Rating: 
Summary: Lennon Legend
Review: I have so many mixed feelings about this DVD. While I welcome and look forward to all John Lennon releases, this particular collection has both great features and some stumbling points.
To begin with, the sound is stunning. Most of the songs have been remixed in 5.1 and are almost revelatory in their clarity and power.
The only problem I have with the release are some of the actual videos themselves. It should be noted that all of the video used itself looks fabulous, considering it was primarily sourced from obsolete analog formats. Here goes:1. Imagine: More or less the same footage we've all come to know and love, with much greater clarity.
2. Instant Karma: This is a live performance, and really great to watch.
3. Mother: A simple montage of photos, but effective. Can someone explain the strange addition of Brian Epstein in this video however?
4. Jealous Guy: Footage of John singing the vocal track in the studio, mixed with the boat rowing footage from Imagine.
5. Power to the People: A truly bad video visually, it looks like a seventh grade slide-show presentation
6. Cold Turkey: Another live performance synched to the studio version.
7. Mind Games: This has some really wonderful footage of John wandering around NYC mingling with people, dancing, and such. One of the better videos, and only marred by a quick shot of John from the morgue. I found that element really distasteful.
8. Whatever Gets You Through the Night: This video is superb. It features a number of John's drawings animated and colorized.
9. #9 Dream: This is an interesting video with footage from one of John and Yoko's short films called Smile. Something about the footage of John really struck me, as he appears so natural and relaxed. It's kind of amusing that May Pang's vocals on the song are made to appear to be Yoko's in the video.
10. Stand by Me: Live footage previously seen on "The Old Grey Whistle Test"
11.(Just Like) Starting Over: This is initially a very, very emotional and harrowing video. It begins with the premise of where John would be now had he lived, which is a terrific and powerful concept. However, rather than sticking with that idea, the video degenerates into cheesy looking graphics of the photos flying around everywhere. It's ultimately redeemed, but I think they bungled the chance for something truly great.
12. Woman: Footage of Yoko...the same video that was released by Yoko in 1981.
13. Beautiful Boy: This is a home video of Sean playing and talking with Yoko, and John sort of sitting there and talking to other people. I think this video was in really poor taste as it's a song that John wrote about how much he loved Sean. Shouldn't the video focus on--maybe I'm crazy--him and Sean?? Especially considering ALL the footage of the both of them available?
14. Watching the Wheels: Okay, there's some redemption to the above as this video features mostly footage of John and Sean together. Very nice to watch.
15. Nobody Told Me: A compilation of old Imagine footage and clips of John with Andy Warhol, Miles Davis, etc. It's ok, but not really anything we haven't seen before.
16. Borrowed Time: Has lots of home footage and outtakes from previously unavailable sources...
17. Working Class Hero: A really good video filmed at Strawberry Fields and John's childhood home. It's nice to see that footage, but again, the phantom of John's death is paraded out again. Sadly, these images are prevalent throughout the DVD. It's just not something I think John would want drawn so much attention, too. Why not focus on the positive aspects of his life, and message more?
18. Happy Xmas (War Is Over): This is a brilliant video, and while some have critized it as Yoko politicizing, I think it's artistically great and I think John would have completely approved.
19. Give Peace a Chance: Includes the Bed-in footage, various protests, and--again--vigils for John in 1980.
Overall, it's a must buy if you're any kind of John Lennon fan. It's good in that either the beginning John Lennon fan, or the long time devotee is going to find something good to see. My main points of contention are not that it was bad, but that it could have been even better than it was.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I had expected
Review: I have to agree with the other reviewers that this DVD provides excellent sound to go along with the videos. I was not expecting however, to start weeping after watching the "Woman" video, so please don't watch this disc unless you are prepared for a few teary moments....It brings back all pain as well as the pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: I wept just like everyone else here
Review: Interesting how on Nov 18 we not only got "Let It Be...Naked"--a reminder of The Fab Four's sad breakup--but also "The Concert For George" (a beautiful but bittersweet reminder of Harrison's passing) and this, "Lennon Legend", which seems to wallow in John's murder to the point of obsession. The songs are all terrific and the videos are interesting, but many will make you cry, as I see a lot of the reviewers here have done. "Starting Over", "Beautiful Boy", "Mind Games"...my god it's like they looked for the most heartbreaking footage of Lennon wandering the streets of NYC, promoting peace and being with his son that they could. The end result is a little *too* effective, and coming along at the same time as "Let It Be...Naked" and "The Concert For George" was just all too much. However, the film also does act as a reminder that it is now up to us to keep that spirit alive, for the sake of the planet. This DVD should be bought, but keep a box of kleenex handy.
