Americana

A personal project for actor-producer-director David Carradine, playing a loner Vietnam vet (is there any other kind?) who drifts into a quiet Kansas town, befriending a pretty flower-child and coming upon a dilapidated carousel in an overgrown field. Carradine's obsession with the merry-go-round is steeped in the hypothetical, but we can appreciate his mysterious drive, as can Barbara Hershey (she was Carradine's real-life girl when much of the film was shot in 1973). Although screenwriter Richard Carr based his script on Henry Morton Robinson's novel "The Perfect Round", this feels very much like a semi-remake of (or homage to) Akira Kurosawa's "Ikiru" from 1952, and the troubled final result went through a number of title changes (at one time it was announced as "Butterfly"). Michael Stringer's cinematography is quite good, with sunset reds and dusty browns, and Carradine's anti-hero of very few words--while familiar--is still quite interesting. **1/2 from ****

This movie was so low budget it should be collecting welfare.

This was David Carradine's project and obviously he is the only one who believed in it. It was filmed mainly in 1973, but not finished until 1981, and includes a scene where Carradine appears to have aged about ten years; make-up being to costly, I presume.

The film is about a recently discharged Vietnam vet who wanders into a small Kansas town and comes across a dilapidated Carousel, which he takes to fixing, arousing the suspicions of the townspeople. That is the plot.

Carradine plays the character much like his Kung Fu's Caine: The quiet, unassuming and ambiguous wanderer. A man with a hidden past. A man of uncertain principle.

The townspeople, played by Barbara Hershey, small time actors and townspeople, react by offering him odd jobs while questioning his intentions; by quietly giving support, or by trying to drive him off. Even the mangy dogs seem particularly mangy, like small time animal actors.

For some reason it all works. If Carradine had one more dime to spend on this film it may have ruined it.

Americana is an outstanding film.

This film was directed by Carradine himself, and embodies his unique screen presence and character. It is a minimalist, somewhat surreal film of an American midwestern drifter, and depicts a certain odd aspect of the midwest that few films have been able to. A certain maladjusted yet benevolent alienation at the core of the loner.

Wim Wenders' "Paris Texas" comes to mind as another film that portrays the cultural impotence of midwestern existence.

"Americana" is one laid back film. David Carradine wanders into a small Kansas town, evoking curiosity among the locals, as to why his obsession with repairing an old carousel. That's it, and if that sounds like not much of a plot, you are correct. With non actors playing the folksy inhabitants, Barbara Hershey in a rather meaningless role, and Carradine sleepwalking, the movie totally lacks momentum. One curious aspect is a nice assortment of dogs that appear throughout. You can try and imagine meaning in every scene, but my take is that this is simply a very understated film, that demands extreme patience to finish. Not really boring, but far from exciting. - MERK

Normally when actors direct a film it can go from so-so to awful. And David Carradine's work here isn't so-so its pretty good. Very slow! With some layers packed here and there.

Any fans of David or Barbara should give this a watch. For those of you who liked "Into the wild" you might find The American Soldier's obsession charming enough to finish the film.

Could also be a good pairing with 'Easy rider'