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 ****
10 Reviews
Understated to the extreme ......
merklekranz30 October 2012
"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
An odd passion project for David Carradine
midwesternhooligans26 September 2019
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'
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'
An odd little independent movie; the anti-Twister
Stincil28 May 2000
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 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.
Fascinating
garethm-29 March 2004
Warning: Spoilers
*spoilers*
I've never been a fan of films about Vietnam veterans but this, perhaps the strangest of them all, is the one true exception. I caught it late one night in the mid-80's when a family game of Monopoly had gone on longer than intended. I was no more than 10 at the time but recognised the films beauty even then. I just loved the sincerity and subtlety behind it all, I loved the cinematography and there was something quaintly magical about fixing a merry-go-round as opposed to anything else that I could imagine.
To worry about Carradine's character stooping to the levels that he previously scorned by agreeing to fight the dog is to miss the point, because, despite the simplicity of plot, this is a very deep film. It never really explains itself but neither does it make any apologies for neglecting to do so. For instance a previous reviewer is correct to wonder what exactly Barbara Hershey's contribution is. It could be any of those that he suggests. The film is loaded with these vagaries. Indicative of this is that the names of the two main characters are never revealed. There's the suspicion that Mike the garageman may be homosexual and we find out that Carradine is suffering some sort of 'condition' but we never find out what that 'condition' is. There also seems to be a strange foreshadowing of events. The dream at the beginning summarises the entire movie and there seems to be a dog either seen or heard in every single scene, almost prophesising the conclusion. The biggest curiosity, of course, is the motivation behind the central characters renovation of the derelict merry-go-round. Again, one person's guess is as good as the others although I favour the explanation of the DVD liner notes: it "looks as lonely and wounded as he feels". As for killing the dog in return for the essential carousel part, well, it's time to use your imagination again and that, my friends, really is one of the great things about the film. The problem viewers have with this scene is more their own problem rather than the movies because it proves how blinded they've become by the type of comfortable linear characterisation so overused in the movie world, particularly with regards to romantic heroes. Humans are ultimately complex beings who can often rationalise performing the very deeds that they themselves show contempt for. So yeah, the drifter may have done it just to save a lot of hassle, alternatively he may have done it to prove that Vietnam has not stopped him fighting for what he believes in. Or he might have done it for some other reason entirely. Crucially though, it's obvious when he's fighting the dog that he's doing so against his will - he even carries it to its resting place afterwards - but, regardless of his motives, he comes out of it more honourable in the eyes of the townspeople having done so. It appears that it was something he needed to do; otherwise he would have remained scarred even when the merry-go-round was back in full working order. As he staggers out of town exhausted, his work done, you feel deeply for him and you wonder what exactly the future holds for him, a mood made all the more poignant by Carradine's own alluring theme tune playing in the background.
By now you'll probably realise that this film is as satisfying to write and think about as it is to watch. Channel 4 here in the UK may show a lot of weird stuff that often fails to satisfy but every now and again it's the one place that you'll stumble across a real forgotten gem of which Americana is the perfect example. It's certainly not perfect, being a little bit slow in places, but it definitely is unique and it's not surprising that it has its own little cult band of admirers. Loads of films make perfect sense, only an occasional one offers something very different so even if you don't like this then you should at least accept that it's interesting enough to justify its existence. For me it is the type of film that at some point deserves a reappraisal on the same scale as has recently been bestowed upon The Wicker Man.
I've never been a fan of films about Vietnam veterans but this, perhaps the strangest of them all, is the one true exception. I caught it late one night in the mid-80's when a family game of Monopoly had gone on longer than intended. I was no more than 10 at the time but recognised the films beauty even then. I just loved the sincerity and subtlety behind it all, I loved the cinematography and there was something quaintly magical about fixing a merry-go-round as opposed to anything else that I could imagine.
