Three years ago, Sean Ono Lennon was asked to develop a music video for the 50th anniversary of ¡°Happy Xmas (War Is Over),¡± a 1971 protest song by his parents, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which has become a rare type of perennial ¡ª a warmhearted Christmas tune that doubles as an anti-war challenge, telling ordinary citizens that peace can be achieved ¡°if you want it.¡±
But Lennon, 48, was not interested in making a simple video. That ¡°felt unnecessary¡± for such a well-known track, he says in a recent interview. What intrigued him more was the possibility of expanding the song¡¯s message through a narrative film. After about two years of work, that project became ¡°War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko,¡± directed by Dave Mullins, which has been nominated for an Academy Award for best animated short film.
The 11-minute picture is set in a World War I-like battle zone where two soldiers on opposing sides take part in a secret chess game, communicating their moves via a homing pigeon that dodges bombs over a snowy No Man¡¯s Land. In the story¡¯s climax, both armies are ordered into bloody hand-to-hand combat while the opening lines of John and Yoko¡¯s song ring out: ¡°So this is Christmas / And what have you done?¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.