Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

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 prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.

Plot Keywords:

Black Man | Run | On The Run | Hell's Angels | Police

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
Mike Angel
Jeff Goodman
Curt Matson
Marria Evonee
Jon Jacobs
Bill Kirschner
Vincent Barbi
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		(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
José García	....	second unit director
Clyde Houston	....	assistant director

Sound Department
John H. Newman	....	sound editor
Arthur Piantadosi	....	dubbing sound
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

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

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)
• Criterion Collection, The (1997) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Xenon Entertainment Group (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Miracle Voice (2005) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Direct Cinema Limited (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (????) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Magnum Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Prima Film (????) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Sun Video Corporation (SVC) (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Xenon Pictures (1996) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (France) [fr]
Sweet Sweetbacks Lied (Germany) (TV title) [de]

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:

No Hollywood studio would back this movie with an all-black cast, so actor/writer/director Melvin Van Peebles financed it himself, aided by a $50,000 loan from Bill Cosby. It became a hit, earning $15 million.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Baadasssss Cinema (2002) (TV)

A ground breaker unlike any other

Before Spike Lee brought racial tensions out on film with DO THE RIGHT THING, there was Melvin van Peebles. While van Peebles might not be as well-known as Spike Lee, he was a groundbreaking director in African-American film. Not only was he one of the first African-American filmmakers, he was actually a revolutionary. And SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG is a testament to that.

This is the story of Sweetback (van Peebles), a male prostitute on the run from "the man," (Caucasian police officers) for saving a Black Panther from a group of racist groups. While he's being tracked down, he gets some help from the ghetto community and a group of Hell's Angels.

SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG might be just yet another cheap exploitation film, but it was something revolutionary in the fact that director van Peebles was using messages never before seen in film. He is the first to portray African-American protagonists as real badasses, setting of a chain of blaxploitation films in the 70s. And the content-there is one scene with interracial sex, a black man with a white woman. Before SWEET SWEETBACK, that was a big no-no in cinema.

What I really like about this film is the funky soundtrack by Earth, Wind, and Fire. Even if you don't like blaxploitation films, you have to admit, they usually have cool soundtracks, Isaac Hayes in SHAFT and Curtis Mayfield in SUPERFLY are other examples. This film establishes Melvin van Peebles as a truly baadasssss director