Original subtitles

December the 8th, 1980, New York.

10 .50 in the evening.

A limousine draws up outside an exclusive New York apartment building.

A man and woman get out.

Suddenly, the sound of gunshots echoes through the night air.

One of the world's most famous rock stars is hit four times.

He will not survive.

December the 8th, 1980, New York. 11 .30 in the evening.

A large crowd is gathering outside an apartment building overlooking Central

Park. They've just heard that one of the world's best -known rock stars has been

shot to death.

His name?

John Lennon.

As news of Lennon's death spread...

It creates an avalanche of grief and hysteria with fans now turning his

apartment building, the Dakota, into a shrine.

The question everyone wants answered is who would want to kill him and why?

It's well known that Lenin's opposition to the Vietnam War had earned him

enemies in high places.

They regarded him as a dangerous radical.

But the war had ended five years earlier.

And by 1980, Lennon is no longer regarded as a threat to national

least not by the authorities.

He's now much more likely to be targeted by a crank, someone out there who

resents him for his wealth and fame, someone who wants to make a name for

himself.

By December 1980, 40 -year -old John Lennon's days as one of the Beatles, the

world's most successful ever rock band.

are long over.

The group had their first number one hit in March 1963.

From then on, they're unstoppable.

The seemingly endless run of chart -topping songs, groundbreaking tours, TV

appearances and film ensure that the group remain at the peak of the rock

industry.

The Beatles become worldwide icons, lionized wherever they go, every

noted no matter how trite, becoming in the process as Lennon once remarked in

unguarded moment during a newspaper interview, more popular than Jesus.

The pressure becomes unbearable.

So at the end of August 1966, the Beatles stop touring, preferring now to

concentrate on recording and filmmaking.

On January 30, 1969, the group play together for the last time, performing

for a film project.

let it be on the roof of a building they own in central London.

Now they go their separate ways, Lennon spending more and more time with Yoko

Ono, an avant -garde artist, seven years his senior, whom he'd met in a London

art gallery three years earlier.

On March 20, 1969, during a brief stopover in Gibraltar, the couple marry.

The wedding is followed by a week in an Amsterdam hotel, where they remain in

bed, giving a string of interviews espousing world peace.

Two and a half years later, the couple move to New York.

They will not return to the UK.

However, Lenin's extremely vocal and public opposition to the Vietnam War,

is by now in full spate, together with his friendship with other prominent anti

-war protesters such as Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin, mark him out as a

troublemaker by the US authorities.

President Richard Nixon in particular is paranoid about Lenin whipping up

opposition to him among thousands of 18 -year -old Americans, who in 1972...

are able to vote for the first time.

Nixon is convinced that Lenin would try and use his huge influence to persuade

these new young voters to oppose him during his campaign to get re -elected

year.

So, in March 1972, using a previous conviction in London for possessing

in 1968 as a pretext,

the U .S. Immigration and Naturalization Service begins deportation proceedings

against Levin.

This means that for the next two years, he has a 60 -day expulsion order hanging

over him, even though his lawyers keep managing to get it extended.

It's still where I like to be.

It's still Paris or Rome.

to me, like they used to be thousands of years ago, and I want to be here. I

want to be able to be here and be in England and France or travel wherever I

want. I don't expect to be, you know, hassled unless I'm going to Hungary or

something or Czechoslovakia. Then I'd expect it.

Meanwhile, the FBI is also keeping tabs on him, allegedly tapping his apartment

phone and watching his every move.

When it first started, I was followed in a car.

And my phone was tapped. Now, we lost the phone tap in case because how do you

prove your phone was tapped?

Now, at that time, it was pre -Watergate, so you can imagine John

his phone's tapped and there's men following in car.

But I went on a TV show here, a talk show at night, and said this was

to me, and it stopped the next day.

In August 1974, following his exposure during the Watergate scandal, Nixon

stepped down.

Lenin now feels he can begin to relax.

Nixon's successor, Gerald Ford, can see no point in continuing the fight against

the rock star, and the US authorities quietly drop their attempts to deport

In July 1976, Lenin is, at last, issued with a precious green card.

He's free to remain in the US indefinitely.

Lennon now goes into semi -retirement, seemingly preferring the life of a house

-husband to that of a world -famous rock star.