To worry about Carradine's character stooping to the levels that he previously scorned by agreeing to fight the dog is to miss the point, because, despite the simplicity of plot, this is a very deep film. It never really explains itself but neither does it make any apologies for neglecting to do so. For instance a previous reviewer is correct to wonder what exactly Barbara Hershey's contribution is. It could be any of those that he suggests. The film is loaded with these vagaries. Indicative of this is that the names of the two main characters are never revealed. There's the suspicion that Mike the garageman may be homosexual and we find out that Carradine is suffering some sort of 'condition' but we never find out what that 'condition' is. There also seems to be a strange foreshadowing of events. The dream at the beginning summarises the entire movie and there seems to be a dog either seen or heard in every single scene, almost prophesising the conclusion. The biggest curiosity, of course, is the motivation behind the central characters renovation of the derelict merry-go-round. Again, one person's guess is as good as the others although I favour the explanation of the DVD liner notes: it "looks as lonely and wounded as he feels". As for killing the dog in return for the essential carousel part, well, it's time to use your imagination again and that, my friends, really is one of the great things about the film. The problem viewers have with this scene is more their own problem rather than the movies because it proves how blinded they've become by the type of comfortable linear characterisation so overused in the movie world, particularly with regards to romantic heroes. Humans are ultimately complex beings who can often rationalise performing the very deeds that they themselves show contempt for. So yeah, the drifter may have done it just to save a lot of hassle, alternatively he may have done it to prove that Vietnam has not stopped him fighting for what he believes in. Or he might have done it for some other reason entirely. Crucially though, it's obvious when he's fighting the dog that he's doing so against his will - he even carries it to its resting place afterwards - but, regardless of his motives, he comes out of it more honourable in the eyes of the townspeople having done so. It appears that it was something he needed to do; otherwise he would have remained scarred even when the merry-go-round was back in full working order. As he staggers out of town exhausted, his work done, you feel deeply for him and you wonder what exactly the future holds for him, a mood made all the more poignant by Carradine's own alluring theme tune playing in the background.
By now you'll probably realise that this film is as satisfying to write and think about as it is to watch. Channel 4 here in the UK may show a lot of weird stuff that often fails to satisfy but every now and again it's the one place that you'll stumble across a real forgotten gem of which Americana is the perfect example. It's certainly not perfect, being a little bit slow in places, but it definitely is unique and it's not surprising that it has its own little cult band of admirers. Loads of films make perfect sense, only an occasional one offers something very different so even if you don't like this then you should at least accept that it's interesting enough to justify its existence. For me it is the type of film that at some point deserves a reappraisal on the same scale as has recently been bestowed upon The Wicker Man.
Yep, Americana is there, but not much excitement.
mark.waltz16 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Typical story of a drifter coming into town (in this case David Carradine as a Vietnam War vet), deciding to stay, and winning over most of the townsfolk with their winsome ways. The small Kansas town has its shares of nice folks and roughnecks, and those aren't the ones eager to help Carradine restore a dilapidated merry-go-round that's been left to rust.
Playing the young girl Carradine falls for, Barbara Hershey really doesn't have the strongest story so her character sorts of drifts in and out. Bruce Carradine, the adopted older brother of David (son of one of papa John's wives), is good as a friendly sheriff. While this tries to focus on character and slice of life elements, the plot is rather weak and the film overall becomes somewhat tedious. Always nice to see Marjorie Main lookalike Fran Ryan pop up, playing an army benefit counselor who shows kindness to him.
Playing the young girl Carradine falls for, Barbara Hershey really doesn't have the strongest story so her character sorts of drifts in and out. Bruce Carradine, the adopted older brother of David (son of one of papa John's wives), is good as a friendly sheriff. While this tries to focus on character and slice of life elements, the plot is rather weak and the film overall becomes somewhat tedious. Always nice to see Marjorie Main lookalike Fran Ryan pop up, playing an army benefit counselor who shows kindness to him.
It had to be made
Jalow54729 August 2016
Americana is a good movie about a Vietnam veteran—played by the film's director, David Carradine—who drifts around the country after returning from the war. We get the idea that he basically just walks the earth, wandering from town to town until he finds someone or something that could use his help. It turns out that the thing that makes him stop in a dried-up little town in rural Kansas is an old, dilapidated carousel.
