Panther (1995)

Director:

Mario Van Peebles

Writers (WGA):

Melvin Van Peebles (novel)
Melvin Van Peebles (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The People Called Them Heroes. The F.B.I. Called Them Public Enemy Number One.

Plot:

A dramatized account of the story of The Black Panther Party of Self-Defense.

Plot Keywords:

Black Militant | Black Power | Drugs | Militant | Political

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Kadeem Hardison	...	Judge
Bokeem Woodbine	...	Tyrone
Joe Don Baker	...	Brimmer
Courtney B. Vance	...	Bobby Seale
Tyrin Turner	...	Cy
Marcus Chong	...	Huey Newton
Anthony Griffith	...	Eldridge Cleaver
Bobby Brown	...	Rose
Angela Bassett	...	Dr. Betty Shabazz
Nefertiti	...	Alma
James Russo	...	Rodgers
Jenifer Lewis	...	Rita
Chris Rock	...	Yuck Mouth
Roger Guenveur Smith	...	Pruitt
Michael Wincott	...	Tynan

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

Germany:123 min | UK:124 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berkeley, California, USA

Company:

Gramercy Pictures

Trivia:

Angela Bassett also played Betty Shabazz in Malcolm X (1992).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At a party, a Black Panther member is shown playing a cream colored guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo and locking nut. Floyd Rose didn't invent the locking tremolo system until 1977. The film is set in the mid-'60s.

Quotes:

Bobby Seale: We not anti-white, we anti-oppression! You can't fight racism with racism.

Movie Connections:

References Malcolm X (1992)

Soundtrack:

For What It's Worth

Interesting topic, poor account

This film is a disappointment though it is worth seeing. The white Police are always the oppressors of the noble black community. They refer to a large street crowd of black people as "pickaninies". When black people use dope it the fault of the white power structure. Never is individual responsibility expressed as a reason for failure. The history of these troubled times is not portrayed with a sense of balance you might see in a Spike Lee film. The research is as bad as Oliver Stone's JFK. If you see this film don't take it as an accurate representation of the subject matter.