Reznet

Strange Days Indeed

By Jason Salter

The president of the United States has led the country into a controversial war.

Thousands of soldiers and civilians have died abroad. Those at home who disagree are demonstrating against the war. Activist groups and outspoken individuals are placed under government surveillance. Yet, despite his questionable judgment, this president is re-elected.

You may be asking yourself: What else is new? Only this isn’t new at all. This all took place nearly four decades ago. The Vietnam War years are the setting for the film, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon."

The documentary about John Lennon, the late activist, artist, musician and former member of The Beatles, follows the last decade of his life, during his movement for peace. Lennon was murdered in New York City on Dec. 8, 1980, by a deranged fan.

Lennon’s involvement in the U.S. peace movement resulted in FBI surveillance, as well as a long battle with U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon Director: David Leaf and John Scheinfeld Lions Gate Films 96 min; Rated PG-13 for some strong language, violent images and drug references. Official site Trailer: QuickTime

Interviews with academics, such as Angela Davis and Noam Chomsky, journalists Walter Cronkite, Tariq Ali and Geraldo Rivera, as well as historic figures, including Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party and Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono, provide valuable insights and contribute to the authenticity of the documentary.

The primary problem with the film is that it skims over the history of Lennon’s former band, The Beatles, assuming all viewers are aware of the enormous impact the group had on the world. I would have appreciated it if the film had elaborated more on this. This documentary obviously had a particular audience in mind.

Nevertheless, the film did an exceptional job of covering the lesser-known areas of Lennon’s life. For example, I had no idea that Lennon’s performance at a concert in honor of John Sinclair led to his release from prison (for marijuana possession). I never knew that J. Edgar Hoover included Lennon in the same FBI surveillance program used to track groups like the Black Panthers.

Lennon’s sincere contribution to the peace movement through his artistic endeavors was far more monumental than most people realize. He used his Beatles’ fame and the millions he earned as a musician to promote peace.

I appreciated the history lesson that this film provides.

Reznet rating: three frybreads out of four.

Jason wrote his first computer program in 6th grade, designed and built a computer before finishing high school, and then went to MIT to become... a molecular biologist. The move from computers to molecular biology makes sense when you think about DNA as "programming code" and recombinant DNA technology as the means to reprogram organisms.

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