John Lennon’s final ten years are forensically examined in director Alan G. Parker’s new documetary Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade. With contributions from musicians, journalists, and close friends of John the film promises to set the record straight on the truth behind many famous Lennon moments, including when Yoko Ono first came on the scene. However, one thing that doesn’t get a mention is the name of the man who murdered the former Beatle on December 8, 1980. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk in advance of the movie’s release on May 2, Alan explained his reasoning.
“There’s two things we had right from the get go. Number one was…if anybody mentions his name, they’re not going in the movie. His name is not mentioned in the movie, because my belief is that part of the reason that killing took place was for a bit of the fame to rub off on the man himself,” he said.
“He won’t be getting any of it (fame) from me, because I won’t put his name anywhere. The plan was, if any interviewees mentioned him we’d suddenly say ‘sorry, camera off, there’s your money, goodbye!'”
John’s death shook the world and is a huge part of his legend but Alan also felt there had been enough focus on it in the decades since.
“I didn’t want to labour the point of what happened on December 8, 1980 unless something new came out of it via the interviews,” he commented.
“I think there’s been enough, even standalone documentaries that have only really dealt with that week and that night.”
“We certainly didn’t want to be guilty of making a documentary that was about that point when there were so many interestingly, wonderful things that did happen in the last decade of John’s life,” he said.
Alan, whose previous credits include Hello Quo, Love Kills: The Story of Sid and the Pistols and It Was Fifty Years Ago Today… Sgt Pepper and Beyond, says the film will show people an optimistic John that was making plans and looking forward to the future in his final ten years.
During his research he even managed to source the plans for John’s planned 1981 tour which had never been seen before – something which excited him greatly
“There’s this huge, big scenario, which is what might have been. I do think, in a way, we have managed to add something to the events of December 8 without glorifying that man who seems to have done it for glorification,” he said.
Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade opens in UK cinemas from 2nd May, with an exclusive Director’s Cut available on the Icon Film Channel on the same day.