Fresh details about John Lennon’s unfinished 1981 tour have come to light in Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade. The film includes insights from journalists, musicians, and close friends of Lennon. It provides a comprehensive view of his life, including his relationship with Yoko Ono and his contributions to music and culture.
This documentary skips past his attacker’s identity. “If anybody mentions his name, they’re not going in the movie. His name is not mentioned in the movie, because my belief is that part of the reason that killing took place was for a bit of the fame to rub off on the man himself,” said director Alan G. Parker to Express.co.uk. Parker stuck to his guns about the killer’s name. “The plan was, if any interviewees mentioned him we’d suddenly say ‘sorry, camera off, there’s your money, goodbye!’”
Instead of fixating on that dark December night in 1980, this film charts a different path. Parker wanted to shine a light on the music icon’s rich final chapter.
The director made his vision clear: “We certainly didn’t want to be guilty of making a documentary that was about that point when there were so many interesting, wonderful things that did happen in the last decade of John’s life.”
The team struck gold during their research. Parker, known for his work on Status Quo and Sid Vicious, found hidden gems about the 1981 tour plans.
“There’s this huge, big scenario, which is what might have been. I do think, in a way, we have managed to add something to the events of December 8 without glorifying that man who seems to have done it for glorification,” Parker said.
British viewers can watch the film in theaters. The director’s cut is on the Icon Film Channel, and it’s packed with extra content.