America As Seen By A Frenchman
As much as we hate to admit it, America could use some perspective now and then. French filmmaker Francois Reichenbach (a lesser-known part of the French New Wave headed up by Godard and Truffaut) seems poised to deliver just that with his 1960 documentary America as Seen by a Frenchman. A narrated travelogue that captures his journey from San Francisco to New York, Reichenbach seems most fascinated by cultural gatherings - parades, festivals, re-enactments - that, unfortunately, provide very little vicarious entertainment for American audiences.
The film haphazardly shifts from town to town, with only a tenuous structure to hold things together. In general, Reichenbach goes easy on his subject matter; only our obsession with advertising and gaudy cultural displays draws his critical eye. In fact, the film finds a sort of poetry in the wrinkled faces, neon signs and towering skyscrapers. There's no vitriol here, no foreign superiority. In fact, Reichenbach begrudgingly admits that Europe could learn a thing or two. And while all the back-patting provides a nice pick-me-up, one almost wishes the director had found his subject matter lessappealing...at least purely for shock value. It would have been the American thing to do.
Arrow Film's Blu-ray presentation is quite the cultural time-capsule, with a flawless new transfer, English subtitles, image gallery and video appreciation by author Philip Kemp, who provides a brief history of Reichenbach's career in a nutshell, including the director's later fascination with Mexico. The first pressing includes an illustrated collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Caspar Salmon.
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