But by August 1980, he's had enough, and issues a press release stating that he

and Yoko are working on a new album.

The album, entitled Double Fantasy, is released on November 21.

It's the last one he'll ever make.

It would go on to sell more than six million copies.

December the 8th, 1980.

New York, 5 .15 p .m.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono emerge from the exclusive Dakota building on West 72nd

Street.

They're on their way to a recording studio on West 44th Street to oversee

turning some of the double fantasy tracks into singles.

Earlier that day, Lennon and Yoko give an interview in their apartment to Dave

Sholin, a San Francisco radio producer.

As Lennon talks about his life to date, he muses, I consider that my work won't

be finished until I'm dead and buried, and I hope that's a long, long time.

He could have had no idea that this was to be his last interview.

December the 8th.

The Sheraton, 7th Avenue, New York, 10 .30 a .m.

A young man is getting ready to go out.

His name is Mark Chapman.

Once out on the street, Chapman, clutching a copy of the Double Fantasy

makes his way to the Dakota Building on West 72nd Street.

It's a 20 -block walk.

On the way, he stops off at a bookshop and buys a copy of The Catcher in the

by J .D. Salinger.

He writes, to Holden Caulfield, from Holden Caulfield, on the title page, and

the words, this is my statement, underneath.

11 .30 a .m.

Chapman arrives at the Dakota.

After hanging around for a while, he goes for lunch.

1 .30 p .m.

Once back, Chapman chats to Paul Goresh.

a 21 -year -old store detective and part -time freelance photographer.

He too is hoping to catch sight of Lennon.

5 p .m.

The radio crew emerge from the Dakota and start loading their car.

5 .15 p .m.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono appear.

They stand on the sidewalk waiting for the limousine which will take them to

studio.

But it's nowhere in sight.

As they wait, Lennon signs autographs for his adoring fans.

Chapman hangs back, then shyly hands him his double fantasy album.

He doesn't say a word as Lennon scribbles his name.

The moment is captured for posterity by photographer Paul Goresh, who is still

close by.

By now, Lennon and Yoko have given up waiting for their car and asked the

crew to drop them off at the studio.

Even though he's secured the coveted autograph, Chapman seems in no hurry to

leave. Neither does Goresh.

8 .30 p .m.

As Goresh at last decides to go home, Chapman tries to persuade him to stay a

while longer.

Well, the thing that sticks in my mind most of all is when I was leaving, after

I'd already taken the pictures of Lennon and Chapman.

And when I was trying to leave, he said, you shouldn't leave. He says, because,

you know, you want to get your album signed.

And I said, well, there's no problem. I said, I see Lennon all the time. I can

get my album signed anytime I want.

And he said, yeah.

He said, you never know, though. He said, something might happen to Lennon.

says, and you won't get your album signed.

And, you know, I said, no. I said, what do you mean? He said, you know, he could

go away to Spain or something tonight, and you might never see him again.

I said, you're crazy. I said, you know, I'll see him again. And I got in my car,

and I went home.

The rest we know what happened.

Now Chapman remains alone with his thoughts, waiting for Lennon to come

10 .20 p .m.

Lennon and Yoko leave the studio on West 44th Street near Times Square.

He says he'll return at 9 o 'clock the following morning.

Their car takes them up 8th Avenue to Columbus Circle, then along Central Park

West to West 72nd Street.

10 .50 p .m.

They arrive at the Dakota building.

Yoko gets out of the car first and walks towards the entrance ahead of Lennon.

As they do so, Chapman steps forward.

He calls out, Mr. Lennon, he's about to make history.

25 -year -old Mark Chapman is a highly disturbed and troubled young man.

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, the son of a USAF staff sergeant and a nurse, Chapman

spends his childhood in Atlanta, Georgia.

An above -average student at school, at 16 he becomes a born -again Christian

and works as a summer camp counselor for the YMCA.

Later, however, he drops out of college, taking a series of low -level jobs

until, age 21, he teams up with the YMCA again.

this time helping resettle Vietnamese refugees at a camp in Fort Chappie,

Arkansas.

Chaplin then takes a week -long handgun course, qualifying for a job as a

security guard.

