The Birth of The Beatles

 Publicity still photo of Stephen as John and Wendy as Cynthia in 1979's television movie, The Birth of The Beatles

1979; television movie

John… Stephen MacKenna 

Cynthia… Wendy Morgan

Based the early years of The Beatles on getting together, going to Hamburg, up until The Beatles going to America in 1964. I admit it's been a long while since I've seen the movie. It did re-air at one point in the 1990s when I was able to watch and record it on VHS. It wasn't bad, and I thought the portrayal of Cynthia was minimal yet fair. The movie was nice to their relationship.

Cynthia appears less than five minutes in the beginning of the movie, sitting in a sketching class with John at Liverpool College of Art. Paul and George comes crawling in, trying to get John's attention. Cynthia wasn't impressed, but John quickly sketched before leaving, giving Cynthia a kiss. 

John and Cynthia were walking outside of Strawberry Fields talking about John going to Hamburg and being apart. Despite being worried, Cynthia knows that The Beatles wouldn't be going anywhere if they just stayed in Liverpool. Cynthia wrapped John's head with her scarf to pull him in for a kiss.

There is a scene where Stuart finds John in his room in Hamburg, writing to Cynthia. Stuart told John he was leaving The Beatles.

Paul, George, and John were at Cynthia's apartment in Liverpool when Brian Epstein arrived with the news that they got a record deal with George Martin. Brian mentioned to tell Pete Best, but John, George, and Paul said no, they'd tell him. After Brian left, John, George, and Paul were in agreement (Pete's out, Ringo Starr is in).

After Ringo's first performance with The Beatles, they we're backstage with Cynthia, celebrating. But Cynthia's mind was elsewhere and John knew something was wrong.

Later on, John and Cynthia were alone, sitting. Cynthia was crying, telling John she went to the Doctor's the other day. She's pregnant. John asked if she was sure and was shocked. He told her they will have to get married. Their kids will have a proper home, a mother and father unlike him. John started comforting Cynthia, they hugged and kissed.

Paul, George, and Ringo greeted John coming in the recording studio after he had gotten married with a wedding march and a little ribbing on marriage. John had bought along fish and chips. 

After a concert, The Beatles held a party in a hotel room. John's Aunt Mimi and and was appalled by what she saw. After she left, John had second thoughts on celebrating while everyone started to watch television. John turned it off and demanded everyone to leave, much to everyone's shock. Cynthia tried to calm him but no use, he went alone to his room. Brian went to check on John.

Put Me in the Movies

I do plan on breaking down each movie in their own posts with behind the scenes and premieres, but this is a list post.

John

A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Help! (1965)

How I Won the War (1967)

Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Yellow Submarine (1968)... Well John didn't do his own voice other than appearing in person at the end while married to Cynthia before their India meditation trip; Cynthia didn't have anything to do with the film, not even going to the premiere - Yoko went. There won't be a post for Yellow Submarine because of that (there's nothing to share!)

Let It Be (1970)... Another film Cynthia had nothing to do with other than going to the premiere. Unfortunately at this time, no photos of her at the premiere have resurface. Only Jane Asher's picture have been published. I hope one day in my lifetime something of Cynthia will pop up and I can share on this blog. Fingers crossed!

Cynthia

A cameo in Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

Julian

A cameo in Magical Mystery Tour (1967)

A cameo in Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Julian's cameo in Leaving Las Vegas with Nicolas

Let's briefly discuss Leaving Las Vegas. It started Nicolas Cage; he won an Oscar/Academy Award for the role. Julian appeared as a bartender who broke up a fight and aided Nicolas's nose. That's it. I don't know how Julian got the role or anything like that.

Now, let's list the movies- most of them made for television- of people portraying John, Cynthia, and Julian on movies about the Beatles and John (and yes, I will have posts about them on their own, too):

The Birth of The Beatles (1979)

Backbeat (1994)

In His Life: The John Lennon Story (2000)

Lennon Naked (2010)

And then, there is Nowhere Boy (2009).

I have a bone to pick with Nowhere Boy. It's about John's early years pre-Beatles except there is NO Cynthia whatsoever. No character, no mention, nothing. And yet, the movie does take John in art school. There's Stuart. But no Cynthia. To be honest with you, I refuse to see it because of that. The director, Sam Taylor Wood, now Johnson, as she is now married to it's star lead Aaron Johnson, is a good friend of the McCartney family. Paul mentioned to her on how Aunt Mimi really was but failed to say that Cynthia existed? That broke my heart. Funnily enough, both Aaron and Sam have met Julian (as shown in the photos below) and Julian seemingly supported the movie at the Cannes Film Festival despite a few years earlier in the introduction on Cynthia's book, he pointed out that Cynthia's role in John's life have been treated like a footnote. Obviously this is it on Nowhere Boy as it won't have a post of its own. No Cynthia, no post. Not even a friggin’ mention!

Julian, Sam, and Aaron at the Quintessentially Party for Nowhere Boy at La Plage vitaminwater at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2009

Julian, Sam, and Aaron at Julian's Timeless photography exhibition in New York City on September 16, 2010. Cynthia was there, too.