By Bethany Banks, Second Year English
Watershed have kindly invited us to another screening, and this time it’s One to One: John & Yoko, Kevin Macdonald and Sam Rice-Edwards’ documentary that follows John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s post-Beatles move to New York.
It captures Ono and Lennon as they immerse themselves fully into New York’s surroundings, culture, and turbulent political landscape – the couple find themselves fighting for activism against a backdrop of Nixon’s government and the Vietnam War. Serving as a cohesive picture of Lennon and Ono’s lives as artists in an scene entirely new to them, the documentary’s main focus gears towards the 1972 “One To One” benefit concert played by Lennon, Yoko and their band. The concert took place in Madison Square Garden in aid of the Willowbrook institution in Staten Island, and was Lennon’s only full-length solo concert after leaving the Beatles. As a result, the clips of the concert interspersed through the film show an electrifying Lennon in his musical prime, Macdonald and Rice-Edwards’ remastering of the original recording ensures the footage bursts from the screen with an invigorating swagger.
It is not just the clips of Lennon and Yoko’s musical artistry that capture our gaze with an enchanting hold. Another strength of this documentary is the frequent inclusion of real-life footage of American life during the early 1970s. Archive footage of political events are juxtaposed with old commercials and television clips as the film flips between different broadcasts, to mimic channel-hopping on the TV Ono and Lennon were supposedly so fond of.
In this way, the film beautifully crafts a well-rounded, immersive vision of life at the time. It wasn’t just a time of upheaval for Lennon and Ono as fishes-out-of-water in the spirited Greenwich Village, but for the entire American public. The audience is given a fascinating insight into the political pursuits of the couple, and the intriguing group of activists they surrounded themselves with, from the rousing, radical left-wing activist Jerry Rubin, to the notorious Beat poet Allen Ginsberg. Involvement with political causes and groups seems to be a spurring force for Lennon and Ono, pushing their art and musical endeavours into a further liberated realm, and allowing them to gain support and traction behind Lennon’s infamous deportation battle with Nixon.
Another crucial highlight of this documentary is the emphasis on Ono’s work. Too often has she been side-lined, written off as simply the wife of ‘a Beatle’, rather than an inspiring artist in her own right. In this film, Ono shines as a creative, motivated spirit, determined in the face of many adversities. The documentary details her experiences of such first hand, such as the custody battle for her first daughter, and racist and sexist abuse hurled towards her by bigoted Lennon fans. Throughout, she appears as a great support to Lennon, and he to her – archive voice footage plays sentimentally over images of the couple together, as Lennon describes the pair as “lovers” first and foremost.
Amongst a sea of Lennon related documentaries, One to One: John & Yoko seems to stand out, capturing the couple at their most vibrant. It aims not to mystify or elevate Lennon to a god-like status, instead showing him and Ono as simply charismatic artists invigorated by a new political landscape, and the promise of a more radical future.
One to One: John & Yoko is at Watershed from 11th April until at least 17th April. You can grab your tickets here, with £5 tickets for anyone 24 and under!
