Melvin Van Peebles, an African-American creative force who was a performer, playwright, novelist, musician and indie filmmaker who boldly challenged what kind of stories could be told in American cinema, has sadly passed away on September 22nd at the age of eighty-nine.
After Van Peebles made one movie "Watermelon Man", a satire about a bigoted white man who wakes up one day Black, with a Hollywood studio in 1970, he declined a three-picture contract with Columbia Pictures (never working with a major studio again) and set about creating "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song". Shot in nineteen days with a $150,000 budget, Van Peebles co-produced, scored (performed by Earth, Wind and Fire), edited, wrote, directed and starred in this story about a Black man falsely accused of a crime and trying to escape from the police by any means necessary. This revolutionary film was one of the first entries in to what would be called blaxploitation cinema, becoming a major hit (earning over $15 million at the box-office) and remaining a highly influential film. "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" was selected last year for preservation in the US National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.
Born Melvin Peebles in Chicago (he added 'Van' to his name during his time living in the Netherlands), he enlisted in the Air Force shortly after graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University, serving for over three years. When he returned home, Van Peebles became interested in filmmaking, making several short films. He took his work to Los Angeles with the hope of them helping him get a directing job but no studios were interested.
Like many African-American artists did at this time in the 1960's in order to be able to create freely, Van Peebles traveled to Europe. He made short films, recorded an album, wrote plays and a novel, "La Permission" in French while living in Paris. This lead to him making his feature film debut in 1967 with "The Story of a Three-Day Pass", which was based on his book, telling the story of a black American soldier who is demoted due to his relationship with a French White woman. This critically-praised drama proved to be an excellent showcase for his accomplishments as a filmmaker, helping him land his brief, Hollywood gig.
He is survived by sons, Mario (who followed his father as an actor and filmmaker) and Max, and his daughter Marguerite. Melvin Van Peebles was an incredibly remarkable talent who created his work on his terms, never allowing himself to ever be compromised. He blazed a trail for future African-American filmmakers while showing to the world the beauty and the power of Black people through his artistry.
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