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Here is the interview of Yoko Ono, conducted in Japanese by CINEMA TODAY on the subject of the movie, "PEACE BED AMERIKA VS JOHN LENNON (The US VS. JOHN LENNON)", which was just released in Japan.
Yoko's words are full of wisdom and truth. Yoko says, "Instead of criticizing it (war), it is better to do something on our own. That is the extremely difficult part. We have to be against war, of course, but it becomes tiring if we use our energy only on that." How simple and true that is! While we fight against war, sometimes we don't realize that we end up being a part of the war.
I translated the interview from Japanese into English, so I hope you can apply what Yoko says in your daily life as well.
Translated by Mikihiko Hori
Original article here
Writing / Composition: CINEMA TODAY
Photograph: Atsuko Tanaka
A legendary musician, John Lennon hated war and violence and kept loving peace until the end. The movie, "PEACE BED AMERIKA VS JOHN LENNON" depicts his enthusiastic thoughts toward peace in spite of his continuous fight with deportation and against the American government. The movie also focuses on the messages sent to the world from the "Bed Peace" with Yoko Ono, his wife. Yoko Ono, who cooperated fully in the movie, talks about her beloved husband, John, and the movie in this interview.
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Q: Many movies have been made about the Beatles and John Lennon, but what was your honest impression when you first heard about the project for this movie?
Yoko Ono: I was very happy. Because when people would approach me wanting to make a movie or musical of John's life, they always wanted to add scandals and things like, he did not get along well with the other members of the Beatles, etc. What John did throughout his life was, after all, wish for world peace. He made many efforts toward that, but that was not quite known to the world at all. I thought that this movie would convey that, therefore, I said, "then, let's do it".
Q: What was your impression when you saw the completed version of this movie for the first time?
Yoko Ono: Since I've lived what happened for so long, I was not surprised. But I was really happy that the testimonies by such great people of the time, such as Gore Vidal, an author, and Walter Cronkite, a journalist, were included. I thought, if those people understood what we were doing back then, why didn't they tell us so at that time.
Q: What is the frame of your mind when you listen to their testimonies now?
Yoko Ono: I wish they could have come forward when he was alive, but there is nothing I can do now. However, I think it is great that they came forward to the world even now.
Q: I heard that you offered a tremendous amount of footage from the "Lennon/Yoko Archives".
Yoko Ono: I appreciated their abilities. Therefore, I offered a considerable amount of footage, such as the scene where John and Sean, my son, were playing at the waterside. I wanted everyone to see the parts of our so-called daily lives and John's human nature.
Q: The message that John left behind still keeps on living. Nevertheless, war and violence have not ceased yet. What are your thoughts when you see the current world?
Yoko Ono: Instead of criticizing it, it is better to do something on our own. That is the extremely difficult part. We have to be against war, of course, but it becomes tiring if we use our energy only on that. That's why I constructed the "IMAGINE PEACE TOWER" and travel around the world. We should "change the situations with love." That is what I use my energy for.
Q: When do you feel that John's message is alive in your everyday life?
Yoko Ono: I am busy taking various actions by being positive on my own, so that there is no time for me to be full of deep emotion.
Q: The movie will be released in Japan on the day of the anniversary of John's death. What do you feel of its significance?
Yoko Ono: I think it is extremely significant. I believe that you can feel the soul and energy of John very much. The movie was made by those who knew John extremely well. Therefore, in that sense, the movie has been completed as the one that best reflects who John was.
Q: Do you have any particular things you would like for those who see the movie to feel - not only the Beatles generation or John's fans, of course, but also youngsters, especially?
Yoko Ono: The most important thing from all the things John said was, "Do not rely on heroes. You are the hero". The reason John said such a thing is because I bet he must have felt that he would be gone. Therefore, I think he wanted to convey, "Do not rely on me, you have to do it yourselves". John is alive even now through his songs and messages. When you see this movie, you will understand. There are tens of millions of people in the world. If each and every person does what he or she can do, that should bring about something. So, you can change the world much more with your power!
Q: What was your impression when you saw this movie?
Yoko Ono: This is really about what John did, not scandals. What he really did throughout his life was, after all, wish to bring about world peace. In order to do that, he put forth lots of efforts. The efforts were not known to the world at all. This movie is about showing that; therefore, I said, "then, let's do it".
Q: Did you give them your approval easily?
Yoko Ono: Well, let's see, when most people would approach me (about their projects), they'd say nice things about it. Therefore, to say "yes" is like a gamble. It is a kind of bet. When I talked to David Leaf, I thought that he was a fairly genuine person. So I said, "then, let's do it".
Q; What do you think about the current world in which fights still continue.
Yoko Ono: Well, they could have done it in some other way. Instead of spending time criticizing it, I think it is better to do something else on our own. That is the difficult part. Indeed, we have to do something about being against war, but it becomes tiring when we use our energy just on that. Therefore, instead of criticizing what others are doing, I think it is better to do something else more on our own. I constructed the "IMAGINE PEACE TOWER", right? I use my energy for things like that, by traveling around the world. After all, I want to change the situations with love. That is what I am doing.
Q: You also mentioned about the American government (in the movie).
Yoko Ono: Instead of speaking of the American government, now I have started having more respect for the American people, because so many people started rising and criticizing what the government is doing. It takes a great deal of courage. But many people started rising about human rights and criticizing the government about political things. I believe that will win in the end.
Q: You have also done many activities in Japan.
Yoko Ono: I hope that the buds are coming out. Because we issued lots of messages, right? For example, we talked about relationships between men and women, women's rights and things like that. I believe that all of these things are greatly affecting everyone now. As far as the war is concerned, although Japan is not a part of the war, the world is getting extremely smaller now. In such a world, after all, I think war affects everyone. I think it is important. I think it is important for Japanese too.
Q: What is the significance to release the movie in such a situation?
Yoko Ono: I think it is extremely significant. I think (people) will feel the soul and energy of John very much through this movie. This movie was made by those who knew John very well. This movie reflects the best of who John was. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Yoko Ono appeared in her characteristic dress with a red jacket and black sunglasses. From the words of Yoko Ono, who keeps being active in order to carry out John's desire, I could feel her everlasting respect and love toward him, even after he passed away. Through this movie, I would like you to listen to the messages of world peace that John and Yoko are talking about.
(C) 2006 Lions Gate Films Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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