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From the bowels of cinematic hell comes this grandfather of all blaxploitation films. Written, directed, produced, and containing music composed by star of the film Melvin Van Peebles (father of Mario "I was Solo!" Van Peebles), "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" was dedicated to "all the Brothers and Sisters who have had enough of The Man". It went on to pave the way for such legendary films as "Shaft", "Super Fly", and "Foxy Brown" as well as the not-so-legendary films "Dolemite II: The Human Tornado", "Black Belt Jones" and "Blackenstein".

One of the most iconic, notorious, and influential American films of the 1970s, Melvin Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song stars Van Peebles as Sweetback, a black orphan raised in a brothel and groomed into becoming a sex show performer. Set up by his boss and two corrupt white policemen for a murder he didn't commit, Sweetback escapes custody only to find himself thrust into an increasingly hallucinogenic world of violence and bigotry where no one can be trusted and the possibility of death lurks at every corner...

Director: Melvin Van Peebles
Cast: Melvin Van Peebles, Simon Chuckster, Hubert Scales
Country: USA
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:37:39 | 40 Gb + 6.87 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Audio Commentary features film historian Sergio Mims (assistant director of PENITENTIARY).

• Career Interview (23:24, HD) features Melvin Van Peebles in his home ready to discuss some of the history and legacy of "Sweet Sweetback" and particulars from his other endeavors.

• “One Baadasssss Woman!” (31:58, HD) an interview with Niva Ruschell is a lengthy discussion of the actress's quest to become a major force in Hollywood, eventually finding herself in the role of the prostitute who deflowers 10-year-old Sweetback.

• Q&A (36:20, HD) is a video from the 2013 Black Panther Film Festival, which took place at the Maysles Center in Harlem. Van Peebles returns to beguile a small crowd with anecdotes about the "Sweet Sweetback" experience, taking questions from audience.

• "The Real Deal (What it was…is!)" (22:09, SD) is an undated interview with Van Peebles where he dissects his experience creating, shooting, and living with "Sweet Sweetback."

• Still Gallery (4:55) is an informative assembly of newspaper ads, reviews, and stories that chart the rise of "Sweet Sweetback," including box office boasting and articles from Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert.

• Theatrical Trailer (2:30, SD)