Finding Aid to the Historymakers ® Video Oral History with Melvin Van Peebles
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Load more
Recommended publications
-
Appalling! Terrifying! Wonderful! Blaxploitation and the Cinematic Image of the South
Antoni Górny Appalling! Terrifying! Wonderful! Blaxploitation and the Cinematic Image of the South Abstract: The so-called blaxploitation genre – a brand of 1970s film-making designed to engage young Black urban viewers – has become synonymous with channeling the political energy of Black Power into larger-than-life Black characters beating “the [White] Man” in real-life urban settings. In spite of their urban focus, however, blaxploitation films repeatedly referenced an idea of the South whose origins lie in antebellum abolitionist propaganda. Developed across the history of American film, this idea became entangled in the post-war era with the Civil Rights struggle by way of the “race problem” film, which identified the South as “racist country,” the privileged site of “racial” injustice as social pathology.1 Recently revived in the widely acclaimed works of Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained) and Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), the two modes of depicting the South put forth in blaxploitation and the “race problem” film continue to hold sway to this day. Yet, while the latter remains indelibly linked, even in this revised perspective, to the abolitionist vision of emancipation as the result of a struggle between idealized, plaintive Blacks and pathological, racist Whites, blaxploitation’s troping of the South as the fulfillment of grotesque White “racial” fantasies offers a more powerful and transformative means of addressing America’s “race problem.” Keywords: blaxploitation, American film, race and racism, slavery, abolitionism The year 2013 was a momentous one for “racial” imagery in Hollywood films. Around the turn of the year, Quentin Tarantino released Django Unchained, a sardonic action- film fantasy about an African slave winning back freedom – and his wife – from the hands of White slave-owners in the antebellum Deep South. -
Spectacle, Masculinity, and Music in Blaxploitation Cinema
Spectacle, Masculinity, and Music in Blaxploitation Cinema Author Howell, Amanda Published 2005 Journal Title Screening the Past Copyright Statement © The Author(s) 2005. The attached file is posted here with permission of the copyright owner for your personal use only. No further distribution permitted. Please refer to the journal's website for access to the definitive, published version. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/4130 Link to published version http://www.latrobe.edu.au/screeningthepast/ Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au Spectacle, masculinity, and music in blaxploitation cinema Spectacle, masculinity, and music in blaxploitation cinema Amanda Howell "Blaxploitation" was a brief cycle of action films made specifically for black audiences in both the mainstream and independent sectors of the U.S. film industry during the early 1970s. Offering overblown fantasies of black power and heroism filmed on the sites of race rebellions of the late 1960s, blaxploitation films were objects of fierce debate among social leaders and commentators for the image of blackness they projected, in both its aesthetic character and its social and political utility. After some time spent as the "bad object" of African-American cinema history,[1] critical and theoretical interest in blaxploitation resurfaced in the 1990s, in part due to the way that its images-- and sounds--recirculated in contemporary film and music cultures. Since the early 1990s, a new generation of African-American filmmakers has focused -
Blaxploitation and the Cinematic Image of the South
