{"product_id":"melvin-van-peebles-watermelon-man-ebook","title":"Melvin Van Peebles’ Watermelon Man (ebook)","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eMelvin Van Peebles\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (1932-2001) is one of the most important figures in the history of black cinema. He is best known for his 1971 low-budget film \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSweet Sweetback’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eBaadasssss Song, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003ewhich is often credited with kicking off the blaxploitation film cycle. His previous effort, 1970’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eWatermelon Man\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, Van Peebles’ first and only studio film (making him only the third black filmmaker to helm a studio picture), is sometimes dismissed as a footnote. But \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eWatermelon Man\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is significant because it established Van Peebles as an American filmmaking original and it earned him the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003ecarte blanche\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e to craft \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eSweetback. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePerhaps the most eye-opening aspect of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eWatermelon Man\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e was Van Peebles’ decision to flip the blackface tradition on its head, crafting a film with a black actor acting goofy while wearing whiteface make-up. Also interesting is the director’s claim that Columbia Pictures had no idea that he was making a movie that was intended to make fun of white people just as blacks had been mocked by whites for more than a century before. Despite \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-italic\"\u003eWatermelon Man\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e’s original script having been written by white scribe Herman Raucher, there can be little doubt that the resulting picture is the vision of Van Peebles alone.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMelvin Van Peebles was a Renaissance Man. In addition to making movies, he was also an astronomer, novelist, playwright, photographer, musician, and stock exchange trader. Van Peebles’ films, as well as his rebellious public image, played a huge role in inspiring the legions of black filmmakers who have since followed. This book isn’t only a celebration of an important and often-overlooked film, but also a look at the complex and remarkable filmmaker behind it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BearManor Digital","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51976895725870,"sku":null,"price":8.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0115\/5789\/6251\/files\/WaterMelonMancover.jpg?v=1776839301","url":"https:\/\/www.bearmanormedia.com\/products\/melvin-van-peebles-watermelon-man-ebook","provider":"BearManor Media ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}