SOUTH BERWICK (AP) – A New Hampshire man has produced a documentary from footage shot almost four decades ago inside John Lennon’s apartment.

Ray Thomas of Rye edited 10 hours of film into a two-hour movie that will debut at Berwick Academy in Maine on Tuesday. He calls the product “the granddaddy of reality shows.”

The film captures Lennon at a crossroads in his career, just weeks before the breakup of The Beatles. It ends with Lennon rehearsing for the BBC show “Top of the Pops,” where he performed “Instant Karma” for the first time publicly.

“Lennon wanted to make this documentary because he wanted people to see he was a normal guy,” said Thomas. “He wore jeans and ate corn flakes.”

Thomas and his partner acquired the film in 2000 but have been unable to acquire an artist release from Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono. He is showing “3 Days in the Life” for free to avoid having to get the release.

Thomas said he and his partners in the Boston-based World Wide Video LLC, which owns the film, wanted to do something “socially responsible” by showing the film at schools.

“For those who did not live in those times, it provides a vivid, riveting education of the life and work of the most influential music artist of the 20th century,” said Thomas. “I hope the documentary will inspire and challenge young minds to think differently and make a difference in the world just as Lennon did.”

—

Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com

AP-ES-03-02-07 1442EST

Copy the Story Link