Missing 1980 Hit Factory Double Fantasy video

[monkboughtlunch]

On page 275 of the book "The Solo Beatles Film & TV Chronicle 1971-1980" author Jörg Pieper writes:

"In 2005 a major Lennon film project was started but postponed in 2006. In the same year I was able to interview one of the professional researchers, who had unlimited access to Yoko's film archive, he confirmed that he never saw any footage of John's Hit Factory performance. However it can (be) revealed here for the very first time that 20 minutes of John's Hit Factory performance indeed survived in private hands, unnoticed by the public".

Jörg provided additional background on the Steve Hoffman Music Forums.

Please click the link below to read the detailed thread dealing with the ongoing mystery around the unreleased August 1980 Hit Factory footage of John -- the last professionally shot footage of John in performance.

CLICK HERE for link to thread on Steve Hoffman Music Forums

By Jörg Pieper, September 16, 2010, Steve Hoffman Music Forums

Sorry for slow response, I was away from my PC for a while. I see you have an interesting discussion over here about one of my all time favourites: "DF footage".

To keep your expectations low, I confirm that I never saw any of John's part.:shake: My story starts many years ago with the Japanese TV special "Tsukai Ningen-Den" (1992), a good japanese contact told me that Yoko's brother Keisuke could shed some light onto Yoko's DF scenes. I was able to track down Keisuke's private Email address and I really got an answer after a while. He simply said that he don't want to be bothered about it and I should contact Yoko's lawyer. I never did !

After seeing the production board from Yoko's part, I never had any doubt that we are at least talking about two different 1" tapes, my theory: #1 John footage #2 Yoko footage, simple as that.

While researching for my first book "The Beatles Film & TV Chronicle 1961-70" I was in touch with somebody from the ORF (Austria), we had a friendly chat over the phone and he mentioned some rare film material incl. some DF footage. Through this friendly person I got a copy of a personal letter to him by somebody that I will simply call "X". In the letter from 1982 "X" mentions a 20 minute DF video tape. My co-author tracked down "X" and after a few phone calls we got the information that the footage includes scenes of I'm loosing You
and Starting Over.

All this would simply explain why Yoko has never used any of John's scenes because she can't, because all her documentary stuff was done after 1982.
How did the tape #1 leave the Dakota ? Well, I leave this up to your own imagination.:shh: What can "X" do with this footage ? At the moment nothing.
So there is no big talk about it because all the copyrights belong to Yoko and we know how she handles it (see Tony Cox footage Feb.1970)

I'm some of you is asking about the identity of "X", I will not disclose it.:shake:

If you ask for any definitive proof of my story/theory, I can't offer any.

What can we do, nothing, it all depends on "X".

Best regards,
Jörg

   
   

[monkboughtlunch]

My analysis below of what John may have been wearing for the unreleased August 1980 video shoot at the Hit Factory. It apparently was a night shoot that occurred the evening of Aug. 18 and continued into the early a.m. of Aug. 19.  Only the footage from Yoko's reel from Aug. 19 has been seen publicly. But that footage can be compared to an Aug. 18 photo taken outside the studio.   Your thoughts?

[monkboughtlunch]

A photo comparison of The Hit Factory in 1980 and as it appears today (now called Sear Sound).

[johnnumberone]

It was rumored he destroyed the film because he hated how skinny he looked- but Yoko probably has it. It would not surprise me if someone else filmed him there and he might have been unaware of it because it seems Douglas was recording him at times when he didn't know he was doing it.

[snoopy]

Hi

I also heard about this rumour. But how could Yoko still possess the film, if John destroyed it ? Anyway, it's still possible that there exist some filmmaterial about John. But why not showing those recordings after 30 years ?

Snoopy