The court case of The United States vs. John Lennon was an attempt by the United States to deport an undesirable immigrant who at one time plead guilty to the possession of marijuana. That's the underlining narrative of this film: How John Lennon won his Green Card. (In reality - Nixon was paranoid that peace-loving Lennon could sway the youth vote in the 1972 election - hence the U.S. government tried to kick him out of the country.)
Filmmakers Leaf and Scheinfeld said they tried selling this idea as a film for years - starting in the 1990's. It wasn't until 2004 (that is, post 9/11, post invasion of Iraq) that a studio green-lit this project. The documentary is crafted intentionally to draw parallels between Vietnam and our current situation in Iraq. However, they never come right out and say it (except once - Gore Vidal slips Bush's name in - during an interview he made for this film.)
The 'U.S. vs JOHN LENNON' transports us back to the era of the Vietnam War, using tons of rarely-seen footage. Thanks to Yoko Ono, Leaf and Scheinfeld had unlimited access to the Lennon archives. Master tapes of his songs were used (sometimes with the vocals removed) allowing Lennon to create the entire music soundtrack. We even hear home recordings of John speaking to his baby Sean (who we hear coo-ing into the microphone).
The Black Panthers, activist Abbie Hoffman, Angela Davis... many of the movers and shakers of the peace movement are covered in this film. Also included is a tapestry of Walter Cronkite news bulletins, Nixon speeches, and war footage.
G. Gordon Liddy's interview represents the corrupt viewpoint of the Nixon administration: "I saw all these peace marchers carrying candles. I grabbed one of the guys' hands - used his candle to light my cigar, and said 'Well, at least you're good for something.'"
Yoko Ono comes across as a very nice person in this film (not her normal demonized stereotype character.) After watching this movie, I now have a profound respect, not only for post-Beatle John Lennon, but, for Yoko Ono as well. This movie will undoubtedly revise a lot of people's opinion about her.
Unfortunately, there's the obligatory assassination mention at the end. Leaf and Scheinfeld handle it nicely, and deal with it in under five minutes, but it really seems tacked on. Yes, we all know Lennon was shot, but only a conspiracy theorist would believe it was related to his peacenik activities (which, THANKFULLY, the film does not suggest.)
Filmmakers Leaf and Scheinfeld said they tried selling this idea as a film for years - starting in the 1990's. It wasn't until 2004 (that is, post 9/11, post invasion of Iraq) that a studio green-lit this project. The documentary is crafted intentionally to draw parallels between Vietnam and our current situation in Iraq. However, they never come right out and say it (except once - Gore Vidal slips Bush's name in - during an interview he made for this film.)
The 'U.S. vs JOHN LENNON' transports us back to the era of the Vietnam War, using tons of rarely-seen footage. Thanks to Yoko Ono, Leaf and Scheinfeld had unlimited access to the Lennon archives. Master tapes of his songs were used (sometimes with the vocals removed) allowing Lennon to create the entire music soundtrack. We even hear home recordings of John speaking to his baby Sean (who we hear coo-ing into the microphone).
The Black Panthers, activist Abbie Hoffman, Angela Davis... many of the movers and shakers of the peace movement are covered in this film. Also included is a tapestry of Walter Cronkite news bulletins, Nixon speeches, and war footage.
G. Gordon Liddy's interview represents the corrupt viewpoint of the Nixon administration: "I saw all these peace marchers carrying candles. I grabbed one of the guys' hands - used his candle to light my cigar, and said 'Well, at least you're good for something.'"
Yoko Ono comes across as a very nice person in this film (not her normal demonized stereotype character.) After watching this movie, I now have a profound respect, not only for post-Beatle John Lennon, but, for Yoko Ono as well. This movie will undoubtedly revise a lot of people's opinion about her.
Unfortunately, there's the obligatory assassination mention at the end. Leaf and Scheinfeld handle it nicely, and deal with it in under five minutes, but it really seems tacked on. Yes, we all know Lennon was shot, but only a conspiracy theorist would believe it was related to his peacenik activities (which, THANKFULLY, the film does not suggest.)