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GIMME SOME TRUTH
Andrew Solt, USA, 2000
Saturday 20 September 2003 10.35pm-11.35pm
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An instant classic when released in September 1971, John Lennon's Imagine was the ex-Beatle's solo masterpiece and its musical legacy is matched here by footage of Lennon's creative process.
Producer-director Andrew Solt independently edited it from original 16mm footage with the hands-off approval of Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono.
Incorporating footage from John and Yoko's original film Imagine, Gimme Some Truth presents Lennon, Ono and a host of musicians in a fluid context of conflict, community and craftsmanship. Showing every stage of the recording process, this documentary succeeds as a visual diary, a study of familiar music in its infancy and a revealing portrait of the 30-year-old Lennon - from witty clown to confrontational perfectionist - at the peak of his post-Fab Four inspiration.
The film's horizons expand with a casual montage of Lennon's celebrity lifestyle, including New York party footage featuring such guests as Miles Davies, Andy Warhol and Jack Nicholson. Excerpts from a 1971 BBC interview reveal John and Yoko at their most thoughtful, discussing socio-sexual issues that still remain relevant.
But the true value of Gimme Some Truth remains in the creation of music at the Lennons' estate at Tittenhurst Park in Ascot. The ballad Imagine is followed from rawness to completion and the track-by-track progress is highlighted by Jealous Guy and especially Gimme Some Truth, which alternates between full mix and isolated vocal track. With George Harrison on guitar, Lennon freely admits that How Do You Sleep? is a deliberately "nasty" criticism of Paul McCartney.
 Rock Doc Greats Homepage
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The film theorist Jonas Mekas shot the New York party footage 
