Melvin Van Peebles
The film looks at men and women of color in the U.S. Merchant Marine from 1938-1975. Through chronicling the lives of these men and women who, with a median age of 82, are beset with a host of life-threatening illnesses, the movie tells how they navigated issues of racism, disparities in the workplace, gender and familial relations.
A documentary looking at the making and legacy of The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973).
Examines the evolution of the Black Power Movement in American society from 1967 to 1975. It features footage of the movement shot by Swedish journalists in America during that period and includes the appearances of Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Eldridge Cleaver, and other activists, artists, and leaders central to the movement.
A look at the development of film making and its contribution to the social and political times form the perspective of Black film makers.
Sex: The Revolution was a four-part 2008 American documentary miniseries that aired on VH1 and The Sundance Channel. It chronicled the rise of American interest in sexuality from the 1950s through the 1990s. The version shown on VH1 was pixelated to censor nudity including in discussions of censorship of nudity. VH1 Latin America aired the uncensored version.
Chronicles the rise and fall of 1970s New York City nightclub Plato's Retreat.
A semi-autobiographical story about an adventurer whose journeys take him from Harlem to the high seas and back again
Feature-length documentary on renegade filmmaker, novelist, musician and theater impresario, Melvin Van Peebles.
An interview/overview on the influential careers of Gordon Parks, Ossie Davis, and Melvin Van Peebles.
Director Mario Van Peebles chronicles the complicated production of his father Melvin's classic 1971 film, "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song." Playing his father in the film, Van Peebles offers an unapologetic account of Melvin's brash and sometimes deceptive conduct on the set of the film, including questionable antics like writing bad checks, tricking a local fire department and allowing his son, Mario, to shoot racy sex scenes at the age of 11.
This twenty-two minute interview with Melvin Van Peebles has the cult filmmaker starting things off by lighting a cigar, which is something he has done in several interviews. From here he talks about the making of his hit film SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG, which of course broke all sorts of records and is what would kick start the blaxploitation genre. If you're a fan of the film or the director then you should enjoy this featurette, which tries to have a raw look like the film in question, although the effect here is a bit lame. With that said, there are still some very good stories told including one about a STD Van Peebles got during one of the scenes in the film. He talks about a few specific scenes in the picture as well as the now infamous one featuring his son in a sex scene. There's nothing ground-breaking here but it's certainly an entertaining interview.
A Jewish blaxploitation hero saves Hanukkah from the clutches of Santa Claus's evil son.
An interview with the director Melvin Van Peebles about his film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.
With archive film clips and interviews, this brief look at a frequently overlooked historical period of filmmaking acts as an introduction rather than a complete record. It features interviews with some of the genre's biggest stars, like Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, and Richard Roundtree. Director Melvin Van Peebles discusses the historical importance of his landmark film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. For a contemporary perspective, the excitable Quentin Tarantino offers his spirited commentary and author/critic bell hooks provides some scholarly social analysis.
Maverick director Melvin Van Peebles translates his own satirical novel to the screen with this multi-national portrait of race, class, and hypocrisy. The film's title refers to the name of a haute cuisine restaurant run by a self-satisfied conservative couple, Henri and Loretta. When the two find themselves overworked in the kitchen, they retreat to the local orphanage to find some cheap waitressing help, and the teenaged Diamantine fits the bill perfectly. The haughty couple has more plans for the girl than just waiting tables, however -- the conspicuously accommodating Henri and Loretta are actually bad-mouthing the girl behind her back to the townspeople and the restaurant's patrons. They go so far as to ask the naive Diamantine to pretend that she's pregnant, and she complies under the assumption that it's a harmless prank. When their intentions are revealed, however, the girl becomes wise to the couple's self-satisfied scheming, and sets her sights on revenge.
A history of the racially stereotyped portrayal of African Americans in cinema, hosted by film pioneer Melvin Van Peebles.
The Shining is a three-part television miniseries based on Stephen King's novel of the same name. Directed by Mick Garris from King's teleplay, the series was first aired in 1997.
A black police officer discovers a cell of white supremacist vigilantes within his department.
