On the eve of America’s bicentennial, filmmakers Bette Gordon and James Benning embarked on an audacious project that captured the American landscape through the innovative lens of a moving vehicle. Their 1975 film, ‘The United States of America,’ is a 27-minute exploration that merges travelogue with avant-garde filmmaking, representing the duo’s third and final collaboration after ‘Michigan Avenue’ and ‘I-94.’
This film chronicles a road trip from New York City to Los Angeles, uniquely presented from the backseat of a car. In this perspective, Gordon and Benning appear in silhouette in the driver and passenger seats, with the car’s windshield acting as a canvas for a myriad of American scenes projected in front of us.
As a significant artifact of the structuralist movement in avant-garde cinema, ‘The United States of America’ also paved the way for documentary methods still utilized in contemporary filmmaking. The film presents a diverse array of quintessential American imagery, including landmarks such as Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, and the neon lights of Los Angeles.
While often discussed in connection with Benning’s focus on American landscapes, Gordon’s influence is equally vital. Her tendency to investigate the peripheral aspects of America would manifest in her later noir-inspired works, such as ‘Empty Suitcases’ and ‘Variety,’ both of which delve into the undercurrents of America’s complex national identity.
The creation of ‘The United States of America’ was rooted in a love for long-distance travel. The couple drove in Gordon’s secondhand VW station wagon, purchased for just $300, opting for the car’s lower seating to facilitate better camera access. To stabilize the camera, Benning crafted a rig from wooden planks and bolts, effectively transforming the backseat into a mobile film studio that captured their journey.
As the camera captured the beauty and diversity of American landscapes, the film’s soundtrack included a mix of radio elements: music, news reports, sermons, and other broadcasts that provided context to the journey. Notably, Minnie Riperton’s “Lovin’ You” resonates throughout, highlighting the repetitive yet comforting sounds of the road. Their innovative techniques, like the “phantom radio” effect, became benchmarks in documentary filmmaking.
The absence of synchronized sound adds to the film’s unique rhythm, as time is expressed through subtle gestures, like Gordon adjusting her hair or sipping water. Gordon explains that they choreographed elements of their interactions, which adds a layer of intimacy to the viewing experience, akin to a child observing their parents from the backseat.
The windshield thus transforms into a shared screen, bringing viewers into the journey alongside the filmmakers. It evokes a sense of community, simulating the experience of watching a compelling narrative unfold.
In terms of visual storytelling, the landscapes appear almost artistic, resembling matte paintings filled with vibrant colors and striking imagery. Notably, sequences capturing the aftermath of a hurricane in Arkansas depict America’s tumultuous relationship with nature. Gordon reflects on how viewing the world from the car diminishes the vastness of the outside environment, while I argue that this view actually amplifies it.
The film uses humor and surprise effectively, with moments like a sudden U-turn revealing a herd of cows, bringing spontaneity to the structured nature of a road trip. Gordon and Benning were not the originators of the backseat filming perspective, but they were the first to transform it into a cohesive film narrative.
This technique echoes earlier works, such as Joseph H. Lewis’ 1950 noir ‘Gun Crazy’ and Jean-Luc Godard’s ‘Breathless,’ both of which incorporate the viewer into the action through similar visual setups. Godard’s film inspired Gordon in her directorial pursuits and stylistic choices in ‘The United States of America.’
Over the years, Gordon and Benning’s approach to filmmaking has influenced many contemporary documentarians. For instance, Jafar Panahi’s ‘Taxi’ captures the streets of Tehran from the backseat of a cab, while David Easteal’s ‘The Plains’ follows a similar backseat format to document the daily commutes of colleagues in Melbourne.
The rise of video technology in the mid-1990s further broadened the scope of this form of storytelling. Films like Bruce Baillie and Lorie Baillie’s ‘Commute’ showcase long drives captured in rain and soundscapes created from eclectic audio sources. Similarly, Sophie Calle and Greg Shephard’s ‘No Sex Last Night’ chronicles a fractured relationship through diary-style video entries.
Gordon’s notion of the car as a “womb” highlights the intimacy and domesticity that this space can create, even while in transit. In 2022, Benning revisited their seminal work with a feature-length sequel also titled ‘The United States of America.’ This new film, however, deviates substantially in form—composed of static shots representing each U.S. state and stretching the visual narrative into a more contemplative realm.
While the original 1975 film is fast-paced, featuring a continuous flow of imagery, the 2022 sequel uses stillness to explore the concept of statehood, unexpectedly revealing that all shots were taken in California. This twist plays with the themes of representation and identity that are palpable throughout the original film.
Critics, including Dennis Cooper, have remarked on the film’s unique viewpoint, describing it as a “pure road movie” that captures the essence of geography and history without the distractions of character ambitions. Cooper notes the double perspective created by the positioning of the camera between Gordon and Benning, allowing audiences to perceive both filmmakers at once.
This duality creates a sense of concealed intimacy, as the filmmakers communicate without spoken dialogue under the overlay of music and news. It exemplifies a distinctly American experience: an artistic endeavor that intertwines private moments with the public landscape.
Fifty years later, ‘The United States of America’ continues to function as a rich visual archive, an assemblage of fleeting impressions that encapsulate the essence of a nation. Its unassuming choreography and innovative techniques have laid the groundwork for a documentary approach that marries sound, image, and location.
While the film’s portrayal of America during its bicentennial might seem parodic, it does not betray the spirit of the country. The final scenes—with waves lapping against a Californian shore and an empty front seat—invite viewers to ponder the myriad interpretations of American identity.
In this way, Gordon and Benning’s work remains not just a nostalgic look back, but a commentary on the shifting perceptions of a nation, making ‘The United States of America’ a lasting testament to the journey of artistic exploration.
Saffron Maeve, a Toronto-based critic and curator, emphasizes the film’s enduring relevance and its role in shaping contemporary documentary practice.
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