Rating: 
Summary: What Ever Gets You Through Yoko¿
Review: It would get 5 stars were it a product of Apple™/EMI™ and put together by the remaining former Beatles and Sir George Martin. But it's really about Yoko making more money off of her dead husband's efforts.
Rhetorically speaking, what truly bothers me though, is the sudden interest in a music artist after he or she passes away. Look back, if you're old enough (I'm in my 50's), and be gut-ugly honest with yourself. Prior to Lennon's murder, Lennon's music was hardly of great interest to anyone at that time. No one cared. He was being a house husband and claiming "happiness and joy" of that fact. He hadn't really recorded anything of note (no pun) except during his so called year-long "lost weekend" when he recorded a few solos, did some work for Ringo and Harry Nilsson[sp?].
The rest of the time - if Ms. Mai Pang is to be believed - he was in drunken stupors and blackouts. He finally returns to NYC to be killed the following year. But he did cut two more LP's, the last of which was "Milk and Honey "Featuring Yoko" and you can tell as a layperson listener, but especially as a musician, the music was not finished and/or "polished" when it was released to a crowd clamouring for anything "LENNON". And voilá instant interest in John Lennon, the "tormented" musician and man, the ONE great BEATLE. Thank goodness anyway that those "inbetween" tracks from the last two LP's were not included in this one of many instruments to make a buck off of a deceased man's back.
John Lennon was good, he was absolutely brilliant in many cases, but this bit of marketing you can safely pass on (unless maybe you're a collector). The "Greatest Hits" album by John is very good, better than "Legend" and a better buy. You can get all the home movies and news reels from "Imagine: John Lennon". Make your own QuickTime®™ version of "Legend" and come out ahead.
Rating: 
Summary: Some comments
Review: It's a great package, love the menus and can't fault the picture quality given the source material. I cant comment on the 5.1 as i don't have it. 1. Nice to see the OTHER version of the TOTP 'Instant Karma'. The one on the DVD is the black polo neck version. The one on the 'John Lennon Video Collection' was the flowery shirt/denim jacket version. 2. REALLY annoyed to see that for 'Cold Turkey' they've overdubbed the single version on to of the live version footage from 'Live In NYC'. The video made for the single is GREAT. Why substitute this?? 3. The video for 'Mind Games' is so lovely to see. John wandering around surrounded by people who are obviously surprised and pleased to see him. Imagine wandering around NY (im not sure thats where it is , having never been , but I presume it is) and seeing JOHN LENNON! What GREAT footage and it saddens me watching it when you realise that was it was this ability, for him to wander around and not get TOO hassled, that ultimately killed him. Fantastic film but also, the saddest on the whole of the DVD. Made me cry in fact! I so wish I could wander about outside and bump into the late great Winston O'Boogie! I look at all those people in the video and think 'You lucky baskets!' :( 4. Loads of the videos have had stuff added in and/or taken away so that means in order to still have the originals we need to hold on to our vidoes of the 'John Lennon Video Collection'. For example 'Give Peace A chance' has been changed, there's lots of footage missing of the bed in recording with footage of war and conflict and marches added in. I would have prefered to have the ORIGINAL promo made in the 60's for the promotion of the single AT THE TIME. Lots of the 84 videos have also been tampered with. 'Nobody Told Me' includes a false start, but with footage from 1972 on the
screen and they've tried to make it look like we are seeing the recording of this song but we're not (cos we know!). The song also ends and doesnt fade and they've grabbed clips of John where he COULD be saying what we're hearing but we aren't. While it looks ok and we can pretend, I'm not sure if I like it. 5. Oh, and why exactly did John and Yoko wander around New York with stethoscopes, sticking them on every one and everything? What was that all originally filmed for? 6. I DO like how a lot of the songs don't fade and you get to hear how they really ended. ('Give Peace A Chance' and 'Nobody Told Me' being 2 that I remember) 7. I wonder why alot of re-editing of videos was done? The beginning of the original 'Nobody Told Me' has gone (the whispering bit), many bits have been moved about or taken out competely. I don't get it. Anyway I see I've waffled on a lot. I'm not moaning, just making comment. It's a great DVD but I thought I'd be able to get rid of my old video. I can't. A lot of stuff isn't here. One thing i forgot to mention was the new video to 'Starting Over'. It is truly SO sad!! It starts off with Johns quote about being 64 years old and living off the coast of Ireland with Yoko looking at their scrapbook of madness. It then goes on to show what could have been John and Yokos retirement home, filmed off the coast of Ireland (by the same bloke who did 'Free As A Bird'?). We get to see in the house, Johns old guitars and amps, old writings and set out on the table, all old photos, as if John's putting together his aforementioned scrapbook. Then a wind come along, blows away all the old photos and we end up flying around the sky with the photos. A cartoon drawing of John and Yoko then flys around for a bit before disapearing in a puff of cartoon smoke. The camera pans back down to earth and the IMAGINE memorial in Central Park and we see the Dakota, and then youcome back to earth and are reminded that John didn't get to 64 and all what we just saw was what we all wish HAD of been. It's VERY moving. This reminds me, at the end of too many of the videos we are reminded what happened on Dec 8th 1980. Makes for depressing watching when a lot of the videos make you remember constantly that John was taken away!! Regards
Mark Jones AOL IM : MLuciferSam
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Rating: 
Summary: Lennon's music deserves much more
Review: It's great to listen to some of the most beautiful and interesting songs of human kind in Dolby 5.1 or DTS, but I think there is an excess of manipulation to the videos and adds. I dont' think the footage in "Happy Xmas" shows the spirit of the song... John wanted to make a song which all the people could sing full of hope in Xmas. I know the world ain't right, but putting all those raw images during the whole song... is just going too far using that great composition.