The drifter stops in the town to fix the thing. He makes it his mission to get it back up and running, stopping at nothing. He sleeps in the tall grass in the field where the carousel has been left to rust and he even gets a job to help pay for the parts and equipment he needs. He meets several of the locals and he wants to make the people of this town happy again by fixing their carousel. After all he's been through in war and in life, that is his goal, to bring happiness to a bunch of strangers who are his family on this earth he wanders that is his home.
But not everyone is happy that he's there. He's laughed at and hated by some bullies who don't understands him and want him gone. In the end, they force him into a compromising situation which causes him to question his principles and weigh his goals against his morals.
I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this film so much is because the basic idea has always been one that appealed to me. A mysterious drifter stops in a lonely town and stays for a while. He makes a few friends and some enemies as well. We don't know much about him, but we know that he's a man of morals and he's been through some stuff and he's not going anywhere until he finishes what he started. He's not going to let anyone down again like he may have done in his past, least of all himself.
It's a simple story and one we've seen many times before, but I feel like I had never before seen it done really well. Usually we see it on TV in shows like Then Came Bronson or Route 66, but television shows rarely measure up to good movies in terms of quality. Furthermore, I felt the episodes in those shows eventually became forced and too similar to each other, and the main characters quickly became boring and predictable as we got to know them too well, episode after episode. I wanted a character who we only see for a bit, just for this one chapter of his life. We don't know much about him and we don't learn much about him, but we do learn a thing or two from him and from his situation.
I even began writing my own story along these lines, as I felt one needed to be told, but I ended up putting it on hold when I couldn't think of anything good to add to it. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Americana. I didn't know much about it—other than that its star and director were David Carradine—and when I realized that the story was eerily similar to the one I'd been trying to tell and wanting to see, it made me happy. I didn't feel like I'd lost my idea; I felt like someone had made my movie, only better than I could have ever hoped for!
Americana might not be for everyone, but it was very good for me, and I'm glad I got to see it. It's just the sort of thing I'd been looking for.
The drifter stops in the town to fix the thing. He makes it his mission to get it back up and running, stopping at nothing. He sleeps in the tall grass in the field where the carousel has been left to rust and he even gets a job to help pay for the parts and equipment he needs. He meets several of the locals and he wants to make the people of this town happy again by fixing their carousel. After all he's been through in war and in life, that is his goal, to bring happiness to a bunch of strangers who are his family on this earth he wanders that is his home.
But not everyone is happy that he's there. He's laughed at and hated by some bullies who don't understands him and want him gone. In the end, they force him into a compromising situation which causes him to question his principles and weigh his goals against his morals.
I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this film so much is because the basic idea has always been one that appealed to me. A mysterious drifter stops in a lonely town and stays for a while. He makes a few friends and some enemies as well. We don't know much about him, but we know that he's a man of morals and he's been through some stuff and he's not going anywhere until he finishes what he started. He's not going to let anyone down again like he may have done in his past, least of all himself.
It's a simple story and one we've seen many times before, but I feel like I had never before seen it done really well. Usually we see it on TV in shows like Then Came Bronson or Route 66, but television shows rarely measure up to good movies in terms of quality. Furthermore, I felt the episodes in those shows eventually became forced and too similar to each other, and the main characters quickly became boring and predictable as we got to know them too well, episode after episode. I wanted a character who we only see for a bit, just for this one chapter of his life. We don't know much about him and we don't learn much about him, but we do learn a thing or two from him and from his situation.
I even began writing my own story along these lines, as I felt one needed to be told, but I ended up putting it on hold when I couldn't think of anything good to add to it. So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Americana. I didn't know much about it—other than that its star and director were David Carradine—and when I realized that the story was eerily similar to the one I'd been trying to tell and wanting to see, it made me happy. I didn't feel like I'd lost my idea; I felt like someone had made my movie, only better than I could have ever hoped for!
