Movie Review: “The Lost Weekend” A Revealing But Myopic Love Story
Lost Weekend: A Love Story, which opened last weekend in select South Florida theaters, sheds unprecedented light on the 18-month relationship between John Lennon and his assistant May Pang, the documentary's narrator, from 1973-1974. Not only was his marriage to Lennon approved by Yoko Ono, but their courtship, which was fun enough to attract a lot of media attention, was a longstanding Beatle affair. Years after Lennon's death, this project features never-before-seen photos and videos from the archives.
If you're a lenophile, I don't have to tell you that The Lost Weekend is a must-see. The new video includes one of Lennon's rare reunions with Paul McCartney since the Beatles, as well as a new clip of Lennon playing acoustic guitar in a luxury hotel room and almost hitting a torch. When it comes to documentaries, the directors Yves Branstein, Richard Kaufman and Stuart Samuels do not hold back, offering effective and impressive information, mixing fresh interviews with old footage and some, if not enough, music tracks. The Lost Weekend never lags because it's constantly moving forward, the directors know the PBS documentary formula, and they own the material.
Particularly fascinating are the accounts of John and Yoko's early avant-garde films, such as The Fly, where Pang's work affirms the sound of insects. (He finds the kitchens of New York's Chinese restaurants to be ideal breeding grounds.) We learn about the origin of Lennon's song "Whatever Finds You in the Night" and hear Lennon talk about a UFO he shared. with Pang
Perhaps most importantly, the film undermines Lennon's divinity. Can be aggressive with Pang and others. "I played," Lennon says in one of the clips. He also had a drinking problem, misbehaved in public, and Lost Weekend avoided any misbehavior.
Where the film goes wrong is with its main subject, Pang, who is responsible for its infectious excitement and fulfillment. I was surprised to learn that Pang wasn't a producer on The Lost Weekend, because that only makes him look short-sighted, for better or worse. It's a little different from the star-studded episodes of Mick Jagger and David Bowie, with his heartfelt recollections of the celebrity lives he's been a part of.
What's more, Pang goes to great lengths to present herself as another woman who so fervently assists the directors in their stylistic choices. I'm tired of Yoko Ono's demons, before and after her relationship with Lennon, a very complex character, and Yoko Ono's performance and Lost Weekend only fuels the fire of her hatred. In this film, he is cold, calculating, distant, Machiavellian. choose the inappropriate adjectives. As Pang talks about the failure of Ono and Lennon's marriage, the directors show a photo of Ono with the sound of breaking glass, enough of a story for his subconscious prejudices.
In the end, this leaves me with the futility of The Lost Weekend because of that compassion and fire, and the most important part of piecing together the puzzles of Lennon's contributions to post-Beatle art and culture. For the May Pang project. Not everyone looks like It. It would be a shame if it wasn't so predictable.
Lost Weekend: A Love Story is now showing at Delray Films, Lake Worth Films and Savor Cinemas in Fort Lauderdale.
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