Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)

Director:

Melvin Van Peebles

Writer:

Melvin Van Peebles (written by)

Release Date:

22 March 1973 (Netherlands)

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:

On The Run | Prostitute | 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)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Yeah

Trivia:

Dedicated to "Brothers and sisters who have had enough of the Man."

Movie Connections:

Featured in American Grindhouse (2010)

The absolute beginning of a real "black" presence.

I saw this movie in Boulder CO in 1971 in an audience that was half black and half white in a community in the mountains that was 99.4% white. Blacks in the audience obviously got the raucous humor only the blacks could get living in America...the white's didn't have a clue. As a Welfare Rights Organizer at the time i obviously identified with the black situation. This was the FIRST movie from the black point of view.

Von Peebles is to be commended for doing the impossible and i have used his example of forbearance and excellance for the past three decades. He had been in Europe for ten years prior to the film. He wanted to do the film. He didn't have the money. No one wanted to write it. He wrote it. Black actors of stature didn't want to be associated with it. He stars in it. He gets the financial backing. He gets an "X" rating because he would not have it submitted for a rating and because the only venue he could get was the "X" rated theatres. He still out grossed Easy Rider, which was the big history maker of low budget big return films.

Von Peebles was the first black man to tell it like it was at the time... and he blasted the black myths on and off the screen.