I get climbing the wall when I see Yoko didn't put the Anthology videoclip of I'm loosing you.
Rating:
Summary: Boring idea of a film!
Review: John Lennon rarely made appearances or made videos in his solo days. Most of the dvd is videos made up by Ono as a tribute to her late husband. There are some great videos of John singing "Instant Karma" and "Slippin' and Slidin." Overall, it is a waste of an idea. It is indeed ashame that Lennon didn't make more public appearances and produce more music during his 1975-1979 period.
Rating:
Summary: Images often take away from music
Review: John Lennon was great. This DVD, however, contains too much cheesy stuff that really doesn't help the music. I'm particularly disappointed that too often the music is undercut by reminders of John's death. What is the point of that? John's music celebrated life yet whoever made the videos self-indulgently kept putting in stuff that made viewing some of the videos depressing. Pass on this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: A Profoundly Moving Experience
Review: John Lennon was, and it's no secret or surprise obviously, one of the absolute greatest artists in music history. That said, this DVD was, for a HUGE fan like myself, a profoundly moving experience. It rocks, amuses, and saddens as it progresses. It doesn't sadden in an exploitative way, however. It saddens in a way that is very genuine. Be warned, the "Starting Over" video, which is brand new, will break your heart like nothing in recent memory. I literally cried tears for twenty minutes. All in all, it's very beautiful.
Rating:
Summary: A retrospective of the 70s and 1980
Review: John was one of the first people who was involved in making promo videos with the Beatles.
I'm working off of vague memories off of the "John Lennon Collection" and "Lennon" the film bio (where's that DVD?).
But here's my quick rundown:
Imagine is the original promo, Instant Karma has had some changes. Mother is a new one. Jealous Guy is taken from "Gimme Some Truth". Power to the People looks like the one from Lennon Collection with some new editing. Cold Turkey: John and Yoko made a video for this one, which I remember on the "Collection" and liked it... but this was made from the NYC concert. They should have put both on there, but I guess footage of John singing won out. I liked "Mind Games" in this version though. "Whatever Gets You..." is from the Collection, a cartoon based on John's drawings (not really for kids but cute). #9 Dream and Stand by Me you've probably seen before. "Starting Over" is an all new video similar to the Beatles "Free as a Bird" montage, it would fit in with today's music videos. "Woman" is the original promo. "Beautiful Boy" and "Watching the Wheels" look like new versions of home movie footage. "Nobody Told Me" has been reedited from the original promo. "Borrowed Time" is another one that looks like the same people who made "Starting Over" did this one. Pretty cool. "Working Class Hero" is dark, but why is it near the end?
"Happy Xmas" is definitely not for kids, lots of shocking graphic footage of war wounded and war dead, some of it recent.
"Give Peace a Chance" is reedited somewhat.
The videos are more hit than miss.
The extras are great: two J& Y films (it's clean), "Imagine" from 1975 for Lew Grade (John's last live appearance), "Slippin and Slidin" (from OGWT), and "Working Class Hero" plays behind John talking about his life, which is pretty cool. A picture gallery is on there, as well as some of John's well-known drawings and poetry.
The surround mix is a nice welcome addition, and the 1980-era recordings sound great. I think that the way they did this DVD should be how they do a Beatles DVD...
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