Antoni Górny Appalling! Terrifying! Wonderful! Blaxploitation and the Cinematic Image of the South Abstract: The so-called blaxploitation genre – a brand of 1970s film-making designed to engage young Black urban viewers – has become synonymous with channeling the political energy of Black Power into larger-than-life Black characters beating “the [White] Man” in real-life urban settings. In spite of their urban focus, however, blaxploitation films repeatedly referenced an idea of the South whose origins lie in antebellum abolitionist propaganda. Developed across the history of American film, this idea became entangled in the post-war era with the Civil Rights struggle by way of the “race problem” film, which identified the South as “racist country,” the privileged site of “racial” injustice as social pathology.1 Recently revived in the widely acclaimed works of Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained) and Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), the two modes of depicting the South put forth in blaxploitation and the “race problem” film continue to hold sway to this day. Yet, while the latter remains indelibly linked, even in this revised perspective, to the abolitionist vision of emancipation as the result of a struggle between idealized, plaintive Blacks and pathological, racist Whites, blaxploitation’s troping of the South as the fulfillment of grotesque White “racial” fantasies offers a more powerful and transformative means of addressing America’s “race problem.” Keywords: blaxploitation, American film, race and racism, slavery, abolitionism The year 2013 was a momentous one for “racial” imagery in Hollywood films. Around the turn of the year, Quentin Tarantino released Django Unchained, a sardonic action- film fantasy about an African slave winning back freedom – and his wife – from the hands of White slave-owners in the antebellum Deep South. -
Transcript a Pinewood Dialogue with Melvin And
TRANSCRIPT A PINEWOOD DIALOGUE WITH MELVIN AND MARIO VAN PEEBLES Legendary maverick Melvin Van Peebles is a novelist, composer, and filmmaker who has also worked in television, popular music, and theater. After spending the 1960s in Paris, he returned to the United States and made the groundbreaking 1971 film Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song . The stunning box-office success of this subversive and sexy film paved the way for filmmakers such as Mario Van Peebles, who directed New Jack City and Panther . Mario paid tribute to his father with his 2003 movie Baadasssss ; in this lively discussion, Van Peebles père et fils share a lifetime of experience and a playful father-son rivalry. A Pinewood Dialogue following a screening of course, when I made my first films, I went down to Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song , Hollywood and they offered me a job, but as an moderated by Chief Curator David Schwartz elevator operator. I said, “No, I don’t want—I want (May 8, 2004): to really be in front of the camera or doing creative things.” And that was—they offered me a job as a SCHWARTZ : Please welcome Melvin and Mario Van dancer. Peebles. (Applause) Anyway, long story short, I went to Holland. Melvin, your first experience in Hollywood was Through another fluke that’s too long to go into doing comedies. Of course, you did Watermelon here, my short films that had been turned down in Man . I guess you were with Universal for a while; Hollywood were seen in France, and France invited you were signed on. -
Melvin Van Peebles Class of 1953
Distinguished Achievement Citation Melvin Van Peebles Class of 1953 Today, we recognize Melvin Van Peebles for his groundbreaking and prolific work in film, theatre, music and literature. After graduating from Ohio Wesleyan in 1953 with a degree in English, Mel served as a navigator and bombardier in the U.S. Air Force Strategic Air Command. He soon found his calling to be an artist, and began an accomplished career that spanned the arts—and often redefined them. After making the short films “Sunlight” and “Three Pick-Up Men for Herrick” while living in San Francisco, Mel moved to Holland and then France, where he was a crime reporter and began writing novels. He made his debut as a stage writer, lyricist and composer with “Harlem Party.” Mel is best known for his work in feature films. He first adapted his French novel “The Story of a Three-Day Pass” into a film, which he also directed. Upon returning to the United States, he directed and scored “Watermelon Man,” a sharp-edged comedy about a white bigot who wakes up black one day. In 1971, Mel independently produced, directed, wrote, scored and starred in the controversial film “Sweet Sweetback’s Bassdasssss Song.” Opening to mixed reviews, the film has grossed over $15 million, and established Melvin Van Peebles as a pioneer among black filmmakers. In addition to directing or starring in a number of movies in the 1980s and 1990s, most recently he directed “Identity Crisis,” acted in “Posse,” produced, scripted and appeared in “Panther,” wrote and starred in the documentary “Classified X,” and wrote and directed the French film “A Bellyful.” His Broadway musicals include Tony-award-nominated “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death,” “Don’t Play Us Cheap,” and “Waltz of the Stork.” His ventures into the music industry include the albums “Br’er Soul” and “Ghetto Gothic.” A CD titled “The Melvin Van Peebles Collection” was released in 1999. -
