Pitchfork

The man may have been a walking, talking, songwriting peace sign-- and a huggable one at that-- but for some folks John Lennon was, in his day, a threat to national security. Sounds crazy and, hmmmm, seems to parallel certain recent events, which is probably why the Lionsgate flick The U.S. vs. John Lennon hits the big screen later this month.

Written, directed, and produced by the team of David Leaf and John Scheinfeld (responsible, in various configurations, for countless musician-oriented TV specials), the film explores the U.S. government's attempts to suppress the voice of peace-happy John Lennon during the Vietnam War-happy era of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Unlike recent docs detailing the lives of Leonard Cohen and Daniel Johnston, this one focuses more on the socio-political climate of the times, so expect more hard-hitting truths and fewer baby photos.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon features seldom-seen footage from the Lennon vaults, courtesy of the man's widow, artist Yoko Ono. But that's not all. "Lennon's own music provid[es] subtly incisive narration," according to the press release. And while he's no Morgan Freeman, we can still dig it.

Plenty of special guests pop in to say a piece or two, including linguistics superstar and political activist Noam Chomsky, journalist and news icon Walter Cronkite, Watergate watchdog Carl Bernstein, Watergate mastermind G. Gordon Liddy, civil rights activist Angela Davis, writer Gore Vidal, former Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern, former NY governor Mario Cuomo, and...Geraldo Rivera!

The curious may check out the trailer below, as well as an exclusive teaser clip from the film itself-- featuring Geraldo, who seeks the buried treasure of John Lenno-- er, who talks about stuff.

While you're at it, check out the film's website, a too-cute Drudge Report knockoff.