The best John Lennon’s music movies

John Lennon

John Lennon

09/10/1940- 08/12/1980
We present our ranking of the best John Lennon’s movies. Do you love cinema? Or are you looking for a movie of your favorite actor to watch tonight? Surely you have some to see or that you did not know yet about John Lennon.
Available on:
Year:

Help!

Help!
7.1/10
  • Genre: ComedyMusic
  • Release: 29/07/1965
  • Character: John
An obscure Eastern cult that practices human sacrifice pursues Ringo after he unknowingly puts on a ceremonial ring (that, of course, won't come off). On top of that, a pair of mad scientists, members of Scotland Yard, and a beautiful but dead-eyed assassin all have their own plans for the Fab Four.

Yellow Submarine

Yellow Submarine
7.4/10
The Blue Meanies take over Pepperland, draining it of all its color and music, firing anti-music missiles, bonking people with green apples, and turning the inhabitants to stone by way of the pointed finger of a giant blue glove. As the only survivor, the Lord Admiral escapes in the yellow submarine and goes to Liverpool to enlist the help of the Beatles.

A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night
7.5/10
  • Genre: ComedyMusic
  • Release: 07/07/1964
  • Character: John Lennon
Capturing John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in their electrifying element, 'A Hard Day's Night' is a wildly irreverent journey through this pastiche of a day in the life of The Beatles during 1964. The band have to use all their guile and wit to avoid the pursuing fans and press to reach their scheduled television performance, in spite of Paul's troublemaking grandfather and Ringo's arrest.

My Generation

My Generation
7.1/10
The vivid and inspiring story of British film icon Michael Caine's personal journey through 1960s swinging London.

Let It Be

Let It Be
7.7/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryMusic
  • Release: 20/07/1969
  • Character: Self (The Beatles) (uncredited)
Documentary film about The Beatles rehearsing and recording songs for the album Let It Be in January 1969. The film features an unannounced rooftop concert by the group, their last performance in public. Released just after the album, it was the final original Beatles release. This film has not been commercially available since the 1980s.

Magical Mystery Tour

Magical Mystery Tour
6.1/10
  • Genre: ComedyFantasyMusic
  • Release: 25/12/1967
  • Character: Himself / Ticket Salesman / Magician with Coffee / Narrator
A typically Beatlesque film originally produced for television, this short film was intended to be an off-the-wall road movie with the Beatles and three dozen or so friends on a psychedelic bus.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World

George Harrison: Living in the Material World
8.1/10
Director Martin Scorsese profiles former Beatle George Harrison in this reverent portrait that mixes interviews and archival footage, featuring commentary from the likes of Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Yoko Ono.

Naqoyqatsi

Naqoyqatsi
6.4/10
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus
7.6/10
  • Genre: Music
  • Release: 12/10/1996
  • Character: Himself - The Dirty Mac
A 1968 event put together by The Rolling Stones. The film is comprised of two concerts on a circus stage and included such acts as The Who, Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and Jethro Tull. John Lennon and his fiancee Yoko Ono performed as part of a supergroup called The Dirty Mac, along with Eric Clapton, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards.

How the Beatles Changed the World

How the Beatles Changed the World
6.8/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryMusic
  • Release: 23/10/2017
  • Character: Himself (archive footage)
The fascinating story of the cultural, social, spiritual, and musical revolution ignited by the coming of the Beatles. Tracing the impact that these four band members had, first in their native Britain and soon after worldwide, it reappraises the band and follows their path from young subversives to countercultural heroes. Featuring fresh, revealing interviews with key collaborators as well as a wealth of rarely-seen archival footage, this is a bold new take on the most significant band in the history of music and their enduring impact on popular culture.

It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond

It Was Fifty Years Ago Today! The Beatles: Sgt. Pepper & Beyond
5.5/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryMusic
  • Release: 26/05/2017
  • Character: Himself (archive footage)
Featuring interviews with former employees, fellow musicians, family members and journalists, and supported by original and exclusive never-seen-before footage, this star-studded rockumentary offers a fascinating insight into the creation and recording of one of the most ground-breaking and influential albums in pop history.

