Panteras Negras

Panther (1995) is not to meant to be a dead on account of the Black Panther Party. This is what they call historical fiction. That is when you make up a story involving real life characters. The book this movie was based upon was writing a few years back by Melvin Van Peebles. The story is nothing more that a fictional account dealing with real life people.

It's a movie. Not a documentary. So please keep this in mind when watching it. But the dramatic elements and acting were quite good. I enjoyed it as a drama. If you want to learn about the Black Panther Party this is a good launching pad. From here I suggest you go to your local library and study up on these revolutionaries who tried to make some decent changes to the poor communities but were sabotaged by the F.B.I. and their army of rats and snitches.

I thought it was a bold step for Mr. Van Peebles to try and make a mainstream movie about a group of local heroes who have been buried by the mainstream and the far right. Stars Kadeem Hardison, Bokeem Woodbine, Joe Don Baker, Courtney B. Vance, Chris Rock, Bobby Brown and Angela Bassett. Directed by Mario Van Peebles. Co written by Mario and Melvin Van Peebles.

Recommended.

...this film receives a TEN. No other movie captures the fire of the Panther better than that of Mario van Peeble's production. However, just as well for entertainment purposes, some facts were tampered and skewed to fit into the film. This isn't a documentary, folks. Nor is it a bio about Huey P. This is a historically correct film based on a NOVEL. If that doesn't tell you enough about what you're in for, I don't know what will. Historical fiction is what this is. If you're looking for a interesting, socially conscious film that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it. If not - you may as well keep moving, jack.

How is it possible that anyone can like a movie like "Braveheart" (a "fact-based" movie about Scottish people in the Middle Ages taking a stand against the tyranny that was going on) and then have the idea that this "fact-based" movie is any different?

Here were people in bad living conditions (to put it very lightly) and, along with using their Constitutional Right for a Well-Regulated Militia to Bear Arms for Necessary Protection, did all sorts of other things to improve their communities. The Black Panthers were mostly exposed as angry Blacks running around with guns, but that would be like saying the operetta version of "Les Miserables" is about a little girl named Cosette who dreams of a "Castle on a Cloud". As was shown in the film, they also had free breakfast programs and, in some areas in the country, free lunch programs so they could send the kids to school on full stomachs and thus be able to learn better. There was also the medical care they provided, and educational programs, etc. It was also shown that it went downhill once the founding members were in jail and were unable to run the show, so to speak.

As far as conspiracy theories are concerned, keep in mind that anybody during that time who asked "What's wrong with this picture?" (let alone did something about it) had FBI files started on them. And, in this extreme case, given that at the time the country was still in the crawling stage of getting used to the idea of equality of all races and sexes (among other things), is it really that hard to believe that "Big Brother" would flood the place with narcotics and other means of self-destruction? All I can say is "Well, DUH!"

Anyway, if you like movies based on history that deal with groups of people at the bottom (and in a worst case scenario) struggling against those up high to improve their situations, then just like "Braveheart", you should enjoy this film.

It's uncomfortable to watch at times, but, as we all know, there's no comfort in struggling; that's what makes victory more appreciable, assuming we achieve that victory in the first place.

How interesting it is that some of the supporting comments regarding the politics of this movie come from Ireland and England. The comment regarding Patty Hearst, especially intriguing. The error by the poster gives you an idea of how flawed people's perceptions of the Panthers were and still are. Hearst was kidnapped by Sinque, who was purported to be an ex-Panther member.

The Panthers were an interesting phenomena borne from the rough streets of Oakland,California, my hometown. They brought ideals of self-awareness, pride and self-defense. Some say that the theory of J.Edgar Hoover dumping drugs into the black neighborhoods to bring about its downfall was preposterous. As a resident of Oakland, it was absolutely factual that drugs were put into the community to destabilize it. COINTELPRO had insurrectionists cast into the Black Panthers as well as Campus student movements.

The FBI sought the downfall of Martin Luther King, and celebrated on the day of his assassination. Not all parties were in cahoots, but he was thought of as a communist agitator. Funny how no major motion picture of him was done following JFK, isn't it? Some aspects were quite fictitious, the "Judge" character and the shootout in the warehouse as well. The Panthers were considered an enemy to the established order and it was seeded with "inside" people to ferment internal conflict. The film may not be completely historically accurate, but it does portray the need then and now for a Black Panther Movement. The concept of Government conspiracy isn't new; see Operation Mongoose, Operation Northwoods, Watergate, Iran-Contra, etc. this was a flawed, but intriguing film about an organization that sought to improve the conditions of the community. And how the establishment created methods to destabilize and destroy it.

'Panther' is a superb movie, Exposing the Black Panther Party for what it was before Eldridge Clever took over. It is disturbing, with a lot of blood and swearing, but it tells (most of) the truth, the side no one wants to listen to, that no one wants to believe. Marcus Chong's portrayal of Huey P. Newton is the best part, showing the Revolutionary in a light people never see. Marcus Chong made him a person that people can identify with, carrying his immortality to our modern world. Bravo.