by Larry Richman
September 22, 2006 9:00 PM

I attended the world premiere of "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" at the Toronto International Film Festival. There were a number of documentaries on the program this year, and I attended a handful of them. This was, by far, the best. In addition to those present onstage for the introduction and the Q&A were many other notable figures in the audience, including Michael Moore, who had helped support the film. He received a standing ovation as he entered the room and another after being introduced, as did Yoko Ono. The film itself received two standing ovations, one as the film ended and another after the credits rolled. Yoko received another as she rose to the stage for the Q&A and another after the session was over. Altogether I counted about 8 standing ovations, more than any other film I have ever seen at any festival (or anywhere else for that matter). In fact, not one of the other 30 films I saw received a single standing ovation. They are rare at festivals and this one was chock full of them, and deservedly so.

As I stated in an earlier blog entry, while I do appreciate documentaries (docs), I don't put them in the same category as foreign films, indies, or the "galas" which I attended. That said, if all lumped together as one, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" moved me more than any other film I saw.

Yoko took to the stage for a Q&A afterward, along with co-Director/Writer/Producers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld.

Click the thumbnails to enlarge pictures




Top row, 1st picture, left to right: Host, Yoko Ono, David Leaf, John Scheinfeld