Yoko OnoFilm No. 5 (Smile), 1968 “Film No. 5 (Smile) is a fifty-one minute sound film which records John Lennon’s face at 333 frames per second, outdoors, in color, in long continuous shots. ~ Early in the film, Lennon’s face is largely immobile, blurring the distinction between a motion picture and a still photograph. After a while, several tiny events occur: Lennon makes an “O” with his lips, an insect or a bird flies across the image, and so on. Later on in the film, Lennon’s face is more active: He blinks several times, sticks his tongue out, smiles broadly twice.The imagery is accompanied by sounds recorded outdoors at the time when Lennon’s face was recorded. Ono offers viewers the opportunity to really look at a face, to study it: At times, it is as if Lennon’s stream of consciousness is visible, passion across his countenance. Film No. 5 (Smile) creates a very unusual audience- film relationship. Those of us in the theater and Lennon seem to meditate on each other from opposite sides of the cinematic apparatus, joined together by Ono in a lovely, hypnotic stasis.” -Avante Garde Film Motion Studies by Scott MacDonald (pg. 25-27) you can read an interview with John Lennon about the film here.

Yoko Ono
Film No. 5 (Smile), 1968


“Film No. 5 (Smile) is a fifty-one minute sound film which records John Lennon’s face at 333 frames per second, outdoors, in color, in long continuous shots.

~

Early in the film, Lennon’s face is largely immobile, blurring the distinction between a motion picture and a still photograph. After a while, several tiny events occur: Lennon makes an “O” with his lips, an insect or a bird flies across the image, and so on. Later on in the film, Lennon’s face is more active: He blinks several times, sticks his tongue out, smiles broadly twice.The imagery is accompanied by sounds recorded outdoors at the time when Lennon’s face was recorded. Ono offers viewers the opportunity to really look at a face, to study it: At times, it is as if Lennon’s stream of consciousness is visible, passion across his countenance. Film No. 5 (Smile) creates a very unusual audience- film relationship. Those of us in the theater and Lennon seem to meditate on each other from opposite sides of the cinematic apparatus, joined together by Ono in a lovely, hypnotic stasis.”

-Avante Garde Film Motion Studies by Scott MacDonald (pg. 25-27)

you can read an interview with John Lennon about the film here.


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