The Parallel Influences, Characteristics and Criticisms of the Blaxploitation Cinema and Gangsta Rap Movements Dustin Engels
Engels: Baadassss Gangstas: The Parallel Influences, Characteristics and JOURNAL OF HIP HOP STUDIES . Baadassss Gangstas: The Parallel Influences, Characteristics and Criticisms of the Blaxploitation Cinema and Gangsta Rap Movements Dustin Engels Abstract Serving as two of the most visible African American cultural movements, blaxploitation cinema and gangsta rap played essential roles in giving African American artists an outlet to establish a new black identity for mainstream audiences. After exploring the similarities between the cultural and economic conditions that spawned both movements, this essay examines the parallel techniques by which the preeminent entries in both genres established themselves as culturally relevant for African American audiences. These techniques included a reliance on place and space to establish authenticity, as well as employing African American myths and folklore such as the Signifying Monkey and the badman. By establishing themselves as mainstream representations of black identity, the harshest critics and staunchest defenders of both movements came from within the African American community, a clear indication of the important role each would play in establishing a new era of black representation in popular culture. In October 2012, New Orleans rapper Curren$y released a mixtape online for his fans entitled Priest Andretti. Taking its name from the main character of the 1972 blaxploitation film Super Fly, this fourteen-track mixtape frequently pays homage to the blaxploitation movement that occurred in the early 1970s by incorporating clips from Super Fly throughout, as well as including songs entitled “Max Julien” (star of the 1973 film The Mack) and “Cleopatra Jones” (title character of the 1973 film Cleopatra Jones). -
Sample Some of This
Sample Some Of This, Sample Some Of That (169) ✔ KEELY SMITH / I Wish You Love [Capitol (LP)] JEHST / Bluebells [Low Life (EP)] RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO / Concierto De Aranjuez [Cadet (LP)] THE COUP / The Liberation Of Lonzo Williams [Wild Pitch (12")] EYEDEA & ABILITIES / E&A Day [Epitaph (LP)] CEE-KNOWLEDGE f/ Sun Ra's Arkestra / Space Is The Place [Counterflow (12")] JOHN DANKWORTH & HIS ORCHESTRA / Bernie's Tune ("Off Duty", O.S.T.) [Fontana (LP)] COMMON & MARK THE 45 KING / Car Horn (Madlib remix) [Madlib (LP)] GANG STARR / All For Da Ca$h [Cooltempo/Noo Trybe (LP)] JOHN DANKWORTH & HIS ORCHESTRA / Theme From "Return From The Ashes", O.S.T. [RCA (LP)] 7 NOTAS 7 COLORES / Este Es Un Trabajo Para Mis… [La Madre (LP)] QUASIMOTO / Astronaut [Antidote (12")] DJ ROB SWIFT / The Age Of Television [Om (LP)] JOHN DANKWORTH & HIS ORCHESTRA / Look Stranger (From BBC-TV Series) [RCA (LP)] THE LARGE PROFESSOR & PETE ROCK / The Rap World [Big Beat/Atlantic (LP)] JOHN DANKWORTH & HIS ORCHESTRA / Two-Piece Flower [Montana (LP)] GANG STARR f/ Inspectah Deck / Above The Clouds [Noo Trybe (LP)] Sample Some Of This, Sample Some Of That (168) ✔ GABOR SZABO / Ziggidy Zag [Salvation (LP)] MAKEBA MOONCYCLE / Judgement Day [B.U.K.A. (12")] GABOR SZABO / The Look Of Love [Buddah (LP)] DIAMOND D & SADAT X f/ C-Low, Severe & K-Terrible / Feel It [H.O.L.A. (12")] GABOR SZABO / Love Theme From "Spartacus" [Blue Thumb (LP)] BLACK STAR f/ Weldon Irvine / Astronomy (8th Light) [Rawkus (LP)] GABOR SZABO / Sombrero Man [Blue Thumb (LP)] ACEYALONE / The Hunt [Project Blowed (LP)] GABOR SZABO / Gloomy Day [Mercury (LP)] HEADNODIC f/ The Procussions / The Drive [Tres (12")] GABOR SZABO / The Biz [Orpheum Musicwerks (LP)] GHETTO PHILHARMONIC / Something 2 Funk About [Tuff City (LP)] GABOR SZABO / Macho [Salvation (LP)] B.A. -
