SPILL FILM REVIEW: ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO

ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO

MERCURY STUDIOS/MAGNOLIA PICTURES/PLAN B/KM FILMS

APRIL 11, 2025

Kevin MacDonald and Sam Rice-Edwards have teamed up for an interesting and entertaining look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s One To One benefit concert, held on August 30, 1972 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is the only full concert John Lennon and Yoko Ono ever performed in their lifetime. There were actually two concerts, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, and the purpose of the concerts was to raise money and awareness of the appalling conditions at the Willowbrook State School on Staten Island. 

One To One: John & Yoko presents a very creative and unique manner in which they tell the story. The documentary goes beyond the concert. It is really a story of John and Yoko while they lived in Greenwich Village watching the world through their television set. One To One: John &  Yoko does an incredible job in setting the context of the concerts within the turbulent time in American history. It was from watching Geraldo Rivera’s documentary of the institution that gave Lennon and Ono the idea to put together an all-star concert which featured Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, Sha Na Na, Elephant’s Memory, and of course John and Yoko. 

The evening concert was filmed for a television special on ABC, and therefore both concerts were recorded and filmed. While there have been releases in the past of the concert, this is not just the concert, it is a documentary as to how it came together and the influences that were finding their way into Lennon and Ono’s lives. The directors use video and audio recordings from television shows, phone calls, and other sources. But not just Lennon and Ono, although they are the center of the entire film. One can see historical events such as Lennon’s failed “Free The People” tour being planned and discussed and watching it, one cannot help but play the ‘what if’ game. 

It is a beautifully put together film. With the use of archival interviews, the key players tell their own story. Narration is not needed, and it is great to hear the energy and passion in Lennon and Ono’s voices.  The quality of the film of the concert and even rehearsals is outstanding. It does make one wish that both concerts and all rehearsal footage was released as a separate film. Sean Ono Lennon remastered the sound and it has a punch and excitement that is not found on the official release of the concert in 1985. Technology has changed a great deal in 30 years and we, the audience, benefit from all the advances.   

Like George Harrison with The Concert For Bangladesh the previous year, The Lennons’ heart and intentions were in the right place. Like Harrison, they saw an appalling situation and did what they could do to raise money and awareness in order to make changes. In that sense, the concerts were huge successes. Musically, as this documentary shows, the concerts were equally successful as a musical and entertainment event. One To One: John & Yoko takes the story one step further by allowing the viewer into the Lennons’ chaotic, fast paced and difficult 18 months. Having the social and political context, as well as the wonderful clips of New York City at the time, makes this a brilliant and necessary documentary.  

Artist Links

Background Photo Credit: Ben Ross & Leonora Golberg/Magnolia Pictures