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With Baadasssss! Mario Van Peebles has made a
thoroughly enjoyable film that not only pays homage to his father on a
personal level but will also educate an entire generation of filmgoers on
the importance of father Melvin’s watershed film Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss
Song! Baadasssss! takes the filming of Sweetback both very seriously and
with an essential lightness. Sweetback, of course, was one of the first
films to be told from the black perspective and by a black filmmaker.
Initially trounced by critics and ignored by whites, the independent film
went on to gross nearly $15 million
while launching the blaxploitation era in Hollywood. Early on in Baadasssss!
we see images of blacks in film history up to that point. Blackface acting
was just the tip of the iceberg, as for years blacks filled the role of
comic foil, either as the obese female servant, or the obedient and easily
scared male servant, and these were the more positive roles. Later, the
film points out that Native Americans, Mexicans, and Asians received second
rate silver screen treatment as well (Badges!). Perhaps most offensive and
affecting is the footage of the black butler who is so ignorant he must play
the easily manipulated comic foil to little Shirley Temple. It is this type
of representation of blacks and other minorities, Baadasssss! argues, that
Melvin Van Peebles was trying to escape when he made Sweet Sweetback’s
Baadasssss Song!
In filming Sweet Sweetback, Van Peebles turned away
from a promising studio career to blaze his own path both for the
representation of his race on the big screen and for the future of
independent filmmaking. But like I said, Baadasssss! isn’t always so
serious. Boasting an outstanding ensemble cast (from Mario’s portrayal of
his father to the underused Ossie Davis as Grandpa Van Peebles to David
Allan Greer’s porn filmmaker to a show-stopping Adam West cameo), Baadasssss!
has the ability to shift from such serious proportions into straight comedy
much the way that Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song! did, as the former
lightly touches on free love, psychedelia, and the Hollywood studio system.
In fact, the whole composition of the film is really a direct homage to
Sweetback with Sweetback style sequences (fluorescent tints, jagged zooms,
and actual Sweetback footage) popping up throughout the film. Even more of
a homage, Baadasssss! was, like it’s predecessor, independently produced and
shot in 18 days; one day less than Sweetback (take that dad!). To shore up
costs, Ossie Davis stayed at Mario Van Peebles’ house while filming. And
while Baadasssss! is ostensibly the story of how Sweetback was made, it is
also the story of an icy relationship between Melvin and Mario Van Peebles
that slowly thaws into a mutual respect. But there are also the impressive
shifts of mood. Baadasssss!, in detailing the problems that the production
faced (the original financer is arrested days before shooting, leading to
continual financial problems; a chunk of the crew spends a weekend in jail
in the middle of filming) really doesn’t bother trying to make Melvin Van
Peebles into a saint; a visionary and hero of black and independent cinema
yes, but not a saint. Van Peebles chews out every major character at least
once and, as his physical and mental health deteriorates with the troubles
the film faces, his temper gets worse, finally resulting in the brutal
beat-down of an assistant editor.
Of course there is the visionary part too, and to this
end the film also does not fail to highlight Melvin’s spontaneous
compositional brilliance. In order to use non-union actors because he
cannot afford the union fee, Van Peebles makes it appear he is shooting a
porno film. Later, after blowing up a car, the crew shoots the real live
firefighters arriving on the scene. It’s the stories like these, on top of
the cultural importance and industry impact that Sweetback had, that merits
the movie Baadasssss!
While this review has focused mainly on the Van
Peebles’, in the end, Baadasssss! is not just about the Sweetback’s and
Melvin’s achievement. It’s about the people that made this film. A
veritable rainbow of colors, this was a one of a kind crew, and perhaps the
film missteps ever so slightly at times in trying to convey this ‘we are the
world atmosphere’ (though it truly was a one of a kind crew, probably not
found today except on a Spike Lee film). No matter, while Melvin was the
boss, there are a number of other characters that get fleshed out during the
movie and they all work very well. Bringing home the crews contributions,
the film breaks often to interview sessions with the characters talking
about the making of the film. As an extra treat, during the credits you see
the real people involved discussing the film (Earth Wind and Fire, and Bill
Cosby included!), so don’t be so quick to leave your seat as the credits
roll.
Comedy, drama, and historical document, Baadasssss! is
nearly as ambitious as it’s predecessor and at times it’s just as hokey but
above and beyond anything, I walked out of this film thinking, hell that
hack from Solo finally made another good movie! Thanx dad!
-Colin O’Dell
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