Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
All We Are Saying Is Give Lennon a Chance, September 24, 2006
THE US VS. JOHN LENNON is a riveting documentary that shows how the judicial and immigration system works in the United States. John Lennon was placed under the microscope by President Nixon and the US FBI during the early 1970s because he posed as a threat to Nixon's political campaign, and an intense influence on the youth of America as a result of his music and iconoclastic image. Bottom line, the film focuses on Lennon's activism as well as the controversial and gray aspects of the meaning of activism and dissent.
Director David Leaf interweaves Lennon's music within the documentary with a collage of images of the mop-top Beatle to the bearded-hippie shouting for world peace from an Amsterdam hotel room alongside the press and fellow peers. The core participants and leaders of the late 1960s and early 1970s are presented in the film, such as John Sinclair, Angela Davis, J. Edgar Hoover, President Richard M. Nixon, and various writers and journalists who reported about Lennon. The interesting aspect are the recent interviews of those political activists who attempted to make a mark on society. Within Leaf's documentary is the past, but the political atmosphere of the present appears to parallel or bear similarities to the past.
THE US VS. JOHN LENNON is entertaining. In light of serious events that occurred in Lennon's life, he tend to press on. There are funny moments in the film as well as serious ones. But the film also presents the chilling aspects of the system of government, and the powers that be. Lennon may have been one the last influential figures of the 1960s who spoke and sang a thousand words to a generation that just wanted to be listened and understood, and politics did not stop him from creating his love of music for all to hear.
This film is highly recommended for all Lennon fans as well as those who would like to understand the relationship between politics and music.
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85 of 94 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Time wounds all heals", October 15, 2006
Some fans of John Lennon's music couldn't swallow what he eventually became. For such people, hearthrobbing memories of the loveable moptop didn't gel with the later scraggy haired peace toting activist. "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" shows a reporter confronting Lennon on this very issue. She tells him outright that he should take a look at himself and suggests that he should feel ashamed. Lennon tells her that he's all grown up, and when she asks "to what?" he answers simply "29."
That answer should perk brows. It's easy to forget that Lennon, a larger than life figure in life and in death, was rather young during the most controversial part of his life. Fresh from the breakup of the Beatles, the incomprehensibly famous twenty-something focused his energies on activism. His life as the "intelligent" Beatle may have made him feel somewhat infallible - and in some ways he was untouchable. The head-on clash he had with the United States government, documented in this film, probably bolstered that feeling. That he accomplished what he did at such a young age remains astonishing.
Anyone familiar with Lennon's career knows that he had a penchant for making bold statements. Some of these led to public outcry. After a brief overview of Lennon's childhood, the film shows the fallout from his 1966 "we're more popular than Jesus" statement. Beatle bonfires, condemnation in the press, boycotts, and defamation resulted. The band survived, of course. But that controversy failed to staple his tongue. With almost unprecedented candor for a rock star, Lennon began to speak out against the Vietnam war. One scene shows the Beatles poised press-conference style. An interviewer throws out a question about the United States' involvement in Vietnam. Most of the band looks stifled, as if they don't want to say anything. Lennon's words then shatter the uncomfortable silence as he shows unmitigated support for America's anti-war protesters. Such a well-known person speaking out probably didn't escape the notice of the United States government.
But Lennon's real political activities began in New York City following his marriage to avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. These dumped him in real hot water. The film follows the newlyweds during their "bed-ins" in Amsterdam and Montreal, including a "bagism" press conference. The United States wouldn't allow a New York City bed-in due to previous drug charges. After John and Yoko settled in New York city, Lennon became involved with outspoken activists Abbie Hoffman and John Rubin. He also played at a benefit concert for a jailed John Sinclair. The movie mentions that Sinclair gave "two joints to an undercover officer" but it does not mention that Sinclair co-founded the "White Panther" party. Next, Lennon started giving money to the Black Panthers. This undoubtetly put him right into the Nixon administration's spotlight. Shortly after, the FBI, then run by J. Edgar Hoover, began tracking him. Not too long after that, the deportation papers arrived under the door. Thus began a long legal battle.
"The U.S. vs. John Lennon" gives a good general picture of Lennon's political activities in the 1970s. It effectively juxtaposes contemporary talking head interviews with historic footage from talk shows (notably Dick Cavett) and press conferences. No one should exit the theater confused as to why the Nixon administration found Lennon a threat. Overall, it is a deliciously entertaining and well-produced documentary.
What viewers won't get is a full picture of John Lennon. This movie does not attempt a "warts and all" portrayal. Lennon had flaws, like everyone else. He cheated on Yoko, had problems with drug addiction, showed some signs of messiah complex, wasn't always an ideal father, and sometimes wasn't open to criticism of himself or of his views. The film doesn't challenge viewers about the man behind the legend. Also, the good guys and bad guys get clearly delineated early on and don't really budge. In essence, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" preaches to the converted. No skeptic will come out of this movie with a changed perspective. To be fair, the film does include antagonists such as G. Gordon Liddy and it lets J. Edgar Hoover and Richard Nixon speak for themselves via archival footage. But their presence doesn't have a leveling effect. It ultimately supports the film's perspective. Liddy's cigar story in particular will polarize viewers.
[...] Does the film mean to imply that Lennon's political activity was somehow correlated with his murder? Towards the end of the film, Yoko Ono says "I suppose they wanted to kill John." What does that mean? No explanation follows, but her pregnant phrase resonantes. This part of the film comes off fairly heavy-handed. Skeptics would dismiss it by saying "they're trying to make him a martyr." If the film was trying to suggest a conspiracy it should have developed that theme. Evidence would also help. Instead, it leaves Yoko's mysterious phrase. [...]
