By BRUCE DENNILL
One To One: John And Yoko (13LN) / Directed by Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards / Ster Kinekor Gauteng and Western Cape
Both John Lennon and Yoko Ono are often seen as being as difficult as they are complex, sometimes not without reason. This documentary – the One To One part of the title refers to a fundraising concert Lennon organised in 1972 to raise money for mentally and physically disabled children – paints the founder Beatle and his soulmate as much more positive presences, both in terms of their personalities and the impact they had on popular culture at a time when much of the world was in turmoil.
Directors Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards create a pacey, layered narrative thanks to the splicing together of news items – Richard Nixon being oily, the Vietnam War destroying a country and its people, the activism of Jerry Rubin, Allen Ginsberg and many others – with snapshots of the profound creativity and performances that became iconic beacons for the swirling cultural movements aiming to implement or encourage political and societal change.
Lennon’s singing and playing during the concert snippets is a stark reminder of how powerful a musical presence he was and how durable his music has remained, and the coverage of Yoko’s work offers a fairer view of her intriguing artistic vision than most mainstream documentaries or references do.
The pair’s activism is also shown – in what is, throughout, a very affable perspective on their lives and work – to be both intense and effective, with Lennon’s recently post-Beatles profile and reputation positioning him as a voice almost everyone (in agreement with his views or otherwise) was disposed to listen to.
The milieu in which all of this takes place – early 1970s Greenwich Village in New York – is also presented, with some affection, as a place where idealism, art, politics and power could be brought together and mixed to some effective end.
Any discerning viewer will know that this is not an entirely balanced portrait of either its protagonists or its context. But it has much to say that is meaningful and interesting, and is made in a way that entertains as it educates.
Well worth watching.
