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Editorial Reviews
With its giddily complex noir plot and widescreen, color-drenched images, Made in U.S.A was a final burst of exuberance from Jean-Luc Godard’s early-sixties barrage of delirious movie-movies. Yet this chaotic crime thriller and acidly funny critique of consumerism—featuring Anna Karina as the most brightly dressed private investigator in film history, rummaging through an intricate plot for a former lover who might have been assassinated—also points toward the more political cinema that would come to define Godard. Featuring characters with names such as Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara, David Goodis, and Doris Mizoguchi, and appearances by a slapstick Jean-Pierre Léaud and a sweetly singing Marianne Faithfull, this piece of pop art is like a Looney Tunes rendition of The Big Sleep gone New Wave.
Stills from Made in U.S.A. (Click for larger image)
SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
• New, restored high-definition digital transfer
• Interviews with stars Anna Karina and Lászlo Szábó
• A video piece on the personal and the political in Made in U.S.A and 2 or 3 Things I Know About Her, featuring Godard biographers Richard Brody and Colin MacCabe
• A visual essay cataloguing the multiple references in the film
• Original and re-release theatrical trailers
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• PLUS: A new essay by film critic J. Hoberman
Stills from Made in U.S.A. (Click for larger image)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This isn`t one of Goddard`s most appreciated or understood films (ditto with '2 Or 3 Things I Know About Her' from the same time period), yet it`s fascinating to watch him deconstruct an Art form he almost single-handedly created. It`s an absurdist, surreal, darkly comic, brightly colored film noir-come-pseudo-spy story that`s chaotic and complex, and will leave you repeatedly shaking your head as you attempt to keep up with its inspired lunacy. It`s awash in bold, vibrant colors, most of the time red, white and blue to underscore the skewering of rampant American consumerism, and most characters have famous American names to further confound comprehension. But watching it the second time (in truth, I didn`t get it the first go-around), I found it to be acidicly funny Pop Art. The Bar scene with almost nonsensical chatter among its inhabitants while Marianne Faithful sits in a corner singing 'As Tears Go By' was hysterical to me. This was the last time Anna Karina worked w/ Goddard (their marriage broke up quite a bit before this film), and it appears at times throughout the film that he was putting her through paces just to screw with her and see how she`d react. This is not a casual film to watch, you need to give it your undivided attention, like most of his films, maybe more so. It`s not a movie that comes to you, you must go to it, if you get my drift. It`s also not the first film to watch if you`re not familiar w/ his work, you`ll hate it if this is so. You may not like it anyway, but it`s worth a go if you like Goddard, 60`s New Wave, and Pop Art Surrealism. And Criterion gives us many additional features to help us navigate our way within the delerious barrage of Goddard`s assorted visions.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I knowingly took a chance when I bought this DVD based only on a couple of New York Times reviews and a basic familiarity with several of Godard's other films. I was intrigued by the fact that even to this day "Made in USA" has rarely been shown theatrically in the United States. Criterion characterizes the film as a "piece of pop art [that is] like a Looney Tunes rendition of "The Big Sleep" gone New Wave", and that description intrigued me. But I didn't realize just how essential it was for the film to have a scholarly commentary track. If ever there were a film that requires an audio commentary track, this is it.
There _is_ a DVD extra -- the "visual essay"/concordance -- that helps explain a lot, but since it is a separate from the film, the details are covered out of the context and flow of the film. Unless you are fluent in French and familiar in detail with much of the politics, current events, pop culture, and high culture of the decades leading up to the mid-60s, you'll find "Made in USA" a barrage of references that keep you from seeing the forest for the trees.
All the details from the concordance, and more, belong in a commentary track, so that the viewer can take them in as he or she is watching the film. To really do it right, Criterion should have included both an audio commentary and concordance-based captioning with customized screen placement so that the viewer has half a chance of keeping up with the mixture of foreground and background details that are scattered throughout the film.
There _is_ a DVD extra -- the "visual essay"/concordance -- that helps explain a lot, but since it is a separate from the film, the details are covered out of the context and flow of the film. Unless you are fluent in French and familiar in detail with much of the politics, current events, pop culture, and high culture of the decades leading up to the mid-60s, you'll find "Made in USA" a barrage of references that keep you from seeing the forest for the trees.
All the details from the concordance, and more, belong in a commentary track, so that the viewer can take them in as he or she is watching the film. To really do it right, Criterion should have included both an audio commentary and concordance-based captioning with customized screen placement so that the viewer has half a chance of keeping up with the mixture of foreground and background details that are scattered throughout the film.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Definitely not the first film that one should watch if they want to watch and experience a Jean-Luc Godard film.
