User reviews

William Klein's biting satire of the ugly American as superhero Mr. Freedom. It's definitely got a 60s sensibility but the subject matter is as contemporary as today's news. It becomes a little unfocused in the second half but it's a wild ride nonetheless. A real bonus is the appearance of Serge Gainsbourg as Mr. Drugstore. Warning though- if you politically lean to the right, this one might not be for you.

This satire on the American persona starts off as a biting attack on the jingoistic way we Americans force ourselves on others onto and treat other people at home, and mostly abroad. Mr Freedom, a boneheaded superhero is sent to rid France of communist infiltration. As he attempts to swing France back into American influence he battles his Soviet counterpart and the evil Red China Man.

After the first half hour, during which most of the points are made, this film circles around itself in total confusion before collapsing into total incomprehensibility. It looks like someone took huge chunks out of this film. I've seen some people listing the this film as having a full running time of 115 minutes. If thats the case see that version and not the 95 minute English one since it probably makes more sense.

Frankly this is a major disappointment since the film would seem to have become timely again with what is going on in the Iraq. Instead its a major misfire that is rightly not well known in America.

7 out of 10 for curiosity and for some truly wonderful moments, mostly in the first half. See it if you like misfires or want to see how the world has come full cycle, just prepare to be confused regarding the plot.

A satirical look at US social and political policy during the 1960's and 70's in the context of a superhero genre. Mr. Freedom works for Freedom INC. and protects freedom around the world by blowing things up, looting, and killing. Freedom Inc. seems to be on the top floor of an office building that has other blue chip American corporations and is run by Dr. Freedom (aka - Donald Pleasence). This is not a far stretch for Donald who had problems handling Michael Meyers and was the leader of a criminal organization trying to take over the world, with only the Puma Man (pronounced Pueooma) to stop him. The movie is rather obscure and hard to follow, however, it does contain numerous hilarious scenes. The Freedom suit is by far the funniest aspect of the movie. John Abbey does a great job of portraying a John Wayne/Teddy Roosevelt stereotypical pushy American character who acts first and does not worry about the consequences. My favorite scenes are as such : Mr. Freedom's visit to the U.S Embassy in Paris (aka - Walmart) and the party crash by Red China Man of the meeting between Mr. Freedom & Moujik Man (I think its suppose to be the Soviets). Most people will get bored very quickly with this movie and could be considered an artsy movie. Even though I do not think it is a great or even a good movie it has some redeeming qualities and makes some relevant points (even for today).

I have always been intrigued by a still of the entrancing Delphine Seyrig in a majorette outfit gracing the cover of one of my favorite issues of the British film magazine “The Movie” – which, among others, discussed in detail such films as Michelangelo Antonioni’s L’ AVVENTURA (1960), Alain Resnais’ LAST YEAR IN MARIENDBAD (1961), Chris Marker’s LA JETEE' (1962) and John Frankenheimer’s THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962); on closer inspection, I found out that the film in question was one I was unaware of and, under the circumstances, I took to be an ordinary potboiler. Several years later, I learned on the Internet that both MR. FREEDOM and its director’s preceding film, WHO ARE YOU, POLLY MAGGOO? (1966) had been released on DVD in France (appropriately enough) and, frankly I have been toying with the idea of picking them up ever since – despite their prohibitive price ($30 apiece). Luckily, I held firm and, a couple of years later, Criterion’s more adventurous sister label Eclipse sprung the 3-Disc “The Delirious Fictions of William Klein” set – consisting of these two films and the later THE MODEL COUPLE (1977) – on a largely unsuspecting public. Once again, my interest was intensely aroused by the prospect of owning these enticing movies but, perhaps thankfully, their release came at a very low ebb in my DVD collecting hobby which, due to family problems and time constraints, has sensibly made me cut down on my reckless online purchasing! Still, as a local saying goes, what doesn’t enter from the door, gets in through the window – and so it is that I have managed to score these three William Klein films via DivX torrents which, however, I then still had to convert to DVD-R given the fickle nature of imported English subtitles!

