One to One: John & Yoko
| One to One: John & Yoko | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Kevin MacDonald Sam Rice-Edwards |
| Produced by |
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| Cinematography | David Katznelson |
| Edited by | Sam Rice-Edwards |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures (United States) Dogwoof (International) |
Release dates |
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Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
One to One: John & Yoko is a 2024 documentary co-directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards.[1] The film follows the couple of years which John Lennon and Yoko Ono spent in a Greenwich Village apartment while also tracing developments in American politics like the presidency of Richard Nixon and opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War. It is centered around Lennon and Ono's "One to One" benefit concert for the children at Willowbrook.[2] Sean Ono Lennon, son of Lennon and Ono, oversaw audio mastering for the concert footage.[3]
The film was announced on May 29, 2024.[4] It later premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 30, 2024 and was followed with showings at the Telluride Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival with distribution by Mercury Studios.[5] On January 21, 2025, Magnolia Pictures announced their acquisition of North American rights for the film, after which they announced an April 11 release date in IMAX theaters, as well as plans for streaming releases later in the year.[3]
Synopsis
[edit]The film is centered around concert footage and audio from Lennon and Ono's "One to One" benefit concert held at Madison Square Garden in August 1972 on behalf of children at the Willowbrook institution in Staten Island. The "One to One" benefit concerts were the only performances which Lennon performed following the The Beatles' split in 1970.[6]
The film also follows the trajectory of their 18-month stay in a Greenwich Village apartment from 1971–1973.[7]
Background
[edit]The project began when Macdonald was presented with remastered, restored, never-before-seen footage of the "One to One" benefit concert. Macdonald then considered the broader context of why the concert happened, probing further questions about Lennon and Ono's lives and careers.[8]
Macdonald then sought to create a film around the benefit concert, as well as the couple's "political engagement" and their relationship to watching television.[8]
Composition
[edit]Between clips of the "One to One" benefit concert, the film additionally cuts together video and audio recordings from television, phone calls, and other contexts from the same time, highlighting historical events such as Lennon's failed "Free the People" tour and controversies around Ono's relationship to Lennon and The Beatles.
The film also uses "newly transferred and restored footage" from the years which Lennon and Ono spent in Greenwich Village "alongside previously unseen and unheard items from the couple’s personal archives, including phone calls and home movies".[9] It additionally features a replica construction of Lennon and Ono's apartment.[10]
Critical reception
[edit]The Guardian gave the film four out of five stars, stating that "I'm not convinced that the world needs another John Lennon film... But Macdonald and Rice-Edwards have managed to find and mine a rich source of material, tightly tucked away amid all the other wildcat wells." The reviewer called it "such a fun, fierce and full-blooded take" on a music documentary that "makes Lennon feel somehow vital again."[11]
The Hollywood Reporter wrote that "Through its kaleidoscopic but very specific lens, the film illuminates a seismic generational shift." The reviewer observed the film's interrogation of optimism, political advocacy, and peace during the consequential historical events of the seventies.[12]
Variety called the film "the most accomplished and arresting of these tightly angled Lennon profiles... The music gives the film shape and propulsion. But so does the way that Macdonald, keying off Lennon’s TV habit, presents images of the period as an ongoing channel-surfing montage." The reviewer called it a "must see."[13]
Sean Ono Lennon stated: "Kevin's documentary brings completely fresh insight into my parents' lives during their Bank Street and early New York years, showing first hand their unwavering dedication to promoting peace and non-violence during a turbulent era of unrest, corruption and unnecessary war."[9]
References
[edit]- ^ Rubin, Rebecca (2025-01-21). "John Lennon and Yoko Ono Documentary 'One to One' Sells to Magnolia Pictures Ahead of Sundance". Variety. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2025-01-21). "'One To One: John & Yoko' Acquired By Magnolia Ahead Of Sundance, Sets Spring Imax Release". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ a b Chitwood, Adam (2025-01-21). "'One to One: John & Yoko' Doc Nabbed by Magnolia Ahead of Sundance Screening". TheWrap. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (2024-05-29). "Kevin Macdonald to Direct John Lennon, Yoko Ono Documentary (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy. "Magnolia picks up Kevin Macdonald doc 'One To One: John & Yoko' ahead of Sundance screening". Screen. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ "'One to One: John & Yoko' doc to open in IMAX theaters in April". The Bull. 2025-01-21. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Rolli, Bryan RolliBryan (2025-01-21). "'One to One: John & Yoko' Documentary Gets IMAX Release Date". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ a b Ritman, Alex (2024-08-29). "Kevin Macdonald on Showcasing John Lennon's 'Political Engagement' (and Recreating His New York Apartment) in 'One to One: John & Yoko'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ a b Kaufman, Gil (2025-01-22). "'One to One: John & Yoko' Documentary Revisiting Pivotal 18 Months in Late Beatle's Life To Stream on Max". Billboard. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Friedlander, Matt (2025-01-22). "How To Watch the New John Lennon & Yoko One Documentary, 'One to One,' in the Coming Months". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Brooks, Xan (2024-08-30). "One to One: John & Yoko review – fun, fierce, full-blooded portrait of Lennon and Ono". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Linden, Sheri (2024-08-30). "'One to One: John & Yoko' Review: An Exhilarating and Deeply Political Vision of a Year in the Life". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-01-23.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (2024-10-01). "'One to One: John & Yoko' Review: A Revelatory Inside Look at John Lennon, in Concert and in the World". Variety. Retrieved 2025-01-23.