JOHN, PAUL & HANK . . . or MUSICAL WHAT IFS. There's a strange little corner of moviedom in which you will find a couple films which dramatize events which never happened . . . but could've. Among these films are two which I watched yesterday; one a favourite for many years and one which I just saw for the first time. The latter is the 1981 film based on a play: HANK WILLIAMS: THE SHOW HE NEVER GAVE. The former film is one I can watch over and over again -- and have -- and did yesterday -- in fact, as soon as the end credits rolled I started it over again immediately: the 2000 Beatles "what if" film TWO OF US.

HANK WILLIAMS: THE SHOW HE NEVER GAVE stars Canadian country singer Sneezy Waters (real name: Peter Hodgson) as Hank Williams; a role he performed over 300 times on stage. Waters doesn't look very much like Williams nor does he sound all that much like the great country artist but fairly quickly you feel like you're watching the real thing anyway. The film takes place on the last night of Hank's life: December 31, 1952. Hank died in the back seat of his car (at the age of 29!) travelling on that cold, dark New Year's Eve. However, the film concerns itself with a live performance Hank never gave -- as imagined by the delirious Hank Williams himself as he journeys to his death. Hank imagines himself appearing in a small honkytonk bar performing his hits for a local crowd while revealing some of his inner turmoil through onstage banter and the songs themselves. The film doesn't dwell on Williams' drug and alcohol dependencies but neither does it sugarcoat them. By the time the film has ended, the viewer really feels they saw the great man perform his last concert. Waters is immensely satisfying as Hank Williams and shows startling acting chops as well as musical prowess as he brings Hank to life again. The songs of Hank Williams, which are superbly showcased in the film, are deceptively simple yet oddly powerful; this film will send you running back to your Hank Williams cds, I assure you. It did me. All in all, a remarkable film dwelling in the musical wonderland of "what might have been" which really makes one feel the loss of such a musical giant who died much too young.

The other film which I have a strange attachment to is TWO OF US: a 2000 made-for-TV movie which was made for VH-1, of all things. Now, I've seen several VH-1 TV movies and they have been pretty dismal. However, this one is the exception. I think this owes much to director Michael Lindsay-Hogg: director of the real Beatles' final film "LET IT BE". While it doesn't feature much in the way of musical performances, TWO OF US did remind me very much of the Hank Williams film -- which explains why I leapt into my vault and dragged TWO OF US out after watching the Hank Williams movie. The film takes place in 1976 when rock & roll urban legend posits that Paul McCartney may have paid a secret visit to his estranged songwriting partner John Lennon while Macca was in New York touring with his band Wings. No one really needs a recap of the "artistic differences" which sundered the Beatles and caused an apparent rift between Lennon & McCartney. TWO OF US portrays this imaginary (or maybe it happened) visit in a way I find fantastically realistic. Jared Harris nails the acid wit of John Lennon as well as his strange and painful vulnerability while Aidan Quinn conveys the "thumbs up" cheerfulness of Paul McCartney while managing to give him a gravity and depth which avoids caricature. Quinn and Harris, like Sneezy Waters, don't look all that much like the men they're portraying but the actors have the accents down fairly well and manage to pull off portraying two of the most famous men in music -- even despite the sometimes dodgy wigs both men are wearing. This is no small feat. The performances no doubt were aided immensely by director Lindsay-Hogg's familiarity with the actual Beatles themselves.

After a round of interviews (constantly asking if the Beatles are going to get back together), Paul McCartney decides on the spur of the moment to swing by the Dakota and break the ice of six years' silence between him and John Lennon. This is the period when McCartney is number one on the charts while Lennon has retreated from the music business to his Dakota apartment. The build-up towards this meeting is electric as McCartney has the concierge call up to Lennon's all-white apartment (spectacular sets by the way). Lennon answers the intercom ("Help me, I'm trapped inside this little box!") already suspecting who his surprise visitor may be; having heard McCartney on a local radio station earlier. The sinking feeling evoked in both men at this impending confrontation is palpable. Before ringing the doorbell, McCartney nervously screws up his courage outside Lennon's door as he removes the pretentious-looking scarf around his neck. Inside the apartment, the jumpy Lennon awaits the visitor he knows is on his way up. McCartney takes a deep breath and rings the bell. Lennon peers through the peephole, lowers his head and delays opening the door. By this point, anybody who is the slightest bit interested in the Beatles and these men is on the edge of their seats. Lennon finally swings open the door and the two men confront each other awkwardly. "Hi, John," sighs McCartney. Eyeing him up and down, Lennon sighs: "The ghost of Christmas past." Once inside, Paul learns that Sean & Yoko are away. The two men unconsciously stand at opposite ends of the apartment; as far away from each other as possible with walls at both their backs. "So. . . we're alone." says Paul. "Yeah," nods John, "You . . . me. . . and everything between us." The screenplay by Mark Stanfield features beautifully written dialogue which just sounds and feels "right"; very funny and very emotional at times. If this mythical visit never actually happened, the viewer grows to feel it should've -- and in this way.

At their root, HANK WILLIAMS: THE SHOW HE NEVER GAVE and TWO OF US both speak to viewers who love the music and the musicians that made it. These two films also seem to offer the chance to spend some time with these musical titans -- and to offer stolen moments in the presence of, in the case of Williams and Lennon, men who left us all too soon. Both films draw breath from the fact that they are enlivened by the strength of the performances from Waters, Harris and Quinn; this trio of actors really put the films over and anchor them in a reality that is sometimes startling. Above all, though, both films seem to emotionally ring true. At least in the eyes of this reviewer. I would highly recommend anyone even remotely interested in these men and their music that it's well worth tracking down these films.