Yoko Ono says not even free showings at schools are allowed
By Courtney Lear

Lennon doc nixed by Yoko

LONDON (Hollywood Today) 3/7/07 — The world premiere of the documentary “Three Days in the Life,” an intimate glimpse into the life and music of former Beatle John Lennon was cancelled due to the threat of legal action from none other than Yoko Ono.

The film, which was to be screened Tuesday night at Berwick Academy, a private school in Maine, had not received Ono’s permission for public viewing, according to Ono’s lawyers.

The film’s producers could not get an artist release from Ono to show the film for profit so they planned free screenings. However, Ono’s lawyers still claimed breach of a vested copyright interest and threatened to sue the school if it allowed the viewing.

Hap Ridgway, Berwick Academy’s headmaster who received a slue calls and emails from Ono lawyers told AP that he went from worrying about an overflow crowd to wondering if the film would ever be shown.

“We certainly hope the two sides will get together,” he said yesterday. “What we’ve learned since it all broke loose is that it’s a long-running dispute.”

Ono’s ex-husband Tony Cox shot the nine hours of footage of daily Lennon life including personal moments and conversations with Ono, over a three-day period in February 1970, two months before the Beatles break up.

Cox sold the tapes in 2000 to a small production company, World Wide Video L.L.C, for $1 million.

The film’s executive producer, Ray Thomas, edited the footage down to a two-hour film showing Lennon on his private estate, composing songs, and rehearsing for a BBC show in which he performed “Instant Karma” for the first time publicly.