Mr. Freedom (1970)

An absolute waste of money

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

It had the premise, the wardrobe and the set design to be something special in the absurdist farce genre. And failed spectacularly.I'm hazarding a guess, but it seems to me that director William Klein is (still alive?) a pretty ardent Alfred Jarry fan and this was an effort to mimic his surrealist theater in an attempt to skewer the concept of "American Empire". The contempt, both warranted and unwarranted, has no subtlety whatsoever - it's filmed at a Banana Splits teevee show level, albeit less entertaining in delivery.There is no coherence or continuity in the story, the acting often painful, the direction amateur film school level. The opening few minutes are haphazard and forced, as though there was only budget for single takes, and that sets the standard for the remaining 90. I have to say this was one of those films that is a chore to watch - that you only go the distance to prove you can.Which is a crying shame. The costumes and sets had the potential for something truly special as far as absurdist splatstick goes. Other reviewers compare the absurdism to Dr. Strangelove. I have a more appropriate comparison - The Day the Fish Came Out (which destroyed Mihalis Kakogiannis' career): that is how you make the theater of the absurd come to life on screen. But Mr. Freedom is just a poor case of squandered opportunity and resources. Sad.

The garage-built cacophony Mr. Freedom truly appears to be the thematic grandfather to Trey Parker's marionette spectacular Team America. During the political tumult of 1960's America, William Klein managed to create a knock down, drag out satire so brutal that nothing came close to touching it until 2004. This is a film that refuses to just poke fun at American chauvinism. Rather, it savagely tears apart the elitism held by many of the country's under educated inhabitants as well as foreign policy that equates to "agree with us or suffer". Mr. Freedom himself (portrayed brilliantly by rare actor John Abbey) is a Stetson crowned ass kicker for America, a representation of the citizens who ride their high horse all day long, looking down upon all others and who's number one fear is the threat of communism. Incredibly this film from 1969 is more relevant than most for today's disciples of 24 hour news networks and conservative radio. Simply replace communism with terrorism and this film could have been made last week.Only this film would never be made today. The entirety of the costumes seem like they were put together in an arts and crafts class in elementary school, which only adds to the absurdity of every situation. One of Mr. Freedom's key enemies is a massive inflatable commie chinaman. The ludicrous design of everything and homemade costumes and effects lend credit to the film's aim of showing us just how goddamned ridiculous our government's actions are. At one point Mr. Freedom even comes down with a surly case of stigmata, and the link between American extremism and Christian sensibilities is thrown into the limelight. Klein saw everything wrong with this country and attacked it with his kaleidoscopic dream imagery and a powerful wit so astute that his comments still matter and should be studied by the entirety of Washington DC 39 years after the fact.

This isn't a exactly a masterpiece, but a very brave and very funny look at American imperialism by-way of our consumerism, our over-consumption, our super-patriotism, our racism, and our basic stupidity as a nation.But since postmodernism is thankfully dead as an intellectual fad (the public never cared about it anyway), and because history has reared its ugly head again showing that American power has its vulnerabilities, this film has become very timely, and is definitely prescient in its criticisms of American culture and economy. That doesn't mean it's supposed to be entertaining, but far be it from us Americans to understand the difference.What's really boring is how whenever someone has the "temerity" to criticize American foreign policy, they're somehow being "pedantic" and "preachy," while the excesses of our corporate owned media get a free pass. It's a hollow argument whose lies are showing, and we've got a lot of criticism coming-our-way these days, even from our "allies" in the EU. We've earned it.Ken Russell is much better at this kind of comic book approach to satire--he's funnier. If Klein fails--which he sometimes does in Mr. Freedom--it's only because the subject matter isn't funny. America is a real horror, just as it was in the late-1960s, with more fun to come. What makes Mr. Freedom so great is how beautiful it looks, which should come as no surprise considering its source. Klein was a very successful fashion photographer for American Vogue during the 1950s-60s.Eventually, he grew tired and disgusted with the direction the country was taking at that time and left for France. Who can blame an intelligent man with a clue? If you can do it, then-by-all-means, do it. You couldn't make a movie like Mr. Freedom in America then, or now, and that's the real courage behind it. It was a labor of love and principle, a rarity in cinema.Most chilling is the slaughter of a poor Black family by Mr. Freedom in the beginning prologue. That he wears a cowboy hat, uses violence to get his way, that he eats excessively, that he's intolerant of the views of others, all speaks volumes of what America is really about, and that's criminality.

William Klien's late 60's flick "Mr. Freedom" is a satire on American culture. Some people will find it mean spirited, but I personally found it hilarious. It's a pretty good critique on America's foreign policy. Mr. Freedom is a tall, flag waving patriotic style superhero. He wheres a red, white and blue football uniform and is very racist, misogynist and an egomaniac. Kind of like the dumb high school jock, who picks on everyone. He is sent on a mission to stop the spread of communism in France. He must save people from his enemy, Red China man. In order to save France and force democracy on others, he literally rapes and destroys their country. Hmmmmm, isn't there a small middle eastern country that we've been doing the same thing to? Mr. Freedom has ridiculously bright patriotic colors and subversive humor galore. The costumes look like something from a drugged out 70's children's show. Many people may feel outraged at the films satirical elements. To me, the movie was hilarious. It's a great laugh when living in these troubled times. Look for a cameo by Donald Pleasence of "Halloween". And who can forget the Mr. Freedom theme song? (Hurray for freedom, for one and for all... It's you and meet em and ten foot tall...) F-R-(double E)-D- D-O-M spells FREE-DOM and you'll notice the film puts an emphasis on DOM(dumb). Enjoy Mr. Freedom, I did!