MUBI

It is almost July 4, 2010. This film was released as part of an Eclipse box set just over three years ago. It must have been around that time that I had watched Au revoir, les enfants, if not all three films in the Criterion Collection Louis Malle box set, as well as a few good documentaries, probably Grey Gardens and Gimme Shelter. When I find something that interests me I can have a tendency to overindulge that interest. “The Documentaries of Louis Malle” was a way to kill two birds with one stone, Malle and documentaries, so I snapped it up shortly after its release. And, as I may have a tendency to do when overtaken by a compulsive whim, it quickly faded and the discs sat on my shelf almost untouched since (I did watch one of the docs a couple of years ago).

With American Independence Day approaching, I stumbled upon Criterion’s theme page on their website, ”America, America” (http://www.criterion.com/explore/88-america-america), and saw two of the Malle docs as recommendations. I chose …And the Pursuit of Happiness to start.

The film takes a look at immigrants in the U.S. from an immigrant’s point of view. Malle did a very nice job of looking at immigrants from all over the world—Asia, Central America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe—and took a look into their lives, plights, and successes in the New World, going to New York, San Diego, Texas, and Nebraska to name a few places. It was a very tactful and empathetic approach tailored for thoughtful viewing.

What I found most significant in watching this film was how relevant it still is twenty-four years after its release, especially in light of recent events in the U.S. regarding immigration. This film could have been made last week. I’m pretty sure it still could have been made with Malle’s non-judgmental approach and apolitical agenda, that is if it were made by Malle and not someone such as Michael Moore, but if it were a contemporary piece it would certainly be gasoline on the fire of political punditry on cable television and in the blogosphere.

…And the Pursuit of Happiness is a well-made documentary by a competent director with personal sense of the subject matter. Though it has taken me over three years to get to it, I much enjoyed it. Hell, maybe with the current state of affairs it was better to wait, for it is more relevant.