Made in America: Shirley Clarke’s Avant-Garde Portrait of Ornette Coleman

“Made in America,” the final feature by independent filmmaker Shirley Clarke, chronicles saxophonist Ornette Coleman’s career and philosophy. The film is anchored by a 1983 concert in Coleman’s hometown of Fort Worth, Texas, where he performed with a full orchestra that, according to the documentary, was largely unfamiliar with free-jazz idioms. The concert marked the opening of a new performing-arts center and serves as the narrative spine for the film’s exploration of Coleman’s artistic world.

New York Times

Clarke constructs a non-linear portrait that jumps across time and space. Re-enactments portray a young Coleman wandering neighborhood streets and railroad tracks with his saxophone, while contemporary footage of his performances is intercut with archival material. The documentary inserts commentary from Coleman’s ex-wife, poet Jayne Cortez, and his son and manager Denardo Coleman inside a cartoonish television prop, underscoring Clarke’s willingness to blend stylization with documentary form. Additional sequences feature Coleman attending a reading by William Burroughs and discussing the influence of futurist Buckminster Fuller, whom he likens to his own compositional approach. A notable segment shows an early-’80s concert titled “The Link,” in which musicians at the World Trade Center interacted via satellite with performers in Harlem, illustrating Coleman’s interest in technological collaboration.

New York Times

In interview excerpts, Coleman reveals deep personal anxieties, stating that he could not discern whether women were attracted to him as a performer or as a person and even expressing a wish to be castrated to resolve the confusion. He also outlines a plan to convert a former school on Rivington Street in Manhattan’s Lower East Side into a “multiple-expression center” for artists and scientists. Denardo Coleman recounts two separate attacks on his father within that school building over the course of a year, highlighting the turbulent environment surrounding the project.

New York Times

The documentary was shot by cinematographer Ed Lachman, and Clarke edited the film herself, embracing a “Godardian” aesthetic that critics describe as joyous and self-defining. The New York Times’ streaming guide recommends the film as one of three nonfiction selections each month, noting its inventive sound and visual style as a rewarding viewing experience for audiences navigating the expanding landscape of documentary streaming.

New York Times