Course Outline
COURSE OUTLINE SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES COURSE NAME: POPCULTURE:PoliticsofMediaLiteracy COURSE CODE: GHUM 1180 CREDIT HOURS: 42(3hoursperweek) PREREQUISITES: None COREQUISITES: None PLAR ELIGIBLE: YES ( X ) NO ( ) EFFECTIVE DATE: January 2013 PROFESSOR: Judy Coleman PHONE: TBA EMAIL: [email protected] NOTE TO STUDENTS: Academic Departments at George Brown College will NOT retain historical copies of Course Outlines. We urge you to retain this Course Outline for your future reference. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY ORIGINATOR:__________________________________________________________________________ SIGNATURE DATE CHAIR:_________________________________________________________________________________ SIGNATURE DATE DATE OF REVISION:__________________________________________________ EQUITY STATEMENT: George Brown College values the talents and contributions of its students, staff and community partners and seeks to create a welcoming environment where equity, diversity and safety of all groups are fundamental. Language or activities which are inconsistent with this philosophy violate the College policy on the Prevention of Discrimination and Harassment and will not be tolerated. The commitment and cooperation of all students and staff are required to maintain this environment. Information and assistance are available through your Chair, Student Affairs, the Student Association or the Human Rights Advisor. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES: Students should obtain a copy of the Student Handbook and refer to it for additional information regarding -
Filmes E Trilhas No Cinema Negro Dos EUA Dos Anos 1970: Uma Análise Sobre O Ciclo Blaxploitation
UNIVERSIDADE ANHEMBI MORUMBI VICTOR MAKOTO OIWA Filmes e trilhas no cinema negro dos EUA dos anos 1970: Uma análise sobre o ciclo blaxploitation SÃO PAULO 2011 VICTOR MAKOTO OIWA Filmes e Trilhas no Cinema Negro dos EUA dos anos 1970: Uma Análise Sobre o Ciclo Blaxploitation Dissertação apresentada à Banca Examinadora, como exigência parcial para a obtenção do título de Mestre do Programa de Mestrado em Comunicação Contemporânea da Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, sob a orientação da Profa. Dra. Laura Loguercio Cánepa SÃO PAULO 2011 VICTOR MAKOTO OIWA Filmes e Trilhas no Cinema Negro dos EUA dos anos 1970 Uma Análise Sobre o Ciclo Blaxploitation Dissertação de Mestrado apresentado à Banca Examinadora, como exigência parcial para a obtenção do título de Mestre do Programa de Mestrado em Comunicação, área de concentração em Comunicação Contemporânea da Universidade Anhembi Morumbi, sob a orientação do Profa. Dra. Laura Loguercio Cánepa Aprovado em ____/____/____ ___________________________ ___________________________ ___________________________ Em memória de William H. Oiwa, Patric R. Oiwa e Eduardo J. Kitagawa AGRADECIMENTOS Agradeço primeiramente a Deus, Minha família toda, principalmente Yoji, Yoko e Mi pela paciência, ensinamentos e todos os momentos de alegrias e sofrimentos que passamos juntos. Vocês são a razão para eu continuar insistindo em acreditar nos velhos e bons valores. A minha orientadora Laura Cánepa, que se interessou pela minha pesquisa e me guiou nesta jornada, tornando possível a existência dessa dissertação. Aos professores Rogério Ferraraz, Maria Ignes e Luiz Vadico, pelo conhecimento. Ao coordenador Leonardo Vergueiro que propôs que eu fizesse o mestrado e pela oportunidade. Tambem aos colegas de trabalho André Salata, Thomas Gruetz, Cris Merlo, Bruno E., Mauricio de Caro Esposito e Theóphilo Pinto. -
MAY DAY 2008 a World of Reasons for ALL Workers to Unite by Deirdre Griswold That Have Torn Apart Families and Left Them Destitute
