Hosted by maverick filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles, CLASSIFIED X is an analytical history of the representation of blacks in American motion pictures. Part lecture, part self-tribute, this French-financed documentary is rambling but informative, and, thanks to Van Peebles, never less than
entertaining.
While Van Peebles's 1971 film SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAAD ASSSS SONG was a breakthrough in American cinema in its portrayal of African-Americans, its creator rejects the notion that "it didn't owe anything to the past." He explains that the film was a reaction to the fallacious, demeaning depiction of
blacks that had marked American cinema up through that time.
Racis...
Released:
1997
Rated:
NR
Length:
52 mins