March 10, 2010
Format:DVD
In 1966, Jean-Luc Godard was asked by producer Georges de Beureagard if he can create a film quickly. The answer was yes and that the can film two at the same time: "Made in U.S.A." starring Anna Karina and Laszlo Szabo and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" starring Marina Vlady. It's important to note that "Made in U.S.A." is the final full-length film he created with his ex-wife and muse Anna Karina and the first film of singer Marianne Faithfull (a popular singer in the '60s and also the steady girlfriend of Rolling Stones vocalist Mick Jagger at the time). While "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" stars the woman that rejected him for marriage. So, needless to say, these two films are rather significant.
"Made in U.S.A." is the final goodbye between Karina and Godard and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" is a film that shows him angered by the rejection. And also two films that mark the end of the cycle of Jean-Luc Godard who has become more of a political person and wanted to use his films to deal with internal conflict that he felt about cinema and politics.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Made in U.S.A." is known for it's vibrant colors. As a detective, Anna Karina's character is known for wearing vibrant colored dresses and the film definitely does a great job showcasing those colors, especially closeups of Anna Karina's blue eyes. This remastered version of the film looks absolutely beautiful and I can only imagine how this would look on Blu-ray (if it ever receives a BD release). It's vibrant and colorful film!
"Made in U.S.A." is presented in its original aspect ration of 2:35:1 and the HD digital transfer was created on a 2K Spirit Datacine from the original 35mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitt and flicker were removed manually using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean System while Digital Vision's DVNR was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
As for the audio, "Made in U.S.A." is featured in monaural French with English subtitles. "Made in U.S.A." was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical print. Clicks, tumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation. The film is primarily center channel driven but I chose to have my receiver play the audio with stereo on all channels.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Made in U.S.A. - THE CRITERION COLLECTION #481" comes with the following special features:
* On the Cusp - (26:28) Jean-Luc Godard biographers Colin MacCabe and Richard Brody dissect the personal the political in "Made in U.S.A." and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her".
* Anna Karina - (10:08) A 2002 interview with Anna Karina looking back at her life and working with director Jean-Luc Godard.
* Laszlo Szabo - (5:46) A 2009 interview with Laszlo Szabo who appeared in several of Jean-Luc Godard's films and talks about making "Made in U.S.A.".
* Made in U.S.A.: A Concordance - (17:26) A video essay tracing the source of many of the references that make up the script of "Made in U.S.A.".
* Trailers - Featuring the original release trailer and the Rialto Pictures re-release trailer.
* 16-Page Booklet - Featuring "The Long Goodbye" essay by J. Hoberman.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"Made in U.S.A." is definitely not a film for those not familiar with Jean-Luc Godard's work. Although there is a main story about the character of Paula investigating her lover's murder, the film is not only heavy with references but there are a good number of political dialogue which was more or less Godard's platform for him to get out on what was on his mind.
Although many Jean-Luc Godard films show signs of politics being used in the storyline, "Made in U.S.A." tries to balance the film utilizing Anna Karina as this sexy, stylish detective but then using the film as a platform for politics but most importantly, for Godard to use two characters that define how he was back then as a filmmaker and then having Anna Karina taking care of the men in order to show that Jean-Luc Godard as we knew him in the past in his Anna Karina films is now no more.
"Made in U.S.A." is the final swan song between both Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. Despite being divorced at this time, she would no longer be his muse and the director would no longer be the director that many people have respected him and loved him for. His next films "La Chinoise" and "Week End" would truly mark the end of Godard's narrative and cinematic period of his filmmaking career and from then on, Godard would be a different director focusing on revolutions and his interest in Maoist ideology and would only return to mainstream films in 1980.
This is not a film for those who are not familiar with Godard's work or Anna Karina. I've met many who have watched this film solely for the purpose of the beautiful shots of Anna Karina and didn't like the film at all. For me, my appreciation was because it was a fitting goodbye to his ex-wife. After watching this collaboration between Karina and Godard, you knew it had to end someway and "Made in U.S.A." was the way to do it.
As incoherent this film may be to many people, I enjoyed the film in fragments. As a "noir" film, it's not my favorite. As a Godard film, I was impressed. The cinematography by Raoul Coutard was absolutely beautiful, the awkward randomness of certain scenes was an interesting way to see a perspective of Godard as a filmmaker and as a person who faced conflict and needed an outlet to let his emotions out. Both "Made in U.S.A." and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" are two different types of films made at the same time but are enjoyable in their own way.
Do I recommend "Made in U.S.A.", yes...that is only if you have seen a good number of Jean-Luc Godard films. This by no means is a film you should start out with if you want to learn about Godard's filmmaking style. Overall, a fantastic Criterion release and a film that I definitely enjoyed!