MUNDO OBRERO OTAN TORTURA 12 Workers and oppressed peoples of the world unite! workers.org MAY 1, 2008 VOL. 50, NO. 17 50¢ MAY DAY 2008 A world of reasons for ALL workers to unite By Deirdre Griswold that have torn apart families and left them destitute. This year, courageous longshore workers will be shutting YOUTH IN ACTION This May Day, International Workers’ Day, there will be plen- down the West Coast ports for eight hours on May 1 in a strike ty of reasons for workers in the United States—and around the against the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Other unions are pledg- Anti-sweatshop sit-in 8 world—to take to the streets in protest over their conditions and ing their support, showing that workers in this country believe to raise their demands. this endless war, with its horrendous casualties and enormous NEPAL ELECTION There are of course the issues around disastrous layoffs, cost, is defi nitely an issue for the labor movement. shrinking pay, speedup, shortened hours and other deteriorat- In many parts of the country, particularly the Midwest, the 11 Red victory ing working conditions. epidemic of housing foreclosures and the demand for a morato- But also on the agenda are the many ways in which the work- rium will be raised as an urgent issue on May Day. Workers there AMERICAN AXLE ers and their communities fi nd themselves under assault from are being hit with a double whammy: losing jobs with union pay a billionaire class that uses racism, sexism, homophobia, immi- just as the cost of subprime mortgages is ballooning. -
Mfahathome Virtual Cinema (Cont.) July 2021
SUN CHILDREN (KHORSHID) #MFAHatHome The Museum’s virtual cinema offers an exciting selection of award-winning features and topical Virtual Cinema documentaries to watch from home. Visit mfah.org/virtualcinema to purchase tickets to view July 2021 the following films. A portion of the admission price supports MFAH Films. OPENS JULY 2 OPENS JULY 16 Drama Documentary SUN CHILDREN (KHORSHID) CAN YOU BRING IT: BILL T. JONES Directed by Majid Majidi AND D-MAN IN THE WATERS (Iran, 2020, 99 min., in Farsi with English Directed by Rosalynde LeBlanc and subtitles) Tom Hurwitz Sun Children, a timely social (USA, 2020, 90 min.) drama with touches of adventure, Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and considers the human rights of D-Man in the Waters brings to life the children. Twelve-year-old Ali and his creative process that culminated in friends are resourceful at surviving choreographer-dancer-director Bill T. on Tehran’s streets. The boys are Jones’s tour de force ballet D-Man in the hired by a dangerous criminal to Waters. Life and creative partners Jones find buried treasure hidden under and Arnie Zane choreographed D-Man the maintenance tunnel of the Sun in the Waters as a dance that was a School, a facility for homeless and physical manifestation of the emotions immigrant youth. The intrepid friends prompted by the AIDS epidemic. When manipulate the teacher to enroll it debuted in 1989, its impact was them in the school, and some of cathartic, serving as an homage to the them thrive in the new environment. -
3932-Black Film Directors
AFA 3930 - Section 0808 - SPRING - 2010 African American Studies Program – The University of Florida Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn Class Time: Thursdays 3PM-6PM (8-10) Credit: (03) Three Hours Class Location: Room 0151 PSY Office Location: 211 Walker Hall Office Hours: Tuesdays Noon to 3:00PM Office Phone: 352-392-5726 Other Times By Appointment e-mail: [email protected] COURSE GOAL: The goal of this course is to critically examine the films, experiences, philosophies and contributions of selected Black film directors. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course provides a historical/social introduction to the works, contributions and experiences of selected Black film directors. The course examines the successes, conflicts, innovations and challenges of specific “independent” and mainstream Black film directors and their impact on society and specific Black communities. Black film directors are heterogeneous and produce works in all genres which address every issue in our culture and work with subjects specific and nonspecific to the Black community. Classes will consist of lectures, discussions, film screenings, team presentations, and individual presentations. Students will also view assigned films outside of class. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Each student will be able to: 1) utilize basic film analysis and terminology (narrative form, set design, , “mise-en-scene,” auteur, content) in discussing the work of selected Black film directors, 2) name and describe the works of a sample of Black “independent” and “mainstream” film directors, 4) demonstrate an