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The story of one of music's most enduring legends hits DVD - with 45 minutes of features and a never-before-seen acoustic performance of Imagine.

Image: John Lennon - Deluxe Edition

Celebrate the life of John Lennon, one of the most complex and fascinating visionaries of our time, with the long-awaited DVD debut of Imagine: John Lennon Deluxe Edition. Narrated by Lennon himself, the release of this revealing and personal documentary (originally released in cinemas - and on home video in 1988) is timed to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the performer's untimely death.

Although he was best known as a founding member of perhaps the 20th century's greatest entertainment phenomenon, John Lennon today still maintains a strong influence as a musician, artist, writer, philosopher, peacemaker and poet that transcends even the awesome celebrity he achieved as one of the Beatles.

Imagine: John Lennon was created with the cooperation of Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and produced by multi-award winning producer David L. Wolper and critically-acclaimed documentarian Andrew Solt - partners on This is Elvis.

Soundtrack

Backed by a monumental 36-tune sound track, the film draws from a treasure trove of material, including the musician's own collection of more than 240 hours of film and videotape, much of it never publicly seen. It was Ono who approached Wolper, announcing it was time to open Lennon's personal archives of films, writings and photographs in order to make the definitive movie of his life. Wolper agreed but not before he requested full control over the project. Ono agreed and what resulted was an unprecedented look into the public and private life of the superstar.

"The great tragedy of John Lennon is a personal one," said Wolper. "That he left a musical and artistic legacy to be valued and cherished is undoubted. But he also had to move through some extremely difficult periods in his life before finding the perfect balance point. That any man should then have his life destroyed so shortly thereafter has to be regarded as the greatest of losses. One can only wonder what Lennon might yet have given us, had he had the chance."

Paul McCartney

With band mate Paul McCartney, Lennon wrote and recorded virtually all The Beatles' legendary song hits, including: I Wanna Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and countless others. After The Beatles disbanded in 1970, Lennon continued to make his mark in music history as a solo artist, producing some of his most enduring work, including 1971's album Imagine.

Considered one of the most popular of his solo works, the title track reached #3 on Billboard magazine's pop singles chart in 1971. The album's lead track - also called Imagine - became an anthem for anti-war movements and has come to embody Lennon's legacy as a musician and activist. In Lennon's own words, "I still believe in love, peace. I still believe in positive thinking...I consider that my work won't be finished until I'm dead and buried and I hope that's a long, long time."

Experimental Filmaking

Before marrying Lennon, Yoko Ono had been most widely known for her conceptual and performance art, as well as experimental filmmaking. Together, Ono and Lennon staged a series of conceptual events to promote world peace during the volatile Vietnam war era. The most famous of these was the ‘bed-in’ held in an Amsterdam hotel room during the couple's honeymoon in 1969. Since John's death, Yoko has remained active, releasing three more albums in her own right, engaging in two concert tours (one which featured her and John's only son Sean leading the backup band) and composing two Off Broadway musicals.

DVD special features on Imagine: John Lennon Deluxe Edition include:

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