In 1969, a 14-year-old Beatle fanatic named Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-
to-reel tape deck and a head full of questions, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel
room in Toronto and convinced John to do an interview.
This was in the midst of Lennon’s “bed-in” phase, during which John and Yoko
were staying in hotel beds in an effort to promote peace.
38 years later, Jerry has produced a film about it.
Using the original interview recording as the soundtrack, director Josh Raskin
has woven a visual narrative which tenderly romances Lennon’s every word in
a cascading flood of multipronged animation. Raskin marries the terrifyingly
brilliant pen work of James Braithwaite with masterful digital illustration by
Alex Kurina, resulting in a spell-binding vessel for Lennon’s boundless wit, and
timeless message.
The young Jerry Levitan is portrayed in simple cell-animated pen lines as he
poses his interview questions, and in contrast, Lennon’s replies trigger an
assail of fast-moving animation, highlighting the particulars of his genius
through literal visualization.
This film is not just an historic recording.
This film is not just an amusing anecdote, rampant with witty turns of phrase.
This film is not just a kaleidoscope of masturbatory nonsense.
This film is a vital reminder that the state of the world is not a given. It can be changed.
In John’s words. . .
“Think peace and you’ll get it. It’s up to the people… If we really wanna
change it, we can change it.
Produced with the assistance of a Bravo!FACT (Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent) grant, supported by CTV.
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