The Lost Weekend: A Love Story

By: Jennifer Vintzileos

John Lennon’s life story has always been one of tragedy, intrigue, and some of the greatest songs ever written. His marriages to Cynthia Lennon and Yoko Ono made front page news, but there is still much left unsaid about the other woman in his life…May Pang. Directed by Eve Brandstein, Richard Kaufman and Stuart Samuels, the documentary The Lost Weekend: A Love Story gives Pang the opportunity to tell her side of the story – not just the epic love affair between her and Lennon, but everything in between. From her ambition to work for Apple Records, meeting John, befriending those within his inner circle,and even helping to patch the relationship between him and his son Julian…May was more than just “the other woman.” She played a pivotal role in bringing John back to his love of music and life before he returned to Yoko up until his death on December 8, 1980.

May Pang’s life may have made front page news once she became involved with John Lennon, but her beginnings were anything but ordinary. As a first-generation Chinese American growing up in Spanish Harlem, she was considered a “minority among minorities.” Ostracized by her father for her gender, Pang’s one respite was music…namely rock n’ roll. And as a huge Beatles fan, Pang found herself heading to Apple Records in New York and asking for a job –  one that would change her life. While she may have started out as a secretary, May received the opportunity of a lifetime when she was assigned to work with none other than John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Even when they would return to London, Yoko asked May to accompany them and become an even more integral part of their lives. And when May and John would eventually begin a romantic relationship at Yoko’s urging, Pang’s life would never quite be the same.

Brandstein, Kaufman and Samuels are not telling those of us who are diehard Beatles fans anything new…yet it feels like they are. For those of us who have clung to every ounce of Beatles memorabilia and nostalgia through countless specials and interviews, May Pang has had her chance to briefly talk about her relationship with John. But the directors took it one step further and finally gave her the spotlight where she is front and center, and we are not disappointed. As May sits down and recalls her side of the story in intricate detail, we are reintroduced to John Lennon and all his idiosyncrasies and shortcomings. And while their story may not have been textbook fairytale, their tryst was more than just a “flash in the pan” or a machination of Yoko’s influence.

The Lost Weekend: A Love Story feels like a love story to all of those who adored and admired Lennon for his eternal musicianship and warm demeanor among his friends. Most importantly, May Pang becomes more than just a narrator…she becomes a woman who fell in love with one of the most iconic musicians of our time and found a home within that life. She accepted John with his temper, his frat-boy party style and his drive to keep his creative spirit alive. May watched as John repaired his relationships with his former Beatles bandmates, especially after his falling out with Paul McCartney. He laughed, wrote, produced, strengthened relationships with some of the biggest names in music and found time to be the family man that his son Julian needed. And, in the end, May had her heart broken by the loss of John…twice. But her story doesn’t end there, as she found her footing again in the music industry, fell in love once more and kept a life-long relationship with John’s ex-wife Cynthia and Julian.

As Julian wraps us his interview at the end of The Lost Weekend: A Love Story we see May appear on camera. It’s like the reunion of two life-long friends. The warm smiles and affection that both exhibit for one another is palpable, especially when the camera pans to them walking arm in arm down the street together. John Lennon was a man who believed in the concept of love and its power. Even in death, his love lives on….especially if May Pang has anything to say about it.