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Jean-Luc Godard’s “Made in USA” (1967) – Liberal Warrior in a land of giant posters, ambitious secret agents, politicians-servants, intellectualizing workers and bartenders, fitness ladies and writers fighting for success. Anna Karina’s heroine tries hard to balance the business of fight without hate and revenge without gloating with moral decency and with her personal charm. She becomes a professional murderer, and we need to answer what exactly political powers in American life are symbolized by victims of her assassinations. Godard’s representation of Nixon and McNamara as junior secret service agents is politically eloquent and significant in its clairvoyance. Paula’s tireless, obsessive care about her appearance signifies the humongous role of appearance (of political cosmetics) in liberal politics (it is equal to the role of blackmail by power in conservative politics). Today in U.S.A. we live in a period of the decline of liberal appearance (together with democracy). Today, Paula Nelson would be, for sure, not only a professor-emeritus but a writer with a record of popular recognition.

You will find an article about this Godard’s incredible collage of images, ideas and characterizations (“Love is to Private Life what Progressive [Humanistic] Ideals are to the Public Realm”) and the analysis of numerous screen shots from the film, both posted in August of 2009, at:
http://www.actingoutpolitics.com/
By Victor Enyutin