IMDb > Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song
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Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) More at IMDbPro »

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Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) -- 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.

Overview

User Rating:
5.6/10   1,577 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Up 6% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Melvin Van Peebles

Writer:

Melvin Van Peebles (written by)

Contact:

View company contact information for Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

23 October 1993 (Japan) more

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller more

Tagline:

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

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. full summary | add synopsis

NewsDesk:
(8 articles)

In Theaters: Black Dynamite
 (From Movieline. 16 October 2009, 12:00 PM, PDT)

Exclusive Video: Michael Jai White Is Black Dynamite
 (From MovieWeb. 12 October 2009, 2:03 PM, PDT)

User Comments:

A ground breaker unlike any other more (42 total)


Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:

Sweet Sweetback (USA) (promotional abbreviation)
more

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1 more

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 more


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Mario Van Peebles's film debut. more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003) more


FAQ

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
A ground breaker unlike any other, 12 March 2008
9/10
Author: Alex P (miskatonic86) from Baltimore, Maryland

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

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