Americana might not be for everyone, but it was very good for me, and I'm glad I got to see it. It's just the sort of thing I'd been looking for.
Wish I hadn't trusted these reviews
scrabbler20 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I usually put a fair amount of stock in the star ratings of tiny films like this. The people who watch these and rate them are generally film lovers, and as a lover of small films I tend to gravitate toward ones like this. However, this time you guys really let me down. I have seen high school 8 mm films that were better directed, had better sound, better acting, and better stories than this. It was a total waste of 90 minutes of my life.
First, I'd estimate maybe 30% of the dialogue was clearly audible. This is probably just as well as the ridiculous script made little sense, and the actors made Ed Wood's worst movies look like blockbuster classics. No motivation is shown or given for almost anything Carradine's character does. Random scenes are thrown together with no sense of flow. And the final scene vaporizes the one interesting plot line in the entire film, the drifter's abhorrence of violence, in a completely senseless and shocking killing of a dog.
I hope I can save you the agony of watching this abomination. You're welcome.
First, I'd estimate maybe 30% of the dialogue was clearly audible. This is probably just as well as the ridiculous script made little sense, and the actors made Ed Wood's worst movies look like blockbuster classics. No motivation is shown or given for almost anything Carradine's character does. Random scenes are thrown together with no sense of flow. And the final scene vaporizes the one interesting plot line in the entire film, the drifter's abhorrence of violence, in a completely senseless and shocking killing of a dog.
I hope I can save you the agony of watching this abomination. You're welcome.
Loner.Nowhereville, USA
Autonome17 February 2002
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.
Wim Wenders' "Paris Texas" comes to mind as another film that portrays the cultural impotence of midwestern existence.
The moral of this movie is: maybe some dreams should be allowed to die.
Nozze-Foto13 May 2002
Warning: Spoilers
I started out liking this movie, the photography is great, the plot simplistic and convoluted at the same time, the characters so enigmatic as to inspire many debates among film buffs. So what happened? With only 10 minutes of running time to go something happened to change my opinions 180 degrees and I shut the movie off without finishing it . . .and I never will. Why? Read on! David Carradine is a disillusioned ex-officer just back from Vietnam. He is wandering around the countryside and pauses in a one-horse town where he becomes fixated on a decrepit merry-go-round and decides to restore it on his own. Why does he do it? Maybe because it represents an easier time of life, his own life, that he is trying to recapture. We never know for sure. The locals are amused by this and finally come around to believing in the project. Of course we have to complicate the plot because if it went too easy it wouldn't be any fun. The local garage owner gives David a job and admits he would like to see the merry-go-round fixed up too. Problems arise when he insists David join him at the local "sport", rooster fighting, and David balks. Suddenly the whole town turns against him because as one character puts it "We town folk stick together." This is where the trouble began, for me at least. David puts on his old uniform and goes to collect 6 months of back pay that he was too busy wandering around to get prior to this. To get the one essential part he needs to get the ride going again he agrees to a wrestling match proposed by his ex-pal the garage owner. Here's the catch, the fight is against an attack trained dog. Stick with me on this: David fights the dog and wins the uneven match by killing it. Now don't get me wrong, I am not naive enough to think he really killed the animal! It is just that the sound of breaking bones and the dog's final cry IS very disturbing even if it was dubbed in during Post Production. David left town after refusing to join in the rooster fight. By returning and sinking to the level of the isolated townies isn't he showing he is just as bad as they are? I mean, yeah it was the only way to get the part he needed to realize his dream but did he have to turn backwoods redneck Neanderthal to do it? Couldn't he have stuck to his own principles and just allowed his dream to quietly die? One good thing about a dream that dies, it leaves you wiser than you were before. Like I said, that was the point where I turned the movie off so I do not know how it ends and I no longer care. One other thing: just who is Barbara Hershey's character supposed to represent? Is she a Muse, a Forest Nymph, a physical manifestation of something in David's subconscious? Or is she just a hippie chick who's habits include boffing her old high school friends every chance she gets? Like I said, there is enough in this plot for many film school style debates.
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