''The Hours and Times'' is a 1991

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by Christopher Münch. Starring David Angus and

Ian Hart Ian Davies (born 8 October 1964), better known by his stage name Ian Hart, is an English actor. His most notable roles are Rabbit in the Channel Four drama miniseries ''One Summer'' (1983), Joe O'Reilly in the biopic ''Michael Collins'' (1996) ...

, it is a fictionalized account of what might have happened during a real holiday taken by

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' manager

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein (; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was a British music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1962 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put him i ...

in 1963.

Plot

It is 1963 and John Lennon flies to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

with The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein for a weekend of relaxation for John. On the flight over they meet air hostess Marianne. John flirts with her and gives her their hotel telephone number. John asks Brian about

gay sex Gay sexual practices are sexual activities involving men who have sex with men (MSM), regardless of their sexual orientation or sexual identity. These practices can include anal sex, non-penetrative sex, and oral sex. Evidence shows that sex b ...

and says that he thinks about it sometimes, but is put off by the thought that it would be painful. They play cards and Brian tells John he is surprised that he brought that up, that he feels awkward about it, that the situation between them is hopeless. John tells him that he finds Brian charming but does not want to have sex with him. He is angry at the thought that everyone they know thinks they are having a sexual relationship. He goes to bed and receives a telephone call from his wife,

Cynthia Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: , , "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. The name has been in use in the Anglosphere since the 1600s. There are various spellings for this name, and it can be abbreviated to Cindy, Cyndi, Cyndy, ...

. She says that she misses him, and John says that he misses their son, Julian. John and Brian go to a

gay bar A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once served as ...

and meet a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

man named Quinones. John invites him back to the hotel where the three of them have drinks. Quinones is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

but married. After some friendly conversation he leaves early. Brian is angry with John, calling Quinones a

fascist Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...

, and saying that nothing matters because he cannot have the one thing he wants. He goes to bed and confides in Miguel, the hotel boy. He asks Miguel for

oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex per ...

but then says he is only joking. Later he talks to his mother on the telephone. The pair look around Barcelona and John takes photographs of Brian. They discuss, among other things, John's relationship with Cynthia, which he does not like to talk to Brian about. John has a bath and plays the harmonica. Brian enters and sits on the bath. John asks him to scrub his back with a

flannel Flannel is a soft woven fabric, of various fineness. Flannel was originally made from carded wool or worsted yarn, but is now often made from either wool, cotton, or synthetic fiber. Flannel is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, b ...

, which Brian starts doing. John starts kissing Brian, who quickly undresses and gets into the bath. They kiss a little more, then John abruptly gets out of the bath and leaves the room. Brian finds him smoking in bed. John says he is not angry but can not put into words what he is thinking. The telephone rings, it is Marianne. John tells her to come up. Brian is angry, saying that he is tired of making allowances for people. Marianne arrives and Brian leaves. Marianne asks John why Brian is upset, and they argue. She says that she can see they care about each other but she thinks John torments Brian. She has brought a new

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

record, which they dance to. John asks Brian about his first time in Barcelona. Brian says he was sent there by his mother a couple of years previously following an incident where he had been robbed and

blackmail Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...

ed by a man he met for sex. Following the trial, Brian was forced to see a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

and his mother sent him to Spain. Two months later he met The Beatles. Brian tries to get John to promise to meet him in Barcelona in ten years, no matter what they are doing. John agrees to at least remember the arrangement. Later, Brian lies awake in bed with John sleeping next to him. Brian remembers a time when he took John to his “special place”, the roof of his family's shop and told John how special the time they spent together was to him. Later, Brian and John plan to go to a

bull fight ''Bull Fight'' is a coin-operated arcade game produced by Sega in 1984. Description The player assumes the role of a bullfighter attempting to defeat a bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus ...

, and John hopes he will not be too squeamish for it.

Cast

* David Angus as

* Stephanie Pack as Marianne * Robin McDonald as Quinones * Sergio Moreno as Miguel * Unity Grimwood as Mother

Production

Director Christopher Münch originally saw ''The Hours and Times'' as a "

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and sem ...

exercise", not expecting the film to secure any distribution. He wrote the script over a few weeks in early 1988 and traveled to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to cast it that spring. The filming took about four days in Barcelona (the hotel scenes been shot at Avenida Palace Hotel) and a couple of days in London. Münch returned to California where he spent the next two years editing it. The movie was released in 1992 in the US (1991 in Canada), after premiering at

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, Sundance and New Directors. Oscilloscope Labs re-released a restoration of the film in 2019, which was screened in Sundance that year.

Awards

''The Hours and Times'' won the Special Jury Recognition award at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the same festival.

References

External links

* * * from Oscilloscope Laboratories restored release
"What never was has ended" - an essay on the music of The Hours and Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hours And Times 1991 films 1991 drama films 1991 independent films 1991 LGBT-related films American black-and-white films American drama films American independent films American LGBT-related films Films about John Lennon Films about the Beatles Films set in Spain Films set in 1963 Films set in Barcelona Films shot in Barcelona Films shot in London 1990s English-language films 1990s American films