7tavern: Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

Sound (3)
2.9
Plot (3)
2.5
Cast (3)
2.8
Special Effects (3)
2.5
Length & Pace (3)
2.9
Cinematography (3)
2.8

Directors: Melvin Van Peebles,

Writers: Melvin Van Peebles (written by),

Release: 3 October 1993 (Japan)

Tagline: The Film that THE MAN doesn't want you to see!

Plot: After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.

Cast: Simon Chuckster - Beetle,   Melvin Van Peebles - Sweetback,   Hubert Scales - Mu-Mu,   John Dullaghan - Commissioner,   West Gale,   Niva Rochelle,   Rhetta Hughes - Old Girl Friend,   Nick Ferrari,   Ed Rue,   John Amos - Biker (as Johnny Amos),   Lavelle Roby,   Ted Hayden,   Mario Van Peebles - Young Sweetback / Kid (as Mario Peebles),   Sonja Dunson,   Michael Augustus

Runtime: 97 min

Country: USA

Language: English

Company: Yeah

Links: IMDb Profile

Categories: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Main

Trailer

BartonRoberts
Reviews: 56
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

Sound:
Plot:
Cast:
Special Effects:
Length & Pace:
Cinematography:

2.5

Movies 365: Day 51 – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song

Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song, 1971 Directed by Melvin Van Peebles

Blaxploitation Week kicks off with the granddaddy of Blaxploitation films, Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song. Primarily self financed, Sweetback tells the story of Sweet Sweetback, who as a young man was taken in by prostitutes and given the name Sweet Sweetback because of his prowess as a lover. One night, Sweetback is taken in by the cops who just need to bring a guy in for murder so they can make a good show to their superiors, Sweetback agrees knowing he will be released shortly. On their way to the police station, the cops pick up a Black Panther, and proceed to beat him.

Sweetback grows angry bearing witness to the event, and beats the officers into unconsciousness with his handcuffs. Sweetback goes on the lam, receiving help along the way from those sympathetic to the cause.

Maybe it’s because I’m white and grew up in the suburbs, or maybe it’s because the movie doesn’t really have a whole lot to say, but as far as I can tell, Sweetback is really about one baadassssss black guy with a magical dick. Every woman in the film fucks him. Seriously, I never knew that all one had to do to escape an encounter with the Hells Angels was to fuck the hot female leader of the gang. Also, I never knew the Hells Angels had a hot female leader.Sweetback is certainly an artifact of the time, from the crazy formal experimentation, to the music, the acting and story the film doesn’t really play as well or as powerfully as it once must have. Again, I’ll admit that part of this could be due to my race and age. The one thing you can certainly say for Sweetback is that it’s a unique film, I truly don’t think I’ve seen anything like it before.

And thus, Blaxploitation Week rolls out, I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s film, Shaft if only for the score.

(Read Less...)

Last updated: 2010-03-05 00:58:21 by user05

2010-03-05 00:57:48

ykantgoranrite
Reviews: 450
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (Melvin Van Peebles, 1971)

*** USA The ode to all the "brothers and sisters who have had enough of the Man" that was "rated X by an all-white jury" and opened in two theatres to a torrent of violent reviews before earning $15m and breaking several barriers for black and antiestablishment cinema. Beyond its social and historical context, it's mostly unwatchable, though writer-director-producer-star-composer-editor Van Peebles does come up with some arresting visuals - particularly in the closing third.

(Read More...)

2010-03-15 23:56:15

BartonRoberts
Reviews: 56
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

Movies 365: Day 51 – Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song

Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song , 1971 Directed by Melvin Van Peebles Blaxploitation Week kicks off with the granddaddy of Blaxploitation films, Melvin Van Peebles’ 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song . Primarily self financed, Sweetback tells the story of Sweet Sweetback, who as a young man was taken in by prostitutes and given the name Sweet Sweetback because of his prowess as a lover. One night, Sweetback is taken in by the cops who just need to bring a guy in for murder so they can make a good show to their superiors, Sweetback agrees knowing he will be released shortly. On their way to the police station, the cops pick up a Black Panther, and proceed to beat him. Sweetback grows angry bearing witness to the event, and beats the officers into unconsciousness with his handcuffs. Sweetback goes on the lam, receiving help along the way from those sympathetic to the cause. Maybe it’s because I’m white and grew up in the...

(Read More...)

2010-03-05 00:57:48

malikaziz
Reviews: 47
Points: 0 (Level 1)
Reviewer

Sound:
Plot:
Cast:
Special Effects:
Length & Pace:
Cinematography:

3.7

2.5

3.3

2.4

3.6

3.4

Most Important Black Films – #7 Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssssss Song

The film that literally starts the discussion of modern black filmmaking, Sweet Sweetback on its most basic level is the story of one brotha on the run from the police. If you know anything about black folks, our history, and our paranoia, you can easily insert the statement/joke, “Well, that’s a movie!” and be done with it right there. But I’ll go a little deeper. On to the tale of the tape…

Relevance: It was the late 60s/early 70s. JFK and RFK had been shot down, Dr. King had been shot down, Malcolm had been shot down. The era of liberal optimism had come to a violent end. Out of this climate came Melvin Van Peebles, who did some work here and there, but had a desire to do this story that spoke to the ‘brothas on the street.’ Needless to say, funding (or anything else) didn’t come falling out of the sky for this one. So piece by piece he put it together (with a little help on the back end from young Bill Cosby) and this film was born. When it opened it was given a well deserved X rating and barely screened. But when it found its audience it found it. Hollywood caught wind of the idea that ‘Hey, we can make dirt cheap movies for black audiences and easily make a profit” and the blaxploitation era was officially born. I’m not going to get on my soapbox other than to say that lesson about making cheap films for black audiences has been remembered and forgotten at least three times in my very short lifetime. Such is the Business (and life). Moving on…

Legacy: There’s the whole creating a 70s subgenre thing, but the best legacy for this movie was the film Badass!, written and directed by Melvin’s son Mario. More than a tribute really, the film (which doesn’t hide the fact that Melvin stuck his young son in one of the original film’s most notorious sex scenes) is very solid in its own regard, and gives a great insight on how insane it was to get this film made (and the struggle of getting any independent film made truth be told). Worthwhile viewing even if you’ve never seen the original.

Craft: Sweet Sweetback is not in any sense of the word a ‘traditional’ film, so know that going in if you’re going to check it out for the first time. I’ll award the points for this category to the group that did the soundtrack for the film. A little outfit known as Earth, Wind and Fire. Perhaps you’ve heard of them?

Crossover: Business wise absolutely. Hollywood took notice and Shaft, Superfly, Foxy Brown, Dolemite and countless others took their turns portraying the ‘Black Superman/Superwoman/Anti-Hero’. But cross over audience wise? Ehh… Put it like this: this was said to be Huey P. Newton’s favorite film, so much so that it was required viewing for the Black Panther Party. So yeah…

Apollo: Absolutely; like I said, it earned its X rating. A question I’ve often been asked over the years is ‘How do you simulate some of the more graphic sex scenes’ that you see in movie X or Y? Well, it’s been said that there wasn’t any ’simulation’ in this movie. And um, guess how the title character earned his name? Yup…

The film countdown continues next month with probably the most quotable black film of all time…

Last updated: 2010-01-18 14:36:21 by malikaziz

2010-01-12 07:53:31

» = New Post

Movies you may like

Discuss Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song

Log in to comment.