MOVIE REVIEWS
U.S. vs. Lennon
Nathan Lim
Was there another generation in America who profoundly affected its culture and paved the way for future iconoclasts to voice their dissent as the 60s and 70s hippie generation did? I sure can’t think of any other. In David Leaf and John Scheinfeld’s U.S. vs. John Lennon, the filmmakers take audiences back about 30 years when John Lennon became the voice for a generation that has evanesced, but not forgotten, and how the brilliant musician and peace activist became one of President Richard Nixon’s most feared revolutionaries.
Sorry to say, but I wasted my $7. (Luckily, I skipped the popcorn and Coke.) I mean, a documentary’s goal is to reveal surprising, interesting facts and/or abolish rumors, right? Leaf and Scheinfeld did not achieve either objective. The film felt like an A & E Biography special on the life of John Lennon during his activist years, which is not a bad thing, but since this was released in theatres, I expected U.S. vs. John Lennon to unveil some unknown or eye-opening truths.
The film opened in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where about 15,000 screaming rock n’ roll fans awaited John Lennon to step onto the stage and perform for the release of John Sinclair, who had been unjustly imprisoned for selling two joints to undercover officers while American soldiers in Vietnam were ordered to kill women and children. Which was the more heinous crime? Also in attendance were several members of the FBI who kept their eyes on the ex-Beatle. Three days later, Sinclair was released from prison. FBI officers realized Lennon has social power.
Lennon was born to be an iconoclastic hero. He was constantly kicked out of high schools for his rebellious behavior. “I’m an artist first and a politician second,” he said. Early in his musical career with the Beatles, he sparked outrage among Christian Americans when he stated that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus.” But Lennon didn’t begin comfortably expressing his dissent against the Vietnam War until he met Yoko Ono. The two were inseparable. After a while, she irritated me, despite her not saying much. And when she did talk, who the hell knew what she was saying half of the time?
It’s sad that none of the anti-war celebrities of today has as much imagination as Lennon did. After marrying Yoko, instead of retreating to an exotic island, the artist stayed in bed with Yoko for days on behalf of peace, a publicity stunt that attracted a lot of media attention worldwide. And he had “balls” too. While a guest on the Mike Douglas show, Lennon introduced Americans to Bobby Seale, a leader of the Black Panther Party. A contemporary equivalent of that would be Bruce Springsteen introducing super leftist Noam Chomsky on the David Letterman show. Imagine that. Well…Springsteen and Lennon are two totally different artists, but oh well.