The struggle between a father and son at odds over the youths career choice. The 18 years old James Pfeiffer quits college and decides to become a fisherman like his father. Margaret and Russell are very upset with their son's decision. They had a lot of hopes for him, finishing law school and, like his older brother Joseph, make a decent living on shore rather than an uncertain and dangerous career at sea. But James dreams of having his own boat and is determined to persevere.
A young boy receives a mystical motorcycle that transforms into a woman when he rides it at night.
From the immensely popular FIST OF THE NORTH STAR comic book series, comes a new hero. The fate of mankind rests with superhuman warrior Kenshiro who roams the wastelands of the future waging a battle against overwhelming evil. With the spiritual guidance of his dead father, Kenshiro fights to free his stolen love from the brutal tyrant Lord Shin. Through his struggle he must confront his destiny.
A maverick skydiver and a former KGB agent team up to stop the Russian mafia from stealing gold.
Danny is obsessed with a fictional movie character action hero Jack Slater. When a magical ticket transports him into Jack's latest adventure, Danny finds himself in a world where movie magic and reality collide. Now it's up to Danny to save the life of his hero and new friend.
In order to escape from the mob, an African-American man must disguise himself as a white man.
A rapper finds himself possessed by the soul of a dead fashion designer; frequently switching personalities.
Sonny Spoon is a detective program aired in the United States on the NBC television network in 1988. The series was created by Michael Daly, Dinah Prince, Stephen J. Cannell and Randall Wallace and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions.
After another deadly shark attack, Ellen Brody decides she has had enough of New England's Amity Island and moves to the Caribbean to join her son, Michael, and his family. But a great white shark has followed her there, hungry for more lives.
O.C. and Stiggs aren't your average unhappy teenagers. They not only despise their suburban surroundings, they plot against it. They seek revenge against the middle class Schwab family, who embody all they detest: middle class.
The Sophisticated Gents is a TV miniseries that aired on three consecutive nights from September 29 to October 1, 1981, on NBC. Its ensemble cast featured a number of African-American stage and film actors, many of whom were customarily seen in Soul Cinema Classic motion pictures in the 1970s. The miniseries is based upon the novel The Junior Bachelor Society by John A. Williams. Although production of the project ended in 1979, NBC did not air the miniseries until almost two years later.
CBS Schoolbreak Special is an American anthology series for teenagers that aired on CBS from April 1980 to January 1996. The series began under the title CBS Afternoon Playhouse, and was changed during the 1984 - 85 season. The concept was very similar to ABC's Afterschool Special.
Upon learning that their grandmother is not long for this world, Nate and Priscilla Simmons pack up their kids and leave Detroit to head down South. Eventually, the family rediscovers its African-American roots and elects to stay in their new rural surroundings.
Wattstax is the 1973 documentary film about the Afro-American Woodstock concert held in Los Angeles seven years after the Watts riots. Director Mel Stuart mixes footage from the concert with footage of the living conditions in the current day Watts neighborhood. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Documentary Film.
The comedic tale of two minions of the devil who crash a Harlem party thrown by Miss Maybell with high hopes of destroying its festive atmosphere. The first of the imps to arrive, Trinity, loses sight of his mission and consequently falls in love with Miss Maybell's impressionable young niece Earnestine. Trinity is later joined by Brother Dave, his older, more jaded partner. But as Dave pulls out all the stops to dampen the mood, he serves only to enhance the partygoers' good spirits.
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.
Jeff Gerber, a racist insurance agent and fitness freak, lives in a typical suburban neighborhood. But Jeff's bigoted world of taunting and harassing black people on and off the job is turned upside down when his skin inexplicably turns dark overnight. As Jeff tries to come to terms with this unexplained phenomenon that has befallen him, he soon becomes the victim himself, when all of his friends and neighbors suddenly shun and harass him.
Commercial director Serge Faberge is having an affair with Evelyne, the 18 year old fiancee of friend Hugh. His own pregnant wife Francoise usually does not mind his dalliances, until he actually walks out on her and their newborn baby to move in with Evelyne. The shoe is on the other foot when dashing stuntman Dado catches Evelyne's eye in Venice.
A black American soldier is demoted for fraternizing with a white girl in France.
A boy sees a 500-franc note under a sewer grate and tries to retrieve it.
A portrait of a group of men hoping to be picked for day-labor jobs.
