77
Metascore
8 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90Wall Street JournalJohn AndersonWall Street JournalJohn AndersonYears after its initial release, Ornette: Made in America, part of Milestone's continuing "Project Shirley," still feels fresh - its moves always surprising, yet always somehow perfect.
- 83Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerChristian Science MonitorPeter RainerClarke started out as a dancer studying with Martha Graham, and much of Ornette has a dancelike swing and propulsion. What it doesn't provide is a cogent look at Coleman's artistry. This is not a jazz film for people who want to sit back and get mellow. The film itself is a species of jazz. It's offbeat without missing the beat.
- 80Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichColeman's life and work are treated as a continuum, which Clarke pulls from at will.
- 80Village VoiceMelissa AndersonVillage VoiceMelissa AndersonA funky, nonfiction tribute to the great avant-garde saxophonist Ornette Coleman, Ornette upends the staid portrait-of-the-artist formula, and it tinkers with and discards the conventions of the bio documentary just as its pioneering musician subject exploded those of jazz.
- 70The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe New York TimesJanet MaslinMiss Clarke's methods tend to be as fanciful as Ornette Coleman's are rigorous and abstract, but the collaboration between film maker and subject has its own kind of harmony.
- 63Slant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierSlant MagazineJoseph Jon LanthierShirley Clarke's portraiture eschews cohesive biography and often spirals off into lyrical dissonance.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeVery much a work of its time, the documentary offers unique perspectives for fans of both the saxophonist and the pioneering filmmaker, but is unlikely to attract a broad audience beyond those camps.