John Lennon: Murder Without A Trial
Murder Without a Trial is a 3-episode series on Apple TV+ disclosing details about Beatles singer and political activist John Lennon’s death. From the motive to the connection with former President Reagan’s attempted murder, plenty is left unknown and debated. The most lucid example is the disagreement between the prosecutor and lawyer, which never resulted in any conclusion because there was no trial. Lennon’s murderer never went to court.
I would recommend this show to anyone interested in crime documentaries or pop culture. My only criticism is that it seemed positively biased towards the defendant’s point of view. Because it is based on a mystery, it has no closure which I found frustrating. However, I do believe that the sudden end and this insinuated frustration were intentionally created to reflect the anger of the world when the first Beatle passed. John Lennon’s death is still considered the most infamous artist assassination of all time.
Robbie Williams
Netflix has a large collection of documentaries consisting of a cameraman following an artist around on tour, the studio, home, etc. These are interesting as they allow viewers to get an insight into writing processes, the relationship with their fans, daily struggles, and much more. However, I do find that they can be restrictive in the sense that they are rarely objective and only focus on a short period in an artist’s life. It is for these reasons that I think Robbie Williams’ documentary is one of the best.
The pop star is seen watching and reacting to three decades worth of his life on film, from when he joined the British band ‘Take That’ to today with a wife and four kids. Looking back at his life he can reflect on everything he’s been through, drug addiction, depression, and defamation. At the same time, we can see the footage he is reacting to in which the younger Williams had opened up and shared so much. This documentary has a lot of value in showing the small impacts fame has on individuals at their peak of fame as well as its long-term psychological effects.
Women in the music industry
The documentaries I find the most insightful to women in the music industry were Gaga: Five Foot Two and Miss Americana on Netflix, and Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry and Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me on Apple TV +. All four of these artists are open about their experiences with how they are treated in the music industry and their need to reinvent themselves whilst sharing their writing and production processes.