Despite its 2004 inclusion among eminent critic Jonathan Rosenbaum’s “1000 Essential Films” and the fact that I was fully expecting to really love this one (given its comic-strip leanings), regrettably I have to admit that MR. FREEDOM proved to be a case of a long wait for a certain title not being totally repaid on realization. Like William Cameron Mezies before him and anticipating Robert Fuest, William Klein was himself a writer-director-production designer whose unusual combination of talents likewise (and understandably so) gravitated him towards the fantasy genre when dabbling in movies. Anonymous actor John Abbey, then, is the arrogant all-American hero – the sometime Stetson-hat-wearing/sometime rugby-player-attired Mr. Freedom – and his pompous characteristics instantly reminded me of Eddie Constantine’s Lemmy Caution characterization in Jean-Luc Godard’s ALPHAVILLE (1965) – a film with which it shares not only the satirizing of pulp fiction heroes but, by extension, American intervention in foreign countries. Indeed, MR. FREEDOM can perhaps best be described as a wildly uneven and wholly unholy satirical blend of French Nouvelle Vague sensibilities, Pop-art kitsch and comic-strip campiness.

Getting back to Delphine Seyrig, she has arguably never looked sexier than she does here – sporting a frizzy-haired red wig and that seemingly clashing cheerleader costume, she plays Mr. Freedom’s main associate ‘over there’: French agent Marie-Madeleine; also on their side is Abbey’s employer Dr. Freedom who, played by Donald Pleasence, only appears to him in intermittent TV communiqués. On the other hand, the villains are more opaque if not a little eccentric in themselves: Philippe Noiret is the inflated, cap-wearing Moujik-Man and then there is the dragon-like, life-size puppet Red Chinaman! The film also features some notable (and notably irreverent) cameos: Yves Montand as the deceased French superhero, Capitaine Formidable, Serge Gainsbourg as a Mr. Freedom acolyte (he also composed the film’s playful score) and Sami Frey as Jesus Christ!! For the record, both Noiret and Frey had both already appeared in Klein’s WHO ARE YOU, POLLY MAGGOO?

Ultimately, you have to hand it to Eclipse for bravely going ahead with releasing on DVD – and, technically, for exclusive American consumption – this “most anti-American of anti-American films” during a period when anti-Bush/anti-Iraq War fervor is at its highest. But, then, isn’t the then-current anti-Vietnam War/anti-consumerist credo splattered all over the colorfully chaotic canvas of MR. FREEDOM?

"So, the French are the white man's burden!"

"Anti-Freedomism is at a new high."

The above quotes are some of the funny lines from this strange piece of political satire. While I am an American and am reasonably conservative, this overtly anti-American film didn't offend me. After all, dissent is good and I could respect both William Klein's concept of a very flawed superhero as well as some of his points about American foreign policy circa 1969. This idea COULD have worked--even though it was bound to offend many viewers. And, while it DID start well, the entire film turned out to be a mess simply because the satire falls flat again and again--mostly due to very poor writing, acting and horrible production values. To put bluntly, many of Ed Wood's films looked better! Too bad, as this piece of commentary might have had a lot more impact if the film simply didn't look so craptastic. This film is one of the best examples of a movie that was a great idea and had great moments--but had absolutely nothing else going for it.

The film is not as relevant as it used to be and I assume it would mostly be a welcome film for people who were alive during the 1960s as well as fervent America-haters--who love the idea of any film that works this hard to make fun of the United States. And, quite frankly, some of the points the film made WERE pretty clever and on--it's just too bad the film had nothing--absolutely NOTHING else going for it. Cheap and wildly uneven--this film is one that actually would probably be best viewed while under the influence.

An irreverent look at US nationalism, imperialism and "red panic" .A little redundant, and outstays its welcome after a while - but an enjoyable flick, after all. Less humane than other of his movies, notably the wonderful documentary on Muhammad Ali. Great cameo roles by Philippe Noiret, and the remarkable Yves Montand as a corpse. America needs more William Kleins.

Good satire keeps you focused on the film ... cf. Dr. Strangelove which is as strongly critical of America as any of Klein's films, but it's a classic in the US. Everyone has seen it. Klein's films are intended to be harshly critical of the US as well, but they are so amateurish in their execution and pedantic in their dialog that I actually fell asleep during two of his films. Robert Mitchum was once described as having 'a crushing touch in an eggshell comedy'. This is no such comedy, but Klein does have the 'crushing touch' down to a fine science. This skill extends to Who Are You Polly Maggoo? which is part of the set issued by Criterion in the Eclipse series.

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.

Pure cinematic agony. An anti-American masturbatory fantasy seemingly made by a troupe of first-semester film-school students. Don't believe any of the other votes or comments here -- they're only promoting the film because they think that by doing so they will help to damage the reputation of the United States. But the only reputation this film damages is that of the filmmaker and anyone who claims to have liked it.

If you don't believe me, go ahead -- I dare you to buy or rent a copy of "Mr. Freedom" and try to sit through the entire thing. I guarantee that a queasy combination of disgust, boredom and an earache will compel you to abandon the film before you even get halfway through.

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.

'Mr Freedom' is a film as relevant as ever in our current political climate. With some far right factions expanding throughout the country, the issues of nationalism and fascism are getting evermore disturbingly pertinent to American society. Luckily, films like 'Mr. Freedom' show that artists have been willing to subvert and parody these harmful societal and political forces in entertaining and humorous ways. 'Mr. Freedom' is a film that can be enjoyed as more than just some dry, drab political statement: it is a very alive, entertaining, and visually appealing movie. The humour ranges from the pitch black to the amusingly absurd, and the scenery is filled with eye candy. Naturally, the film's color palate is painted with many reds, whites, and blues, always to an over-the-top extent, creating an atmosphere to the set and costume design that is funny, satirical, and borderline surreal.

The film's escalation into further absurdity is one of its finest attributes. Watching everything crumble into a great ball of bizarre comedy helps even further cement this film's status as a feast for the eyes and mind. Towards the end, many of the action sequences are so bafflingly insane that they become ridiculously fun. When I can't tell what exactly is even going on, I get all the more intrigued.

While it is not a perfect film, or any sort of "masterpiece" at all (there are a lot of weird audio decisions William Klein made, much of the dialogue is obviously dubbed and it is very distracting) , 'Mr. Freedom' is certainly a worthwhile experience for almost anyone looking for a good satire. It's as entertaining and absurd as a film of this kind ought to be.

A curio from the late 1960s, Mr. Freedom is about a costumed super patriot who is sent to France in order to ensure that the Commies don't take it over and therefore the world. (Yes, it's an analogue to the Vietnam War.) The catch is that Mr. Freedom is more than willing to maim, rape, and murder anyone who doesn't agree with his particular brand of bringing true democracy to the masses, which makes him a bit more sociopathic than heroic. But them's the breaks, I suppose.

Mr. Freedom (John Abbey) is in the employ of some faceless secret organization headed by, of course, Dr. Freedom (Donald Pleasance). The doctor sends the mister overseas to help the resistance, as if WW II were ongoing. The idea is that if the Reds capture France, then by the domino effect the rest of Europe will fall to the Iron Curtain - which here includes China. So how does Mr. Freedom hope to accomplish this? With guns, fists, and good ol' American know-how. His French contact Marie-Madeline (Delphine Seyrig) introduces him to the ragtag crew who hopes to forestall Communism - but could there be a spy among their midst? His costume looks like a combination of NFL player and Robocop. Soon all of the freedom fighters are similarly attired, which makes the whole outfit look like rejects from American Gladiators. Mr. Freedom has no time for nuance; he punches, shoots, kicks, and kills anything that seems anti-American. Seems legit. He's surrounded by stereotypes masquerading as symbols - China is represented by a giant dragon costume, of course. The movie, like its purported protagonist, ain't subtle. Mr. Freedom is sort of like the inbred half-cousin to Captain America; all machismo, no smarts, no figurative vision, and too damn angry.

This was directed by one William Klein, whose IMDb page informs me directed quite a few documentaries - and not too many features. His fiction films were typically subversive, meant to satirize known conventions, whether they were the American stance on the war in Vietnam or the fashion industry. I'm not sure how well it was received in 1969, but Klein was so fearful about getting it shown anywhere that he opened it at the Avignon Festival. He was probably wise to do so. The movie is overbearing, crass, and pretty repulsive, even as satire. Phillipe Noiret, Yves Montand, and Simone Signoret each show up in brief roles or cameos, but I'd be willing to wager none was proud of it. Even worse, Abbey gives about as one dimensional a performance as possible; he plays Mr. Freedom as if he were the ROTC guy from Animal House, only not for laughs. Even the sexual scenes are drab. This is a colossal bomb.

The overarching trouble with Mr. Freedom the movie is that the character's schtick runs thin about five minutes in and yet intensifies as the plot progresses. It's not long before he's fighting not just Commies but the French who aren't actively fighting with the freedom fighters, and later all of the French. I'm not sure if that's a commentary on how Americans overall view the French, but there you go. And, of course, since this is during the Cold War, there's a threat of using The Bomb to solve problems. You can probably guess Mr. Freedom's stance on that topic.

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!

Wow!! To my taste this is far funnier and less campy than Dr Strangelove. Talk about the arid intellectual- Dr. Strangelove pulls his punches and spoons-out his laughs. Mr. Freedom has the bold "logo-rhhea" power to come out and blame The Reds *AND* The Blacks for all his troubles- Not fun or funny? Maybe Kubrick makes better 'cinema'- or maybe he's just lingering over mild material. Klein is committed, overt; profoundly radical. I've seen nothing like this script, but overall- especially the direction, invention & conviction- it reminds me of "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension". Except where Americans describe Buckaroo as "agreeably insane", Mr. Freedom comes from some different country. OTOH- None of these films depend on any nuance. It is probable that the first 40 minutes are the most astounding of Mr. Freedom's bizarrely breathless life. After that we're asked to buy into the TV-Batman premise; then we proceed along an escalating series of staged confrontations- offering no development 'per se', but plentiful poignant wordplay. Whole pages of the script are totally "quotable", but possibly poisoned. So if one isn't angered by our corporate-imperialist history in Europe (i.e., the Cold War ('Red Chinaman', 'Mr. Moujik' ('peasant' in Russian)), the 1960's Marseilles underground (represented as Mafia lowlife "Mr. Drugstore" (Turk Sweet, anyone?))) & some very similar Euro-Colonialist history - then yeah, it'll all sound 'stupid'. Well the fun here is part surreal/comics- but it's *All* satirical- i.e., depends on deeper connections. And "literate" is Problem #1 for USA-educated, Depression-Generation video-gamers. A grounding in international politics just won't match the power-fantasies of Fox-TV Gulf-war coverage for jingoistic thrill-kills/per-minute. But anyone who reads to stay awake should appreciate Director William Klein's ambitious coup. Anyone ready for 'System of a Down' or 'Rage Against the Machine' etc. should score (& another historic value IS the scrappy score by Serge Gainsborough (also seen at the piano)). Vive the French Anti-Freedom League! Vive Paris 1968!

I saw this film at this years berlin film festival (berlinale2002) and it was great. Although i did not understand every word I laughed throughout the film. I just loved the american propaganda, the french accents and the bombing of France. If you've seen this film you understand the Cold War. 10/10

By day, our hero is a redneck policeman, but when needed, he puts on a strange outfit and becomes the policeman of the world. At the beginning of the film, Mr. Freedom is dispatched by Dr. Freedom (a dead-on Donald Pleasence) to France, which is in danger of going Red. Mr. Freedom will not let this happen. . . regardless of how many innocent bystanders he kills in the process.

Obviously made as a reaction to America's involvement in Vietnam, Mr. Freedom is slightly dated, but perhaps not as much as its detractors may like to pretend. Also, the film is surprisingly colorful. With its bright set design, this low-budget film pleases the eye far most legitimate superhero film movies.

There are slow stretches. Some ideas miss. Yet, one forgives the misses for what the film gets perfectly right (an American embassy in a supermarket, Mr. Freedom trying to get a French child to laugh at him, a trip to the dentist, and the ending). This film reminds one a little of Alphaville. Both films are low-fi science fiction with unique, inimitable visuals. This is a good film for the adventurous viewer who thinks he has seen everything.

Simply put, Mr. Freedom is unlike any film being made today.

The American in Paris William Klein has made many films in his lifetime, but none of them have the unique, distinctive edge of "Mr. Freedom" a brilliant satire that is relevant to this day. His arthouse satire on American chauvinism portrays the arrival of an eponymous superhero (John Abbey) in France who is assigned to destroy the enemies of US imperialism. He's a racist, anti-communist and devoutly All-American Christian figure who decides to save France from the Stalinist Moujik Man, Red Chinaman and a giant inflatable dragon even if he has to destroy the whole country while trying. The film has some great lines, wonderful set design for a 60s production. It's hilarious of course because of the characters and the deliberately over the top absurd dialogues, but in the back of your mind you know that it's not the characters that you are laughing with but the megalomaniacal stupidity. And there's a lot of human stupidity in this film. Watch it, have fun, but above all think. William Klein manages with a lot of wit and humor to warn the viewer about what happens if you give a fascist a free hand. This will appeal to the fans of absurd comedies, i would also recommend Joaquim Pedro de Andrade's Macunaíma (1969), Jacques Baratier's La poupée (1962), Aleksey German's Khrustalyov, My Car! (1998) worth checking out in that regards.