During the 1970s, John Lennon’s final decade, the former Beatles star lived in the US and focused on his solo career.
Now, for the first time, his only full-length concert after leaving the Fab Four has seen its film footage restored.
Announced today by Dogwoof: “One to One: John and Yoko delivers an immersive cinematic experience that brings to life electrifying, never-before-seen material and newly restored footage of Lennon’s only full-length, post-Beatles concert.
“With mind-blowing remastered audio overseen by their son, Sean Ono Lennon, the film is both compelling and bittersweet, challenging pre-existing notions of the iconic couple.
“On August 30, 1972, in New York City, John Lennon played his only full-length show after leaving The Beatles, the One to One benefit concert at Madison Square Garden, a rollicking, dazzling performance from him and Yoko Ono.”
The synopsis continued: “Kevin Macdonald’s riveting documentary takes that legendary musical event and uses it as the starting point to explore eighteen defining months in the lives of John and Yoko. By 1971 the couple was newly arrived in the United States— living in a tiny apartment in Greenwich Village and watching a huge amount of American television. The film uses a riotous mélange of American TV to conjure the era through what the two would have been seeing on the screen: the Vietnam War, The Price is Right, Nixon, Coca-Cola ads, Cronkite, The Waltons.”
The synopsis added: “As they experience a year of love and transformation in the US, John and Yoko begin to change their approach to protest — ultimately leading to the One to One concert, which was inspired by a Geraldo Rivera exposé they watched on TV. Filmed in a meticulously faithful reproduction of the NYC apartment the duo shared, One to One: John and Yoko offers a bold new take on a seminal time in the lives of two of history’s most influential artists.”
One to One: John and Yoko will preview exclusively in IMAX on April 9 and 10 before opening in UK cinemas nationwide on April 11, 2025.