
	Recording Date:		23 Nov 1969
	Format:		16mm - B/W - Silent
	Manufacturer:		Kodak
	Inscription:		None
	Filmed By:		Nico Mastorakis
	Duration:		2:45
	Source:		Auctions
	Reel I.D.		AV69-H016
	Value:		£ UNK (2018)

	Availability:		Wanted

NOTES

Video Content

Time	Duration	Content	Date
0:00-0:xx		Streets of Athens	23 Nov 1969?
		King George Hotel	23 Nov 1969?

Chronology

			Source

April 2018+		Please advisze location
15 Apr 2018	£TBC		Heritage Auctions #7176

15 Dec 2016	Unsold ?		Bonhams, London Lot 87

1969-2016		Remains with Cameraman / Owner ?
23? Nov 1969		Newly Recorded

Auction Description 2018

Beatles - John Lennon and Yoko Ono Never-Before-Seen 16mm Film Footage (1969). The original reel of 16mm shot in November 1969 when the couple was vacationing in Greece; consigned directly by Nico Mastorakis, a then Greek newspaper journalist and TV host, who shot the actual footage himself with a hand-held 16mm Bolex; the film is 2 minutes and 43 seconds with no sound, depicting the couple first in a hotel suite with mainly Greek reporters where John plays with a video camera, talks to the filmmaker, and writes on a notepad; then the couple walk outside as John puts on an army jacket while he and Yoko talk to fans on the street; the footage ends with the couple posing in Constitution Square [in Athens] as a crowd is gathered around them; unfortunately, the indoor footage is overexposed so John and Yoko's faces are somewhat washed out (though it's still evident it's them), but the outdoor footage is much better; overall, it's fascinating to see the young couple walking around the city streets of Athens, happy and alive; according to Mastorakis, shortly after he made this quick film, he took Lennon to a fortune teller who predicted that Lennon would get "shot on an island;" this prophecy spooked the couple so much that they cut their Greek visit short; tragically, eleven years later, the omen came true but on the island of Manhattan; included with the footage is a signed letter from Mastorakis outlining how he met Lennon and how he came to make this film; further included is a digital file of the footage.
Reel diameter: 4"; Film: 16mm

Please note this footage can be improved dramatically with the proper video transfer.

Auction Description 2016

John Lennon: An unpublished film of John and Yoko in Athens, 1969,
comprising a reel of 16mm, mute black and white footage, running time approximately 2:45 minutes, to be sold with copyright

Footnotes

In November 1969, John and Yoko visited Athens, accompanied by Alexis ('Magic Alex') Mardas and his wife, Eufrosyne. This film, never before seen or broadcast, was shot by Nico Mastorakis on a Bolex camera. Mastorakis had first met the Beatles when they visited Greece in 1967, later spent time with them in London and befriended John and Yoko. When the couple came to Athens, Mastorakis invited them onto a talk show he was producing/directing for the Armed Forces Television, although the pair were hostile to the military regime which had come to power in 1967. The interview was aired live and no record of it exists. Mastorakis then arranged a press conference and the the film he took shows them in the King George Hotel, giving interviews and signing autographs, then sightseeing around Athens. John is seen playing with a videocamera, which he had just acquired.

The vendor recalls that later in the day they visited an astrologer/psychic and were given the prediction that John would be 'shot on an island'. They were due to join Donovan on his yacht, Vagrant , the next day but were unnerved by the prediction (thinking it referred to a Greek island) and returned home instead. During an interview with Nico Mastorakis in 2000, Yoko Ono was reminded of this incident, a film of which is available on Youtube.

Sold wth the lot is a statement giving the background to the film and confirming the provenance.

Audio Video Sources

Despite a digital copy having been made 18 months a go , I have not seen any details of it circulating.

	Catalogue No.	Title	Label	Comments	Date

* Watermark or TV Channel Ident - † Time-coded - ‡ Composite ( ‡‡ Multiple Dates)

ALL Pages, Data and Images are for REFERENCE PURPOSE ONLY.

The collated information is from hundreds of sources, I am unable to verify the accuracy of any information implied or provided .

I neither own these discs or know how to obtain them , so any Corrections or New material is always appreciated.

This page is a working document, last updated on the 19-Mar-2018

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