Imagine

Imagine
7.3/10
A surreal, half-fiction, half real life footage of a day in the life of John lennon and Yoko Ono, composed to music from John's historic 'Imagine' album and Yoko's 'Fly'.

The Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert

The Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert
9/10
On the 30th of January, 1969, the Beatles performed an unannounced concert from the rooftop of their Apple Corps headquarters at Savile Row, within central London's office and fashion district. Experience the final and unforgettable iconic performance of The Beatles in a special 60-minute presentation, digitally remastered into the image and sound quality of IMAX DMR technology.

Imagine: John Lennon

Imagine: John Lennon
7.8/10
The biography of former Beatle, John Lennon—narrated by Lennon himself—with extensive material from Yoko Ono's personal collection, previously unseen footage from Lennon's private archives, and interviews with David Bowie, his first wife Cynthia, second wife Yoko Ono and sons Julian and Sean.

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band: Sweet Toronto

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band: Sweet Toronto
Sweet Toronto is a documentary by D.A. Pennebaker of the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, a one day festival held September 13, 1969 at Varsity Stadium on the campus of the University of Toronto and attended by some 20,000 persons. John Lennon played as part of the Plastic Ono Band, whose members also included Yoko Ono, Klaus Voorman, Alan White, and Eric Clapton. The video also features a selection of other acts: Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, and Bo Diddley.

Jimi Plays Monterey

Jimi Plays Monterey
8.1/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryMusic
  • Release: 16/10/1987
  • Character: Himself (archive footage)
It's no exaggeration to say this might be the most intense and groundbreaking 45-minute performance in the history of rock. Jimi Hendrix's debut American set at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival is generally considered one of the most radical and legendary live shows ever. Virtually unknown to American audiences at the time, even though he was already an established entity in the UK, Hendrix and his two-piece Experience explode on stage, ripping through blues classics "Rock Me Baby" and Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor," interpreting and electrifying Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," debuting songs from his yet-to-be-released first album and closing with the now historic sacrificing/burning of his guitar during an unhinged version of "Wild Thing" that even its writer Chip Taylor would never have imagined. Hendrix uses feedback and distortion to enhance the songs in whisper-to-scream intensity, blazing territory that had not been previously explored with as much soul-frazzled power.

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky

John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky
7.4/10
Film telling the untold story of John Lennon's 1971 album Imagine, exploring the creative collaboration between Lennon and Yoko Ono and featuring interviews and never-seen-before footage.

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)

Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)
7.6/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryMusic
  • Release: 26/10/2010
  • Character: Himself (archive footage)
The documentary explores the enigmatic life and music of Harry Nilsson in an attempt to answer the question, "Who is Harry Nilsson?" The film includes new and archive audio and film including interviews with Robin Williams, Yoko Ono, Van Dyke Parks, Randy Newman, Ray Cooper, the Smothers Brothers, and Micky Dolenz. "Who is Harry Nilsson?" uses promotional films, music videos, and home movies; segments from the unreleased documentary made during the recording of Son of Schmilsson (Did Somebody Drop His Mouse?); and excerpts from Nilsson's rare TV appearances in his BBC specials, the "Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", "Playboy After Dark", and in an episode of "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir".

The Beatles on the Rooftop

The Beatles on the Rooftop
The Beatles, along with keyboardist Billy Preston, gave their last live performance on January 30th, 1969, on the roof of the Apple building, at 3 Savile Row, London, concert that would become the climax of their documentary film “Let It Be” (1970). The show was recorded on two eight-track machines in the basement of Apple, by producer George Martin, engineer Glyn Johns and sound recordist Alan Parsons.

Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'

Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin'
7.6/10
  • Genre: DocumentaryMusic
  • Release: 05/11/2013
  • Character: Self - Musician (archive footage)
An account of the short life of genius musician Jimi Hendrix (1942-70), probably the most talented and influential guitarist of the twentieth century: his humble beginnings in Seattle, his time in New York, his rise to fame in swinging London… Live fast, love hard, die young.

Related actors