Yoko Ono Movies

Artist and designer Keith Haring created work that bridged the gap between high art and pop culture during his short but influential career. Haring's simple outline drawings of characters without features were often loaded with meaning even if they seemed outwardly naïve, and while his canvases hung in major art galleries, his work was also embraced by pop musicians such as Grace Jones and Duran Duran, he created murals for public installations, and his illustrations adorned T-shirts and watches. Haring also created images for charitable and political groups, and he was at the peak of his fame when he succumbed to AIDS-related illness in 1990, at the age of 32. The Universe of Keith Haring is a documentary which examines the life and career of this influential figure in contemporary pop art, and features interviews with his friends, family, and colleagues, including Yoko Ono, David LaChapelle, Fab Five Freddy, Hans Meyer, Junior Vasquez, and many more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Fans of late '60s rock and roll will find this documentary to be a rare and precious jewel, as it contains shining performances from such giants as The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and The Who. Originally planned as a television special in 1968, it was shelved shortly after filming because the manager of the Stones, who were acting producers of the show, felt that another of the acts, The Who, upstaged them. The show is set up as a circus with the musicians appearing in elaborate psychedelic costumes. Other performers include Taj Mahal, Marianne Faithfull, and the only recently formed Jethro Tull. Also included is a one-of-a-kind performance by The Dirty Mac, a one-night-stand band comprised of Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Mitch Mitchell, and Keith Richards. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In 1972, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, made a strategic and historic week-long guest appearance on the hit talk/variety television program The Mike Douglas Show hoping to get their counterculture message across to middle America. Day five, February 18, 1972, was the final day of their foray into American daytime television. Douglas continues his discussion with Lennon regarding early musical and songwriting influences. Guests include comedian George Carlin, Harvard Medical School biofeedback expert Dr. Gary E. Schwartz, and Rena Uviller, a New York appeals attorney specializing in women and youth issues. Douglas sings "Day in, Day Out." Lennon sings "Luck of the Irish" with Ono. The week-long performance art pieces "Mend Piece" and "Unfinished Painting" are concluded. Highlights include the music video for the song "How" from the Imagine album, and an audience Q & A with John and Yoko. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

In 1972, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, made a strategic and historic week-long guest appearance on the hit talk/variety television program The Mike Douglas Show hoping to get their counterculture message across to middle America. Day three, February 16, 1972, features Lennon meeting his hero, rock & roll pioneer Chuck Berry, for the first time. Other guests include Peace Corps/Action Corps Director Joseph Blatchford, macrobiotic restauranteur Hillary Redleaf, and musician/biofeedback engineer David Rosenbloom. Douglas sings "I Whistle a Happy Tune." Berry performs two songs with Lennon, Ono, and the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band: "Memphis" and "Johnny B. Goode." Ono and Lennon also sing "Sisters, O Sisters," and Douglas croons "Losing My Mind." Highlights also include the music video for the song "Crippled Inside" from the Imagine LP. In the video, artist Andy Warhol makes a cameo appearance. Besides the ongoing performance art pieces from the previous days, there are also demonstrations of how to cook macrobiotic Hiziki Eggrolls, and how to create musical sounds via Alpha Wave biofeedback. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

In 1972, John Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, made a strategic and historic week-long guest appearance on the hit talk/variety television program The Mike Douglas Show hoping to get their counterculture message across to middle America. Day one, February 14, 1972, features John, Yoko, Mike Douglas, and comedian/actor Louis Nye making phone calls to strangers they pick at random out of the phone book. Douglas sings "Michelle," John and Yoko sing "It's So Hard" with the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band, and guests the Chambers Brothers perform "By the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin" and "This Little Piece of Land." Consumer advocate and activist Ralph Nader makes a guest appearance as well. Ono performs several performance art pieces including "Mend Piece (broken teacup)" and "Reach Out & Touch Someone in the Audience," in which Douglas and his co-hosts encourage the audience members to touch the person next to them. ~ Steve Blackburn, Rovi

If you ever wondered why the U.S. government wanted to deport John Lennon, you have only to look as far as this documentary, which was withheld from distribution for the 18 years it took to settle all the legal matters relating to the incident. In fact, given the views of the F.B.I. and other government agencies at the time, what is more surprising is that he was allowed back in. The cause for this documentary is that, in 1970 or 71, John Sinclair was sentenced to a ten year prison term for possession of two marijuana cigarettes; hence the documentary's title, Ten for Two. This was no ordinary drug bust, as Sinclair was the head of the Rainbow People's Party and the sentence he received was, in everyone's minds, political punishment not commensurate with his crime. In protest, a large number of performers and counter-culture protestors gathered for a concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The concert featured Stevie Wonder, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Alan Ginsberg and many others. Political figures included Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, Rennie Davis and Jerry Rubin, to name just a few. This documentary shows many of those performances, and also shows Sinclair when, three days after the concert, he was released from prison. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

John Lennon and Yoko Ono were exploring their interest in experimental filmmaking when they made this powerful, little-seen short feature. In Rape, a two-man camera crew follows a young woman (named Eva Majlata) as she walks down the street. As the woman becomes nervous due to the presence of the film crew, she tries to escape their gaze, but to no avail; the cinematographer occasionally stops to reload his camera, but is otherwise relentless in pursuit of his subject. As the camera continues to follow the woman, both on foot and in a cab, she is driven to the verge of hysteria; when she's eventually cornered in her own apartment, she breaks down, begging for the filmmakers to leave her alone as the camera impassively continues to record her actions. Rape was first screened by Lennon and Ono on Austrian television in 1969, but has been only rarely seen since. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Per its title, the compilation release Mike Douglas: Moments and Memories serves up a collection of nostalgic clips from the popular talk program The Mike Douglas Show. Featured guests include Bob Hope, Bob Newhart, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Steve Martin and a young Billy Crystal. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The dissolution of the Fab Four is captured on camera in Michael Lindsay-Hogg's documentary, a filmed record of the sessions for what would become the Beatles' final release, Let It Be. (Abbey Road, cut shortly after these sessions, was in fact the group's final recording, but it was released a year before these often-delayed songs.) Included is footage shot at the famous rooftop concert that was the Fabs' final live appearance. The Beatles are shown rehearsing, performing, arguing, and recording and allow the cameras to record their every word and note in the recording studio. The film opens with Paul showing Ringo a piano composition, while the group is surrounded in silence, seemingly light years removed from the screaming hordes of fans that necessitated their withdrawal from performing live. Billy Preston later drops by to jam on keyboards. For this film, the Beatles collectively won an Oscar for "Best Original Film Score," their only Academy Award. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

In 1972, John Lennon and Yoko Ono saw a television report about the lamentable conditions at the Willowbrook School for Children, a facility for mentally and physically challenged children in New York state. They were so moved they volunteered their services to raise funds to help improve treatment and facilities at Willowbrook. Toward that goal, Lennon and Ono played a benefit show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, one of only a handful of live shows the former Beatle would perform after going solo. Filmed for television, John Lennon: Live in New York City features Lennon and Ono performing 14 songs, including "Imagine," "Power to the People," "Instant Karma," "It's So Hard," "Give Peace a Chance," and more. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi