Mister Freedom (1968)

Some films are entirely of their time: they could not have been made at any other time and can only be seen in the context of those times.  William Klein's French shot satire of US imperialism, Mister Freedom, is one such film. The titular character is a bullying and aggressive superhero (played by John Abbey), who works for Freedom Inc.  His mission is to impose, by whatever means necessary, 'Freedom' on the populace, whether they want it or not.  We first see him as a Sheriff with a Detroit-style riot raging outside his police station - in response he transforms into Mister Freedom,  wearing his red, white and blue American Football uniform-style costume and toting a pair of Colt .45 automatics.  Crashing through the window of an apartment, dancing on their table, he accuses the black family inside of looting, ('When you're a lootin', I'm a shootin'), before opening fire on them.  We next see him arriving an office block, occupied by various US corporate behemoths and, on the top floor, Freedom Inc.  There, he is instructed by Dr Freedom (Donald Pleasance) to go to France, where his counterpart Captain Formidable (an uncredited Yves Montand plays his frozen corpse) has been assassinated by the communists.  It seems that the French are rejecting Freedom Inc's products and Mister Freedom will have to defeat the mysterious French Anti-Freedom (FAF) organisation, which is apparently behind student riots and other unrest.

What follows are a series of satirical set-pieces in which Mister Freedom organises his own French Freedom organisation - assisted by Formidable's widow Marie-Madelaine (Delphine Seyrig), a cross between a cheerleader and a prostitute, and the likes of M. Drugstore (Serge Gainsbourg) - confronts foes such as the Stalinist superhero Muzhik Man (Philippe Noiret) and Red China Man, (represented by a giant inflatable dragon) and attempts to bring Freedom to France through a combination consumerism, violence, terrorism and, finally, all out war.  With its bizarre costumes, surreal scenarios, deliberately stilted performances and general air of feverish chaos, Mister Freedom, at times, comes over as an episode of The Monkees written and directed by a group of politics students.  Even its staging is often somewhat amateurish, with the look of a student production.  But the point of a film like this, particularly one of this era, is the satirical message it is trying to put over.  In this respect Mister Freedom is somewhat hit-and-miss.  While its central ideas are decent and more often than not both still amusing and relevant - the idea of the commodification of 'Freedom' into yet another commercial product with which to penetrate other 'markets', or the US Embassy as a huge supermarket, existing primarily to sell US corporate commodities, for instance - the execution is often less than subtle and become repetitive.  Conversely, despite repetitively ramming home these ideas, the film also throws out numerous other satirical ideas which, frustratingly, it never pursues or develops.(the appearance of Jesus and Mary, for instance, representing the disconnect between actual Christian values and the 'God fearing' values of 'Freedom').  By the end of ninety five minutes, you feel as if you have been bludgeoned over the head.

But the ideas do still have some relevance and, at the time of the film's release, might well have felt entirely fresh and startling.  That 'Freedom', or rather 'Freedom the American Way' has become a product used to legitimise regime change and the spread of US influence and commercial interests has been seen again and again, from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan to Libya  Any other, local, version of 'Freedom' is seen as a competitor, which has to be put out of business.  But it isn't just a commercial conquest, the imposition of 'Freedom' involves cultural hegemony, too: not only is Mister Freedom constantly extolling the virtues of the 'American Way', his costume, even, representing an 'alien' (to the rest of the world) cultural phenomenon - American Football - but his organisation has also tried to usurp an indigenous superhero (Super French Man - another giant inflatable) with its own militaristic creation, Captain Formidable.  The film's climax, with Mister Freedom betrayed by Marie Madelaine and finally realising that, far from being loved, he is actually hated and feared, declaring war on the people and destroying half of France, currently seems disturbingly prescient.  Despite this, in its execution, the film remains resolutely grounded in the late sixties.

Frequently dismissed as simply being a piece of anti-US propaganda, Mister Freedom, in truth, does exhibit some balance, with the rival factions and their figureheads - Muzhik Man and Red China Man - being shown as essentially no different to Freedom Inc and its crude attempts at indoctrination through bullying.  The 'Cold War' is characterised as a tool, used by both sides, designed to terrorise populations into accepting the 'protection' of whichever 'Freedom' they are peddling.  It is notable that Muzhik Man has no desire to actually destroy Mister Freedom, as he understands that the two opposing ideologies they represent cannot exist unless it is in opposition to the other. In the final analysis, Mister Freedom still makes for a fascinating watch.  Its satire might now seem obvious, bludgeoning and repetitive, but seen in the context of 1968, it was innovative and daring, certainly going beyond anything seen in mainstream cinema of the era.