Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, 1971.
Directed by Melvin Van Peebles.
Starring Melvin Van Peebles, Hubert Scales, Simon Chuckster, and John Dullugan.
SYNOPSIS:
After saving a young Black Panther member from a beating by a pair of white police officers, a black man named Sweetback goes on the run hoping to find freedom in Mexico.
With its stories of black men and women fighting back against a corrupt racist system, often to some of the finest film soundtracks ever composed, Blaxploitation easily marks itself out as one of the most iconic and distinctive genres of cinema to have ever existed.
This brings me to the subject of today’s review, the magnificently 1971 cult hit titled Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, the film that is sometimes credited with kick-starting the Blaxploitation genre that continues to influence filmmakers to this day, and also serves as one of the most important films in the history of African-American cinema.
Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song is a tricky film to review. It’s an important film and it’s clearly made as a labour of love by the film-makers, but as a piece of entertainment, the film just doesn’t work in my opinion.
The story is almost non-existent, with it mainly dealing with the aftermath of the titular Sweetback brutally beating a pair of racist white police officers and going on the run to escape them. And that’s what much of the film is – running and lots of it. Occasionally he stops to have sex or a fight, but soon enough it’s back to running. Some could say the story is minimalist, but I think it could have done with a bit of extra meat on the bones to keep it focused.
The acting in the film is rather amateurish and rough around the edges, but the performers still do plenty to make the characters interesting, such as “Beetle” who states to Sweetback that “everyone needs a man and I’m your man” or the charismatic preacher who promises that he’ll “sing a Black Ave Maria” in Sweetback’s honour.
These supporting characters are honestly more interesting than the title character played by writer/director Melvin Van Peebles, a man of few words who lacks any kind of screen presence and is honestly a rather blank slate, but more on that later.
The editing of the film is rather curious, with some of it being creative and, for the time, groundbreaking with its use of fades, overlays and coloured filters. The use of colours to show Sweetback’s friend “Beetle” disorientation as he’s being tortured is honestly rather clever. Other times, the editing it comes off as disjointed, often like it’s trying to make the viewer feel ill or even more confused as to what’s going on, although I get the sense that this is deliberate.
The music (performed by a then-unknown Earth Wind & Fire) is one of the areas where the film shines somewhat, with it having an infectious quality that’ll have your toe tapping in no time. At least the first time you hear it. It seems that the film only has about three themes and you’ll be hearing them a lot throughout, sometimes all at once which is a sure fire way to make your head spin.
One early scene that likely to put people off is a depiction of young Sweetback (played by Mario Van Peebles, the director’s son) losing his virginity to a much older adult prostitute. It’s a scene that is deeply uncomfortable to watch given the young age of Mario (who is clearly still a child) and the graphic use of nudity and sex in the scene. It’s just an uncomfortable moment that really should have been cut from the film in my view.
While I said earlier that Sweet Sweetback fails as a piece of entertainment, at least in my opinion, I can somewhat understand what the film is going for. While I personally didn’t enjoy the film I mainly think it’s because I’m not supposed to, because it wasn’t made for someone like me.
The film’s story, while minimal, taps into ideas and feelings prevalent in African-American communities both at the time and today, ideas such as the continued racism and oppression by white establishment figures and the need for rebellion by African-Americans against that oppression. It’s the kind of political message that explains why the film received high praise from the Black Panthers and it’s one that might still resonate today, especially in light of the continued violence against African-Americans by police forces across the United States.
When I said that the character of Sweetback is a rather blank slate, I honestly think this was an intentional move by Van Peebles to let the audience see themselves in the character and to feel his struggles on a more personal level.
A white audience is not likely to connect with the film’s political message, but a black audience will and, given the film’s huge success, clearly did. Quite simply film was not made for everyone, it was made for its stars; The Black Community.
I’m in two minds when it comes to rating Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. As a viewing experience, I personally didn’t enjoy the film all that much and I found it to be a rather overlong and disjointed affair that’s bound to leave more than a few viewers scratching their heads by the end.
On the other hand, Sweet Sweetback is still an important milestone in the history of African-American cinema with its success leading to the popularisation of the Blaxploitation genre, with this film and later release of Shaft in 1971 cementing the genre as a piece of cinema history.
In closing, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song might not be a great film, it might not even be a good film, but regardless it’s still an important film. Check this one out if you’re curious.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★
Graeme Robertson