But in January 1977, plagued by self -doubt, he quits and flies to Hawaii,

where he intends to live until his money runs out, then kill himself.

In the event, he checks into a Honolulu clinic.

where he's treated for severe depression.

After two weeks, he's considered well enough to be discharged.

Early in July 1978, he embarks on a six -and -a -half -week round -the -world

trip.

On his return, he moves in with Gloria Abbe, the travel agent who'd arranged

trip for him.

They get married in June the following year.

By December, he's working as a security guard.

in a Honolulu apartment building.

Around this time, he starts reading The Catcher in the Rye by J .D. Salinger.

As he does so, Chapman begins to identify with Holden Caulfield, the

-year -old main character, in particular his hatred of hypocrites and phonies.

Top of Chapman's list is John Lennon.

He despises him for espousing peace, love, and universal brotherhood, while

the same time appearing to lead a lavish, multi -millionaire lifestyle.

On October 23, 1980, his obsession with Lennon growing by the day, Chapman quits

his job.

In a bizarre gesture, he signs in at work on his last day as John Lennon.

Four days later, he buys a five -shot .38 handgun for $169, registering it

with the local police under his own name.

But strangely enough, he doesn't buy any ammunition.

Then, on October 29th, Chapman flies to New York and checks into the Waldorf

Astoria Hotel.

He spends time hanging around outside the Dakota, checking on Lennon's

movements.

Chapman then moves to another hotel, the Alcott, just half a block from the

Dakota.

He's closing in on his prey.

But now, to his consternation, Chapman finds he's unable to buy ammunition for

his new gun because he doesn't hold a New York City gun permit.

So on November 7th, he flies to his hometown, Atlanta, Georgia, where he

a number of lethal hollow -nosed bullets from an old friend.

claiming he needs them to defend himself against muggers in New York.

Chapman then returns to New York and starts hanging around outside the Dakota

again.

The doorman tells him that Lennon and Yoko are out of town.

With no idea when they'll return, Chapman, in a state of deep depression,

back to Honolulu on November 12.

But by December 5, he's in New York again.

First he checks into the YMCA, then he moves to the Sheraton on 7th Avenue.

And this time, he has murder on his mind.

At this stage in his life, John Lennon couldn't be happier.

He loves living in New York with his wife, Yoko Ono, and their five -year

son, Sean.

His new album, Double Fantasy, is racing up the charts.

And he's already started work on its successor, Milk and Honey.

December the 8th, 1980.

The Dakota Building, New York, 10 .50pm.

John Lennon and Yoko arrive back home after spending a busy evening in a

recording studio working on his latest album.

He intends returning the following morning.

Neither of them take any notice of the solitary figure waiting near the

entrance.

It's Chapman.

Yoko gets out first and heads into the building.

She walks straight past Chapman without looking at him.

As Lennon follows her, he hears a voice call out his name.

He turns, to be confronted with the horrifying sight of a man about 20 feet

pointing a handgun at him.

Without saying a word, he opens fire.

Lennon is hit four times and collapses in a pool of blood.

Meanwhile, Chapman just stands there, calmly.

Within minutes, the police arrive.

They place Lennon in the back of a car and head at top speed for the Roosevelt

Hospital, about a mile away.

Sean Strub, who hears the shots from nearby, describes the scene.

Lennon had been shot, and within two minutes of the time I got there, they

brought out Lennon. He was limp.

He had blood coming outside of his mouth.

He had his glasses on.

And there were maybe five or six police officers holding him, carrying him,

putting him in the back seat of a car.

Very quickly, Yoko was with him.

And also at about the same time, within a minute,

They brought from this kind of inside area, inside the gate.

They were scuffling with the guy and brought him out and he was handcuffed

behind his back.

That apparently was the man that shot him.

When Lennon arrives at the hospital, seven surgeons try desperately to save

But it's too late.

He's lost around 80 % of his blood.

After 30 minutes, they give up.

Lennon is pronounced dead at 11 .15pm and his body removed to the morgue.

A distraught Yoko is taken back to the Dakota, where around 1 ,000 people are

now standing outside the building in a collective daze.

News of Lennon's death is soon flashing around the world.

Dave Sholin, the last person to interview him, is driving home from San

Francisco airport.

