Making "badass"a part of the title was such a badass move that it virtually guaranteed the...
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Making "badass"
a part of the title was such a badass move that it virtually guaranteed the movie
an X rating, which Sweetback eventually got. Melvin Van Peebles
used the perks of exploitation and a new liberalism in movie culture
to his advantage. He loved the sheer effrontery
of being a Black man with facial hair, smoking a cigar. A pop-culture gesture as eternal as Elvis Presley's smirk
and Megan Thee Stallion's fingernails. Sweetback came at a time
when the X rating was just invented, and porn moved
from sleazy downtown theaters to the suburbs. Midnight Cowboy
became the first X-rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar. The only one. Stanley Kubrick made Clockwork Orange
and got an X. And Marlon Brando
and director Bernardo Bertolucci would be nominated for Oscars
for the X-rated Last Tango in Paris
a part of the title was such a badass move that it virtually guaranteed the movie
an X rating, which Sweetback eventually got. Melvin Van Peebles
used the perks of exploitation and a new liberalism in movie culture
to his advantage. He loved the sheer effrontery
of being a Black man with facial hair, smoking a cigar. A pop-culture gesture as eternal as Elvis Presley's smirk
and Megan Thee Stallion's fingernails. Sweetback came at a time
when the X rating was just invented, and porn moved
from sleazy downtown theaters to the suburbs. Midnight Cowboy
became the first X-rated film to win the Best Picture Oscar. The only one. Stanley Kubrick made Clockwork Orange
and got an X. And Marlon Brando
and director Bernardo Bertolucci would be nominated for Oscars
for the X-rated Last Tango in Paris
Full Transcript
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.336
Making "badass"
a part of the title
00:00:03.042 --> 00:00:05.996
was such a badass move
00:00:05.088 --> 00:00:07.799
that it virtually guaranteed the movie
an X rating,
00:00:07.882 --> 00:00:09.801
which Sweetback eventually got.
00:00:09.884 --> 00:00:13.221
Melvin Van Peebles
used the perks of exploitation
00:00:13.304 --> 00:00:16.516
and a new liberalism in movie culture
to his advantage.
00:00:16.599 --> 00:00:19.853
He loved the sheer effrontery
of being a Black man
00:00:19.936 --> 00:00:22.355
with facial hair, smoking a cigar.
00:00:22.856 --> 00:00:24.315
A pop-culture gesture
00:00:24.399 --> 00:00:28.862
as eternal as Elvis Presley's smirk
and Megan Thee Stallion's fingernails.
00:00:28.945 --> 00:00:32.657
Sweetback came at a time
when the X rating was just invented,
00:00:32.074 --> 00:00:35.577
and porn moved
from sleazy downtown theaters
00:00:35.066 --> 00:00:36.828
to the suburbs.
00:00:36.911 --> 00:00:39.747
Midnight Cowboy
became the first X-rated film
00:00:39.831 --> 00:00:41.583
to win the Best Picture Oscar.
00:00:41.666 --> 00:00:42.666
The only one.
00:00:43.209 --> 00:00:46.296
Stanley Kubrick made Clockwork Orange
and got an X.
00:00:47.297 --> 00:00:50.003
And Marlon Brando
and director Bernardo Bertolucci
00:00:50.383 --> 00:00:54.429
would be nominated for Oscars
for the X-rated Last Tango in Paris.
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Movie Summary
Tracks the history of Black cinema, focused mainly on the '70s, with archival and new interviews with many of the key players from the era.
