What else can one say in regards to the Beatles? What has but to be coated in documentaries like Get Back, Eight Days a Week, or John Lennon: Imagine? Or even explored with movies like Yesterday and Across the Universe? Director Jon Lefkovitz seeks to reply these questions by recreating two iconic John Lennon interviews in Rubber Soul. Using the total transcripts from Lennon’s 1970 interview with Rolling Stone and his 1980 interview with Playboy, the film utterly re-enacts Lennon’s ideas on life, love, and the Beatles. Without any added textual content or audio, Lefkovitz seeks to unpack Lennon via the icon’s personal phrases.
From begin to end, this semi-documentary consists of Jann S. Wenner of Rolling Stone (Andrew Perez) or David Sheff of Playboy (Dillion Porter) interviewing John Lennon (Joseph Bearor) and Yoko Ono (Denice Lee) throughout a desk. Dialogue is pulled straight from Lennon, and Bearor notably captures his cadence when talking, a lot in order that in the event you shut your eyes, you might mistake him for the late Beatle. The director cuts the interviews collectively to show Lennon’s evolving, flowing, and typically contradicting views on stardom, rock n’ roll, life, love, and Beatlemania.
“…Lennon’s 1970 interview with Rolling Stone and his 1980 interview with Playboy…”
Hearing Lennon’s phrases performed back-to-back 5 years disconnected affords a captivating juxtaposition between Lennon initially of his solo profession and close to the tip of his life. However, the documentary has many moments that really feel like a transcript studying as a result of the movie is a word-for-word transcript of these traditional interviews. Bearor does quite a bit with little freedom, and Lee works effectively to seize Yoko regardless of only a few strains (within the interview and thus the film). A number of cuts to some animation and Beatles interviews provide some breaks from watching the reconstructed segments, however there wanted to be extra of those breaks to elaborate on Lennon’s concepts or break up the halting tempo.
Giving a visible information to 2 main interviews in Lennon’s life affords fascinating views and insights Beatles followers may recognize. However, Rubber Soul might wrestle to seek out an viewers exterior of Beatles followers. But contemplating the movie is proudly made for Beatles followers, that is removed from a foul factor. Ultimately, the film is sort of 90 minutes of interview reenactment. Even essentially the most die-hard Beatles and Lennon followers might wish to learn the interviews or hearken to them on one of many many web sites devoted to the Fab Four as an alternative of watching a recreation. Lefkovitz packages Lennon’s concepts into sturdy themes and cuts the interviews collectively in an fascinating format. As such, that is a formidable feat, however it’s troublesome to dive into the narrative with out the respiratory room of a biopic or the hindsight of a real documentary.