He's listening to a radio show which normally plays new music, but not

The next song is another Beatles song. So now I'm starting to wonder, this is

very... Very strange. What is happening?

Is there some big announcement?

Are the Beatles, you know, going to get back together? I don't know what was

happening. And then Bill came on with the announcement of the news. And I

remember pulling off the side of the road because I wanted to. I really

sure whether I was going through as a bad dream that I was or I was actually

experiencing this.

And then I realized this is.

actually happening, because it really took me aback, almost like you're in

another zone.

The outpouring of public grief from millions of people around the world is

unmatched since the assassination of President Kennedy 17 years previously.

December the 9th, 1980, New York.

Mark Chapman is arraigned and charged with second -degree murder.

He remains passive throughout the brief proceedings.

December 10th, New York.

Lennon's body is taken to Ferncliff Mortuary in Hartsfield, the suburb of

York, where it's hastily cremated in a private ceremony.

January 6th, 1981, New York.

Mark Chapman makes another appearance in court.

There, despite his earlier admission that he had shot Lennon, he pleads not

guilty by reason of insanity.

Chapman is remanded in custody and preparations for what's predicted to be

trial of the decade get underway.

June the 22nd, New York.

Chapman's trial begins.

Much to the frustration of his lawyer, Jonathan Marks, he now changes his mind

yet again and pleads guilty.

He believes that on June 8th, God told him to plead guilty, and that was the

of it.

I have asked that he be examined to determine whether or not he is fit to

go to trial or to change his plea.

Dr. Daniel Schwartz, a leading psychiatrist, described Chapman's mental

Schizophrenic, who has, to a certain extent, lived in a fantasy world for

years, who has also suffered from severe depression.

who committed this awful act for many reasons, not the least of which was,

without him quite being aware of it, an attempt to cope with his feelings of

depression and suicide.

August 24th, New York.

Nine weeks after the first hearing, Chapman is brought back into court and

himself sentenced to 20 years to life in Attica, New York State, one of

America's toughest prisons.

Since then, he's been denied parole no fewer than four times, the last being in

October 2006.

The next review is scheduled for October 2008.

Four years after her husband's death, Yoko Ono donates a million dollars

landscaping a piece of previously uncultivated ground in Central Park near

Dakota building.

It's named Strawberry Fields.

Nineteen years after Lennon's death, Another ex -Beatle is targeted by an

assassin.

December 30th, 1999, Henley -on -Thames.

While asleep at his large country house about 30 miles west of London, George

Harrison is attacked in the middle of the night by a young man wielding a

The assailant, Michael Abram, claims he's on a mission from God.

Together with his wife, Olivia, Harrison fights him off, managing to hold him

until the police arrive.

Michael Palin, a close friend, recalls his dismay at the news.

The particular thing should have happened in his own house, and he was a

generous host there. He was an abuse of everything, a real violation of

someone's privacy and someone's generosity.

Following the attack, Harrison, who was stabbed ten times, becomes a virtual

recluse, cutting back drastically on his public appearances.

Earlier, he spoke about the effect Lennon's death had on him.

First of all, it was, I mean, obviously such a shock

because assassination is something which, you know, up until that time

really got down to that level.

I mean, it was always presence and leaders and all that.

And I wouldn't think, you know, somebody who's a pop star was important enough

to kill. You know, it's a terrible thing. I don't think anybody is

enough to kill, you know, really.

But I could see why, you know, there's assassinations with political leaders

stuff, just extremists.

And obviously, if it could happen to him, it could happen to anybody, you

who gets up on a stage or who walks out of a car.

You know, so it was a bit scary from that side.

Since Lennon was cut down on that fateful December night in 1980, it has

suggested that far from being a lone, deranged assassin, Mark Chapman was

actually in the pay of US extremists, who still regarded the rock star as a

dangerous radical that needed to be stopped.

Certainly Richard Nixon, while president, and J. Edgar Hoover, the

right -wing director of the FBI, saw Lenin as a threat of the worst kind.

But Nixon had been forced to stand down in 1974, and Hoover died in 1972.

So why would anyone wait until 1980 before having Lenin killed?

And, even if true, no one could possibly have predicted that by having Lenin

assassinated, They had ensured that his fame and influence would endure for

years to come.