Classified X

Rating:
Summary: Great Stuff!!
Review: Despite the incessant whingeing of Melvin Van Peebles, who is almost totally obscured by the chip on his shoulder and completely devoid of a sense of humor, this enjoyable doco on how blacks were depicted in old Hollywood movies will turn you onto some fantastic films of a bygone era that you may have forgotten about....or never heard of in the first place. If Mr. Van Peebles had his way, we would be denied the genius of Willie Best, Mantan Moreland and Steppin Fetchit. The latter made millions by portraying a slow-moving, backwoods negro. I'm sure he, like Liberace, cried all the way to the bank. It's called comedy and it's supposed to be funny, silly, klutzy!! As for the blatant racist stereotypes...it's history and should be viewed as such. If Mr. Van Peebles is so concerned about African-Americans looking stupid and undignified, he should check out some of the haircuts on the Jerry Springer Show and take up his cause with present-day offenders. History is just that, and if the circumstances, unpleasant as they are, make for a good story....remember folks, it's only a movie.

I found "Classified X" extremely entertaining and recommend it highly. I have removed one star because I wish I could remove Melvin Van Peebles' monotonous whining from the proceedings. Also highly recommended is "Small Steps, Big Strides - The Black Experience In Hollywood" (Fox Video).

Rating:
Summary: Much Props to Melvin Van Peebles
Review: everything He said Hit Home ten fold.the History of Black Actors&Actress's out in Hollywood hasn't always been given the best possible showing.this Documentary pulls no punches&just deals the Cards the way they were dealt from start to finish.I wish this was longer because when you are watching History you want to keep on learning.Brother Melvin VAn Peebles is truly a Pioneer&One of the Most Versatile Creative Human Beings that has graced the Planet.

Rating:
Summary: this prune would think degrading Africans is funny
Review: Spoken like a (...). How can this airbrain claim that black ppl bo-janglin, sa- sucking and samboing was a good thing cos they could pay their bills and it was just comedy? Sure, comedy at the expense of ppl suffering from such demeaning antics. I guess this idiot feels that slavery and degradation of a culture was in good taste and approved as being universally ethical. Aussie dude get yur head from down under ground cos u actin like a ostrich and it is not FUNNY!

Rating:
Summary: A great primer - get this dvd!
Review: This was my first exposure to Van Peebles and I wish this dvd were much longer as I found his comments insightful,interesting and slyly amusing. Bring an open mind and you will begin to see and make connections you never considered before.

He's respectful of the people who made careers as a black actor in Hollywood while still pointing out the broad assumptions underlying the roles and the changes from decade to decade. I checked this film out becuase of Spike Lee's comment about it on the Bamboozled dvd. Like Spike, MVP doesn't apologize for not suger coating how he sees things. And his views are fascinating, if difficult.

I consider this a must see dvd for anyone interested in film history, black cinema, or a different look at the Lethal Weapon series. MVP talks about how there was a moment when he saw past the film on the screen and into the broader view of the films taken together as a whole. After viewing this dvd I had quite a bit to think about. I wish I had seen this film before Bamboozled as it is a great prequel to the message of the Spike Lee film.

My hope is that these two together lead to more extensive studies of the topic - perhaps a joint project with MVP, Spike Lee and other interested actors/directors. If you're even thinking about ordering this dvd - do it. It's less costly than a large pizza and much more filling.