The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)

Directors:

David Leaf
John Scheinfeld

Writers (WGA):

David Leaf (written by) &
John Scheinfeld (written by)

Release Date:

7 December 2006 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Tagline:

Musician. Humanitarian. National Threat.

Plot:

A documentary on the life of John Lennon, with a focus on the time in his life when he transformed from a musician into an antiwar activist. |

Plot Keywords:

Political | John Lennon | Political Persecution | Musician | Anti War

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

John Lennon	...	Himself (archive footage)
Stew Albert	...	Himself
Tariq Ali	...	Himself
Carl Bernstein	...	Himself
Robin Blackburn	...	Himself
Chris Charlesworth	...	Himself
Noam Chomsky	...	Himself
Walter Cronkite	...	Himself (also archive footage)
Mario Cuomo	...	Himself
Angela Davis	...	Herself
John Dean	...	Himself (also archive footage)
Felix Dennis	...	Himself
David Fenton	...	Himself
Bob Gruen	...	Himself
Ron Kovic	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, violent images and drug references.

Runtime:

96 min | 99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

Ireland:PG | Netherlands:12 | Australia:M | Argentina:Atp | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:12A

Company:

Authorized Pictures

Quotes:

Yoko Ono: John was daring to speak out!

Movie Connections:

Features "CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite" (1962)

Fascinating and Enlightening Documentary

I was in high school in 1980 when John Lennon was assassinated and all I really knew about him was that he was a musician and a member of the Beatles. I found this documentary fascinating, which gave an excellent insight into Lennon's participation in and effect on the anti-war movement in the US during the Vietnam War. I came away with a greater respect of the man and what he tried to do along with with his wife and the pressures they faced from the US government who wanted to silence them. Although some parts were something of a rehash about the anti-war movement in general, the skillful editing along with use of numerous interviews and recorded material still made it enjoyable and informative. One can not help but draw a comparison between this film and message and the on-going debate over the Iraq war, which I suspect was one of the goals of those who made it. I saw this film at a suburban Washington DC theater this weekend, and when one of the interviewees said "John Lennon represented light, and Mr. Nixon and Mr. Bush represented death" at least half the audience clapped. I guess it made its point to this audience. If you get a chance to see it, I highly recommend it.