| Photos (see all 10 | slideshow) | Videos |
| 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 | |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section |
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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