Intrusive government investigation for political reasons? It’s nothing new. “The U.S. vs. John Lennon” frames that tale in ’60s and ’70s terms as the latest of VH1’s “Rock Docs,” airing commercial-free this Saturday at 9 p.m. on VH1 and VH1 Classic. (Encores air Saturday night at 1 a.m. on VH1, Sunday at 3 p.m. on VH1 Classic, and Tuesday at 9 p.m. and midnight on VH1 Classic.)
The film festival sensation (seen at Toronto, Venice and Telluride), from moviemakers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld, traces Lennon’s evolution from unaware young pop star to committed peace activist over the Vietnam-shadowed decade 1966-76. As the world-famous rocker became more involved in current events, the American government became more concerned with keeping his activities under scrutiny and even control.
Recounting that tumultuous era: activists Angela Davis, Bobby Seale and Ron Kovic; observers Walter Cronkite and Gore Vidal; politicians Mario Cuomo and George McGovern; Nixon administration officials John Dean and G. Gordon Liddy, and many others -- including, of course, Lennon widow Yoko Ono, who provided the filmmakers access to rare and unseen archival material.
Comments (1)
Much of the unseen Lennon footage actually came from news sources, but having Yoko's participation was crucial in not only enabling the film to have Lennon's music, but also providing approval for inclusion all Lennon materials, regardless of their source.