Media Moment: “Nowhere Boy” Premieres in the U.S.
Aaron Johnson delivers a sensitive portrayal of John Lennon in “Nowhere Boy,” a seldom-told story of Lennon’s youth.
By Valerie Seckler
As the film “Nowhere Boy” comes to a close, a teenage John Lennon heads to Hamburg, Germany, with a band to be known as The Beatles. Then viewers learn something about Lennon’s connection with his Aunt Mimi. Words roll across the movie screen, revealing that John called Mimi when he arrived in Hamburg — and he called her weekly, until his death in 1980.
These last frames of “Nowhere Boy” embody a key element of the John Lennon biopic: The connections that the teenage Lennon made with others in his 1950s youth. With his mother, Julia (Anne-Marie Duff); his Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Uncle George (David Threlfall); his best friend, Pete Shotton (Josh Bolt); his bandmates, The Nowhere Boys and The Quarrymen.
These relationships are brought to light in some of “Nowhere Boy’s,” best scenes, with Aaron Johnson a standout in the starring role as John Lennon. There’s a touching scene in which Julia shows John how to strum a guitar, as she plays “Maggie May” on a banjo. (“Use your wrist,” she tells him.) There are memorable scenes portraying Lennon emerging as a strong and natural leader of The Quarrymen.
There are striking absences in “Nowhere Boy,” as well.
There is almost no music of The Beatles heard in the film. The exceptions: “In Spite of All The Danger,” a Paul McCartney-George Harrison composition, “Hello Little Girl,” a John Lennon-Paul McCartney song, and “Mother,” by John Lennon. “The Nowhere Boys,” Lennon’s band in the film, play “In Spite of All The Danger.” George Harrison, as portrayed late in “Nowhere Boy” by Sam Bell, performs “Hello Little Girl.” And the haunting “Mother” forms an audio backdrop for the movie’s end note. (A “Nowhere Boy” video is posted at Yoko Ono’s Web site, imaginepeace.com: http://bit.ly/d9vHp5 )
Although the biopic, directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, is set almost entirely in Lennon’s pre-Beatles teen years (1955-1958) it is an odd time-shift to witness The Beatles absence. Eventually, Paul McCartney and then George Harrison join the band formed by Lennon, which morphs from The Nowhere Boys into The Quarrymen. But it isn’t until the film’s coda — a pastiche of black-and-white Beatles photos, clippings, and memorabilia — that The Beatles themselves emerge.
In a scene late in “Nowhere Boy” when John’s Aunt Mimi asks him the name of the group he’s going with to Hamburg, Lennon answers with a silent stare.
“Nowhere Boy’s” period feeling is stirred by a strong soundtrack. John Lennon (Aaron Johnson) plays his new guitar, in his room at his Aunt Mimi’s.
Of course, The Beatles are pointed to as early as the movie’s title, “Nowhere Boy,” an apparent play on The Beatles song “Nowhere Man.” And a reference to the trials John Lennon experienced in growing up, such as the divorce of his parents; the difficulties with his Aunt Mimi, and the deaths of his uncle and mother.
The 98-minute biopic premiered in New York City on Tuesday night, before an audience of roughly 600 viewers at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Theater. (The film opened in the U.K. and Australia in December 2009.) “I’m so glad you guys are here to see this,” Yoko Ono told the audience at the Tribeca Performing Arts Theater, a cavernous space she had entered to loud applause. “The first time I saw this film, I was choked up. It was so incredibly real.”
“John would have loved that you know the pain he went through in his childhood,” Ono said. “That pain created all his songs, all the statements he made.”
Ono was one of a handful of notables closely associated with “Nowhere Boy”, who took the stage to address movie viewers prior to the premiere. The biopic is set to open in the U.S. on October 8th, one day before the 70th birthday of John Lennon. “Nowhere Boy” director Sam Taylor-Wood said it was important for the film to have a premiere in John Lennon’s home of the 1970s and 1980s, New York. Harvey Weinstein told the crowd he’d worked at Apple records when he was 16. “No one believes me,” he said.
For the second time in less than a week, a Beatles-related event drew some audience members via social media. Several of those invited, including this blogger, gained entrance to “Nowhere Boy” by winning a Twitter contest held Monday by FabFourFacts, a Beatles history and trivia Twitter account. (http://twitter.com.FabFourFacts).
The games began at 7:59 p.m. Monday, and a little less than an hour later, at 8:53 p.m.,five ticket winners were Tweeted: http://twitter.com/@hellsbails @LetItBe94 @vaseckler @sleepdeprvdJess @WhiteRabbitRi0 = Winners. DM me your name/phone number/email.NY people, keep tweeting! September 20, 2010 8:53:18 PM EDT via web.
The Twitter contest concluded about three hours after it had begun. On Tuesday morning, the winners woke up to a new Tweet from FabFourFacts: Contest winners, you should be contacted before noon with details concerning tonight…so stay tuned! :) September 21, 2010 8:46:12 AM EDT via web.
The group made good on its promise, if a bit later than anticipated. It was 12:19 p.m., Tuesday, when an e-mail with details of the premiere hit my e-mail in-box.
Actor Aaron Johnson bore a striking resemblance to John Lennon in some scenes in “Nowhere Boy.” Thomas Brodie Sangster was less convincing as Paul McCartney.
Just last Thursday, PaulMcCartney.com (http://paulmccartney.com) sent its e-mail subscribers a (momentarily) exclusive photo and video of Paul and Linda McCartney, shot during the recording of “Band on the Run” in Lagos, Nigeria. Recipients were encouraged to share them, using the Twitter and Facebook links attached. The message: remasters of “Band on the Run” will be released in November, the first in a planned series of physical releases of McCartney’s solo and Wings catalog, by MPL/Concord Music Group.
Early in “Nowhere Boy,” there is a rousing scene of John Lennon riding around outdoors with the song “Wild One,” sung by Jerry Lee Lewis, rocking in the background. Soon after, the sound of an earlier time, “Mr. Sandman,” performed by Dickie Valentine, filled the theater. The shifting sounds hinted at the changes ahead in Lennon’s life — just as hearing John’s own composition, “Mother,” did at the film’s end, shortly after his mother’s death and just before The Beatles hit Hamburg.
Two Twitter Messages From Yoko Ono
Following the Sept. 21st U.S. premiere of “Nowhere Boy”, a Tweet on Thursday, Sept. 24th, from Yoko’s Twitter account (http://twitter.com/yokoono ) stated: “Yoko attends USA premiere of NOWHERE BOY in New York http://bit.ly/d9vHp5 The bit.ly link is rich in audio-visual links, including a movie trailer. Tweets about the film flowed to Ono’s Twitter followers via her Twitter account on Wednesday, as well.
A second message from Yoko Ono’s Twitter account on Thursday told of another upcoming movie about John Lennon. It read:NY – FREE Screening of LENNONYC film: Rumsey Playfield, Central Park, NYC. 7pm Oct9th2010, Lennon’s 70th Birthday http://bit.ly/auNzXb
The Quarrymen hit the recording studio.
Photo credits: Google Images. John Lennon and his guitar via telegraph.co.uk; Lennon and McCartney playing guitar via reelthinker.com and Quarrymen via novafm.com.au.
