Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)

Director:

Melvin Van Peebles

Writer:

Melvin Van Peebles (written by)

Release Date:

23 October 1993 (Japan)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Run | On The Run | Racist | Police | Black Panthers

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
Peter Russell
Norman Fields
Ron Prince
Steve Cole
Megan Van Peebles	...	Kid (as Megan Peebles)
Joe Tornatore
Mikel Angel		(as Mike Angel)
Jeff Goodman
Curt Matson
Marria Evonee
Jon Jacobs
William Kirschner		(as Bill Kirschner)
Vincent Barbi
Chesley Noone		(as Chet Norris)
Joni Watkins
Jerry Days
John Allen
Bruce Adams
Brer Soul
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edson C. Kurose	...	Coronor (as Ed Kurose)
Max Van Peebles	...	Young Sweetback
Maggie Bembry	...	Woman (uncredited)

Directed by
Melvin Van Peebles

Writing credits
Melvin Van Peebles		(written by)

Produced by
Jerry Gross	....	producer
Melvin Van Peebles	....	producer

Original Music by
Earth Wind & Fire
Melvin Van Peebles

Cinematography by
Robert Maxwell		(director of photography) (as Bob Maxwell)

Film Editing by
Melvin Van Peebles

Makeup Department
Nora Maxwell	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Clyde Houston	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jose Garcia	....	second unit director
Clyde Houston	....	assistant director

Sound Department
John H. Newman	....	sound editor (as John Newman)
Arthur Piantadosi	....	dubbing (as Art Piantadosi)
Clark Will	....	sound
Luke Wolfram	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Cliff Wenger	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Jose Garcia	....	camera operator
Robert Maxwell	....	camera operator (as Bob Maxwell)

Editorial Department
Jeremy Hoenack	....	assistant editor
J.F. Kinyon	....	archival editorial services (uncredited)

Music Department
Earth Wind & Fire	....	orchestrator (as Earth Wind and Fire)

Other crew
Chic Borland	....	production assistant
Skip Karnas	....	production assistant
Winfred Tennison	....	production assistant
Priscilla Watts	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Yeah

Distributors

• Cinemation Industries (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• New World Pictures (1974) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Magnum Entertainment (1985) (USA) (VHS)
• Xenon Pictures (1996) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Xenon Entertainment Group (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Miracle Voice (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Prima Film (????) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Direct Cinema Limited (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Sun Video Corporation (SVC) (????) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  optical effects
• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  processing
• Consolidated Film Industries (CFI)  titles

Also Known As:

"Sweet Sweetback" - USA (promotional abbreviation)
"Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" - France
"Sweet Sweetbacks Lied" - Germany (TV title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R (1974) | USA:X (1971) | Canada:(Banned) (Nova Scotia) | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18 | Canada:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Yeah

Trivia:

Melvin Van Peebles contracted gonorrhea from one of the actresses during filming of one of the sex scenes in the movie. He applied for compensation from the Directors Guild because he "got hurt on the job" and used the money to buy more film.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Indie Sex: Censored (2007) (TV)

The one that started it all ...

You can say what you want about "blaxploitation" films. If nothing else, they can be a lot of fun in their overt use of black stereotypes and semi-predictable storylines. Since their construction is so obvious, it is not the same as the way blacks were portrayed in a film like "Birth of a Nation." Melvin Van Peebles put this thing together by himself (with a little monetary help from Bill Cosby), and while the technical quality is not exactly Hollywood, neither is the content. It is difficult to imagine what it must have been like to have been in the audiences for this film's premiere, as a strong black character emerges to defend his existence against the Racist State. The film uttered what nearly everybody has thought, and seeing it on the screen must have been a truly shocking experience. Perhaps even cathartic, but that may be pushing it. I don't know. I wasn't there.

Maybe it's a good sign that viewing such films today lends itself more to camp fun than any possible serious interpretation; it is a sign that we have moved on, at least a little bit.