New York’s Milestone Films continues its essential mission of restoring the perceptive and socially conscious works of underground American filmmaker Shirley Clarke with this mesmerizing 1985 portrait of jazz icon Ornette Coleman.
A funky, non-fiction tribute to the great avant-garde saxophonist, Ornette upends the staid portrait-of-the-artist formula.
Screened as part of NZIFF 2013
Ornette: Made in America 1985
“New York’s Milestone Films continues its essential mission of restoring the perceptive and socially conscious works of underground American filmmaker Shirley Clarke with this mesmerizing 1985 portrait of jazz icon Ornette Coleman. [See also Robert Frost: A Lover’s Quarrel with the World on our programme.] Aided by cinematographer Edward Lachman, Clarke constructs a kaleidoscopic look at Coleman’s technique through a remarkable collage of performances, personal reminiscences and dizzying montages that connect the Dallas native’s vibrant music with the ideas and places that inspired it. From the dilapidated streets of his childhood to the existential theories of Buckminster Fuller, his influences come to life before our eyes. Building to a crescendo along with its orchestral soundtrack (which takes cues from Coleman’s ‘Skies of America’), Ornette isn’t just a love letter to the liberty of jazz rhythms; it excels at expressing them.” — Eric Kohn, Indiewire
“It’s essential viewing for any jazz aficionado.” — Geoff Andrew, Time Out