Panther is a 1995 cinematic adaptation of Melvin Van Peeble's novel Panther, produced and directed by Mario Van Peebles. The drama film portrays the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, tracing the organization from its founding through its decline in a compressed timeframe. It was the first narrative feature-film to depict the Black Panther Party.
Plot summary
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The film focuses on the rise and decline of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, known as the Black Panthers, during the Black Power movement and disenchantment with nonviolent resistance as a tool in the Civil Rights Movement. It explores the COINTELPRO program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which was an effort to track and disrupt African-American political movements.
The drama alleges that various Mob networks cooperated directly with the United States Intelligence Community (FBI/CIA) representatives to "flood" inner-city ghettos, which contained majority black populations, with hard drugs such as heroin and cocaine. The ending's structure and concluding voice-over alleges that The Mob (possibly Italian) in the United States agreed to produce and distribute quantities of these types of drugs on an unprecedentedly large scale. Purportedly, only agreed-upon "problem areas" of Black Panthers' potential support would be targeted, so as to "pacify" those populations.
The film further suggests that the huge quantities of drugs quickly spilled out of the "problem areas" and became the drug epidemic in the United States of the 1980s and 1990s. The final lines shown in the film's closing note that in the 1970s, there were hundreds of thousands of hard-drug addicts, a number that had increased to the "3 million" of "yesterday". It is dedicated to the Black Panther Party's main figures, the communities that supported them, and those who might continue the struggle today.
Cast
Soundtrack
A soundtrack for the film containing R&B and hip hop music was released on May 2, 1995 by Mercury Records. It peaked at number 37 on the Billboard 200 and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and was certified gold on July 25, 1995. Featured on the soundtrack was the single "Freedom (Theme from Panther)", a collaboration among more than 60 female R&B singers and rappers that peaked at 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Three singles made it to the Billboard charts, "Head Nod" by Hodge, "The Points", a collaboration between 12 of hip-hop's most popular artists and groups, and "Freedom (Theme from Panther)", a collaboration between over 60 female R&B singers and rappers.
- "Freedom (Theme from Panther)" - 4:47
- Aaliyah, Felicia Adams, May May Ali, Amel Larrieux, Az-Iz, Blackgirl, Mary J. Blige, Tanya Blount, Brownstone, Casserine, Changing Faces, Coko, Tyler Collins, N'Dea Davenport, E.V.E., Emage, En Vogue, Eshe & Laurneá (of Arrested Development), Female, For Real, Penny Ford, Lalah Hathaway, Jade, Jamecia, Jazzyfatnastees, Queen Latifah, Billy Lawrence, Joi, Brigette McWilliams, Milira, Miss Jones, Cindy Mizelle, Monica, Me’Shell NdegéOcello, Natasha, Pebbles, Pure Soul, Raja-Nee, Brenda Russell, SWV, Chantay Savage, Sonja Marie, Tracie Spencer, Sweet Sable, TLC, Terri & Monica, Vybe, Crystal Waters, Caron Wheeler, Karyn White, Vanessa Williams, Xscape, Y?N-Vee, Zhané
- "Express Yourself" - 3:48 (Joe)
- "We'll Meet Again" - 4:43 (Blackstreet)
- "Black People" - 4:11 (George Clinton, Belita Woods & Funkadelic)
- "Let's Straighten It Out" - 4:05 (Usher & Monica)
- "The Points" - 4:54
- Big Mike, Biggie Smalls, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Buckshot, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, Digable Planets, Heltah Skeltah, Ill Al Skratch, Jamal, Menace Clan & Redman
- "Slick Partner" - 2:46 (Bobby Brown)
- "Stand (You Got To)" - 4:35 (Aaron Hall)
- "The World Is a Ghetto" - 4:32 (Da Lench Mob)
- "If I Were Your Woman" (Shanice & Female)
- "We Shall Not Be Moved" - 4:49 (Sounds of Blackness & Black Sheep)
- "A Natural Woman (You Make Me Feel Like)" - 3:48 (Female)
- "Freedom" (Dirty Dozen remix) - 4:49
- MC Lyte, Meshell Ndegeocello, Nefertiti, Patra, Queen Latifah, Salt-n-Pepa, Left Eye of TLC, Da 5 Footaz, & Yo-Yo
- "Head Nod" - 3:33 (Hodge)
- "Stand!" - 4:28 (Tony! Toni! Toné!)
- "Don't Give Me No Broccoli and Tell Me It's Green's" - 6:17 (The Last Poets)
- "The Star-Spangled Banner" - 3:12 (Brian McKnight, Boys Choir of Harlem & Slash)
- "The Ultimate Sacrifice" - 3:15 (Stanley Clarke)
Awards
- Locarno International Film Festival â€" Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Special Mention: Silver Leopard
References
Bibliography
- Peebles, Mario Van; Taylor, Ura Y.; Lewis, J. Tanika; Peebles, Melvin Van (1995). Panther: The Pictorial History of the Black Panthers and the Story Behind the Film. HarperCollins. ISBNÂ 9781557042279.Â
External links
- Panther on IMDb