"The U.S. vs. John Lennon" demonstrates why John Lennon remains a highly controversial figure. He spoke for a fair section of his generation and put his fame to arguably good use. Like him or hate him, Lennon was no armchair celebrity. He outright challenged the Nixon administration while defying the public's stereotypes of fame. This film presents a side not often seen of the former Beatle. Some fans may wish to sweep this side under the carpet, but political activism will always remain a vital and undeniable part of John Lennon.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
War Is Over If You Want It--John's message remains pertinent to this day..., March 11, 2007
John Lennon was not the sort of man who could be bullied. He was a man of incredible principle who, once he believed he was right, simply would not budge. This DVD allows us to revisit the years John Lennon transformed himself from being a musician into a type of politician who used both words and music to deliver his message. His wife Yoko and other peace activists including Abbie Hoffman and John Rubin influenced him greatly, too.
Lennon was always the rebel; and one DVD narrator comments that in Yoko John found the other half of his voice. John and Yoko both thought outside the box and were not afraid to stand up for their beliefs. This DVD demonstrates that they knew the press would constantly hound them so they used the media very cleverly to transport their political beliefs, especially about the war in Vietnam, to the world. John and Yoko's honeymoon "bed-in" in The Amsterdam Hilton is an example of how skillfully they used the media to their advantage. Excellent!
Of course this made the Nixon administration very nervous. Nixon believed that Lennon had the power to steal his thunder; and Nixon was at the very least partially right. Nixon campaigned in 1968 for the presidency with the offer of "a secret plan" to end hostilities in Vietnam. As we now know, that certainly was not the case; after Nixon took office Vietnam continued and the conflicts worsened. As more and younger voters were influenced by their idol John Lennon's political beliefs, Nixon became increasingly paranoid and eventually stooped lower than any other president has ever done.
At the same time, Lennon and Ono had good reason to be nervous themselves; their phones were almost certainly tapped and they were followed by government "officials" everywhere they went. The Lennons were perceived as particularly dangerous after they gave money and support to The Black Panthers. That did not sit well with Nixon and FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover who considered them very much a threat to Nixon's re-election efforts and even Nixon's ability to runt he country smoothly on a daily basis.
Of course we know the outcome; therefore spoilers are not a concern as this is a retrospective documentary of well publicized events that dominated the news for years. The government attempted countless times to deport John and Yoko on a minor charge of marijuana possession when John was still living in England. I find it sad that the government of the United States of America had nothing better to do than to pick on John and Yoko to the degree that they did. John and Yoko won their fight and Nixon resigned in disgrace. All too soon we lost John Lennon but he lives on through his words and music.
The DVD does an excellent job of integrating interviews with Walter Cronkite, Mario Cuomo, G. Gordon Libby, Bobby Seale and others with newsreel footage of John and Yoko at peace rallies and concerts for peace. Yoko adds her own interviews with an off screen narrator to shed further light on the specifics of their personal and political struggles at that time in their lives together.
Is this DVD one sided in favor of John and Yoko? Yes, to some degree. However, G. Gordon Libby gets his share of time on camera and there is quite a bit of newsreel footage of Nixon (well, we can't interview Nixon now) and FBI chief Hoover to showcase the opposition's view of John, Yoko and the "peaceniks."
One reviewer notes that this documentary does not give us a total picture of John Lennon. That's not a problem because, as the reviewer correctly notes, this particular documentary remains quite focused on the issues between John and the American government. We can certainly understand if this movie does not delve into what the other reviewer refers to as the "warts and all" edition of John Lennon as a human being.
I don't personally approve of every single move John Lennon made. He did cheat on Yoko; but again that is not the focus of this documentary. On the other hand, the Nixon administration flagrantly abused the law and eventually simply broke it according to Lennon's immigration attorney who is interviewed in this documentary. The Nixon administration was truly paranoid to consider John Lennon a true threat to the Nixon presidency; but, then again, Nixon was a paranoid man who approved the Watergate break-in despite the fact that all indications pointed to a landslide victory in November, 1972. In the final analysis, the American government abused The Lennons; and it's great to see them celebrate their victory on this footage.
The bonus features round out the documentary very well. There are intelligent discussions of the highly controversial cover art for the "Two Virgins" album; "Imagine;" Walter Cronkite meeting The Beatles for the very first time and much, much more. Impressive!
The cinematography is quite good; after all, much of this footage is professionally shot newsreel footage and the current interviews are tastefully filmed. The color is pretty good, even in most of the older newsreel footage. The quality of the sound is excellent.
In sum, this DVD documents very well the evolution of John Lennon from musician to political activist figure. We see that he was inclined to buck authority from his teenage years on after he lost his mother to a British cop driving drunk. After The Beatles broke up and John and Yoko were free, they were able to explore new areas and express themselves both artistically and politically both at the same time with "bed-ins" and concerts for peace. In fact, John became so good at molding music with activism that even the government of the world's most powerful nation grew deeply afraid of him. John's struggles were not in vain--he got his messages out consistently to the people who could choose to take him seriously or not as they pleased. He won his fight with immigration as Nixon was just beginning a lifetime of being a disgraced ex-president.
I highly recommend this for John Lennon fans; and historians concerned with the history of social activism will find this DVD informative and very engaging. Unfortunately, with war overseas once again in the news, John's message remains pertinent to this day.
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