Imagine: John Lennon

Imagine: John Lennon is a documentary made possible by Yoko Ono giving director Andrew Solt and his team access to the family's private film and video archive, which combined with news footage yielded roughly 230 hours of material. Ono brought David L. Wolper on as producer, having been impressed by his previous productions. The film opened on October 7, 1988, about eight years after Lennon's death, made on a 6.5 million dollar budget and featuring interviews with David Bowie, George Martin, and Lennon's son Julian. Who it's for: anyone curious about a biography documentary built from 230 hours of private archive material, narrated in Lennon's own voice. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a critical, distanced biography, since the film was shaped by the access Ono personally granted.