Garden on August 30th, 1972, and John & Yoko leaving Marylebone Magistrates’ Court in London after his November 1968 cannabis conviction.

It also features an excerpt from John’s short film “Freedom”.



LOVE

A new video, featuring footage of John and Yoko from November 26th, 1980 at the Sperone Gallery in New York and from the beach at South Beach, Staten Island, New York in 1971.



MIND GAMES

A new video.

On November 15th, 1974 a BBC film crew, directed by John, spent a day with him around Central Park and various other locations in New York, to make a video for “Whatever Gets You Through The Night”. The video was never broadcast, but a small amount of the footage emerged as a very short edit for “#9 Dream” in February 1975. We unearthed all the original camera film reels from the day, which were very aged and damaged from decay and scratching, cleaned them up, and discovered incredibly charismatic footage of John, obviously greatly enjoying himself on a sunny day out.



WHATEVER GETS YOU THRU THE NIGHT

A restored and extended version of the original “WGYTTN” Kanemaker animation video, based on John’s drawings and sketches.



#9 DREAM

A new video, made from the films “Smile” and “Two Virgins” (August 1968) and footage shot for the “Imagine” film in 1971.



STAND BY ME

A new video, featuring John’s performance, filmed at The Hit Factory in New York on March 18th, 1975 (subsequently licensed to the BBC’s “Old Grey Whistle Test”), and footage of John & Yoko together, most of it previously unseen.

This is a longer version of the original album version, with the end fade-out removed.



(JUST LIKE) STARTING OVER

A new video, by legendary director Joe Pytka (who made The Beatles’ “Free As A Bird” video), made in 2000.



WOMAN

A restored version of Yoko’s original video from January 1981, featuring a brand new digital transfer of footage of John and Yoko walking in Central Park on November 26th, 1980.



BEAUTIFUL BOY (DARLING BOY)

A new video capturing the feeling of a relaxed day at John & Yoko’s mansion in Coldspring Harbour, Long Island, filmed on April 20th, 1980.



WATCHING THE WHEELS

A new video, featuring unique home movie holiday footage of John and Sean in the Cayman Islands, Florida, Japan and New York, much previously unseen.



NOBODY TOLD ME

A new video, edited from newly transferred footage and out-takes from John & Yoko’s “Imagine” film and other previously unseen footage. It also features George Harrison, Dick Cavett, and Fred Astaire!

This version is longer than the original album version.



BORROWED TIME

A new video, edited from a wide variety of never-before-seen excerpts and out-takes from deep within the Lennon film archives from 1968-1980.

This is a slightly longer version than the album version.



WORKING CLASS HERO

A new video, directed by Simon Hilton, filmed in Liverpool. at John’s childhood school, Dovedale Primary, at Strawberry Fields, and John’s childhood home, Mendips, recently acquired by Yoko and donated to the National Trust.



HAPPY XMAS (WAR IS OVER)

War is over if you want it. A new video that speaks for itself.



GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

A new video, featuring the original “Bed-In” recording of “GPAC” from May 1969, plus additional protest footage from the era, including John & Yoko appearing at the National Peace Rally in Duffy Square, New York on April 22, 1972. It concludes with the tens of thousands who gathered in Liverpool, London and New York for vigils on December 14 th, 1980, singing “GPAC”.





EXTRA FEATURES:



WORKING CLASS HERO (Anthology Version)

A video made for the “Anthology” version of “WCH” that acts as a short documentary of John’s life, narrated by him.



SLIPPIN’ & SLIDIN’

John’s performance was filmed at The Hit Factory in New York on March 18th, 1975 (subsequently licensed to the BBC’s “Old Grey Whistle Test”).



IMAGINE (live)

Filmed at the “Salute to Lew Grade” concert on April 18th, 1975. This was John’s last live performance.





HAIR PEACE

A little something we uncovered in the archives.



EVERYBODY HAD A HARD YEAR

An excerpt from John & Yoko’s “Film #6” that features a never before released performance by John & Yoko from Dec 1968.



“LENNON LEGEND” DVD



20 TRACKS, INCLUDING 15 NEW VIDEOS



5.1 SURROUND SOUND



DOLBY DIGITAL AND DTS FORMATS



ANIMATIONS IN THE STYLE OF JOHN LENNON’S DRAWINGS (ANIMATIONS BY ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS OF GORILLAZ FAME)



PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN FOOTAGE FROM LENNON/ONO ARCHIVE MIXED WITH RARE NEWSREEL AND PRIVATE FOOTAGE



PHOTO GALLERY FEATURING RARE/UNSEEN IMAGES





###


http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/news/lennlegendpr.html

[lukpac]

FULL FILM DETAILS:
IMAGINE

A brand new transfer, taken from a first-generation 35mm inter-negative of the original 16mm Imagine film negative. Restored and remastered for the very first time in a stunning new digital transfer, the detail is so good that you can even see John’s eyelashes in the close-up! Directed by John & Yoko, this was originally filmed on July 22, 1971, and is now seen with its full original intro sequence.

Why wouldn't they take it from the 16mm film neg? Seems odd that they'd point this out, yet give no explanation (ie, the original is lost/damaged/etc).

[mikenycLI]

Here's a link to samples...

http://www.lennonlegend.com/

[Rspaight]

Why wouldn't they take it from the 16mm film neg? Seems odd that they'd point this out, yet give no explanation (ie, the original is lost/damaged/etc).

It's fairly standard from what I've heard to do video transfers from an internegative rather than the original camera negative. I'm not a film geek, but apparently it's a necessary step. More here:

http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byform/m ... 00195.html

Since they had a good first-gen internegative handy, there was no reason to make a new one from the camera negative.

Ryan

[lukpac]

Hrmm.

I can't recall the details at the moment, but wasn't most of Gimme Shelter made from negs? I guess I don't know if there was an i/p, or if one was made, though.

Still seems odd that they'd be working from a blown up (16mm to 35mm) element.

[Rspaight]

Still seems odd that they'd be working from a blown up (16mm to 35mm) element.

Yeah, that part is strange.

Ryan