"Made in U.S.A." is the final goodbye between Karina and Godard and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" is a film that shows him angered by the rejection. And also two films that mark the end of the cycle of Jean-Luc Godard who has become more of a political person and wanted to use his films to deal with internal conflict that he felt about cinema and politics.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"Made in U.S.A." is known for it's vibrant colors. As a detective, Anna Karina's character is known for wearing vibrant colored dresses and the film definitely does a great job showcasing those colors, especially closeups of Anna Karina's blue eyes. This remastered version of the film looks absolutely beautiful and I can only imagine how this would look on Blu-ray (if it ever receives a BD release). It's vibrant and colorful film!
"Made in U.S.A." is presented in its original aspect ration of 2:35:1 and the HD digital transfer was created on a 2K Spirit Datacine from the original 35mm camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitt and flicker were removed manually using MTI's DRS system and Pixel Farm's PFClean System while Digital Vision's DVNR was used for small dirt, grain and noise reduction.
AUDIO & SUBTITLES:
As for the audio, "Made in U.S.A." is featured in monaural French with English subtitles. "Made in U.S.A." was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical print. Clicks, tumps, hiss and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated audio workstation. The film is primarily center channel driven but I chose to have my receiver play the audio with stereo on all channels.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"Made in U.S.A. - THE CRITERION COLLECTION #481" comes with the following special features:
* On the Cusp - (26:28) Jean-Luc Godard biographers Colin MacCabe and Richard Brody dissect the personal the political in "Made in U.S.A." and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her".
* Anna Karina - (10:08) A 2002 interview with Anna Karina looking back at her life and working with director Jean-Luc Godard.
* Laszlo Szabo - (5:46) A 2009 interview with Laszlo Szabo who appeared in several of Jean-Luc Godard's films and talks about making "Made in U.S.A.".
* Made in U.S.A.: A Concordance - (17:26) A video essay tracing the source of many of the references that make up the script of "Made in U.S.A.".
* Trailers - Featuring the original release trailer and the Rialto Pictures re-release trailer.
* 16-Page Booklet - Featuring "The Long Goodbye" essay by J. Hoberman.
JUDGMENT CALL:
"Made in U.S.A." is definitely not a film for those not familiar with Jean-Luc Godard's work. Although there is a main story about the character of Paula investigating her lover's murder, the film is not only heavy with references but there are a good number of political dialogue which was more or less Godard's platform for him to get out on what was on his mind.
Although many Jean-Luc Godard films show signs of politics being used in the storyline, "Made in U.S.A." tries to balance the film utilizing Anna Karina as this sexy, stylish detective but then using the film as a platform for politics but most importantly, for Godard to use two characters that define how he was back then as a filmmaker and then having Anna Karina taking care of the men in order to show that Jean-Luc Godard as we knew him in the past in his Anna Karina films is now no more.
"Made in U.S.A." is the final swan song between both Jean-Luc Godard and Anna Karina. Despite being divorced at this time, she would no longer be his muse and the director would no longer be the director that many people have respected him and loved him for. His next films "La Chinoise" and "Week End" would truly mark the end of Godard's narrative and cinematic period of his filmmaking career and from then on, Godard would be a different director focusing on revolutions and his interest in Maoist ideology and would only return to mainstream films in 1980.
This is not a film for those who are not familiar with Godard's work or Anna Karina. I've met many who have watched this film solely for the purpose of the beautiful shots of Anna Karina and didn't like the film at all. For me, my appreciation was because it was a fitting goodbye to his ex-wife. After watching this collaboration between Karina and Godard, you knew it had to end someway and "Made in U.S.A." was the way to do it.
As incoherent this film may be to many people, I enjoyed the film in fragments. As a "noir" film, it's not my favorite. As a Godard film, I was impressed. The cinematography by Raoul Coutard was absolutely beautiful, the awkward randomness of certain scenes was an interesting way to see a perspective of Godard as a filmmaker and as a person who faced conflict and needed an outlet to let his emotions out. Both "Made in U.S.A." and "2 or 3 Things I Know About Her" are two different types of films made at the same time but are enjoyable in their own way.
Do I recommend "Made in U.S.A.", yes...that is only if you have seen a good number of Jean-Luc Godard films. This by no means is a film you should start out with if you want to learn about Godard's filmmaking style. Overall, a fantastic Criterion release and a film that I definitely enjoyed!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
A French new wave classic
This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film.
Made in U.S.A, directed by Jean-luc Goddard is about a French writer who goes to meet her lover, bud... Read more
Made in U.S.A, directed by Jean-luc Goddard is about a French writer who goes to meet her lover, bud... Read more
Published on September 19, 2009 by Ted
3.0 out of 5 stars
Now fiction overtakes reality...
There is no questioning the power of Godard. His cinematic talent reaches much farther than my mind could even begin to escape, and upon watching some of his lesser known films... Read more
Published on August 1, 2009 by A. Gyurisin
