To not be confused with the short directed by Agnès Varda, this "Black Panthers" is basically a thoughtful and comprehensive propaganda of the
organization and its ten point program (a news channel helped them to make this film). The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense had a platform that covered many community social programs to the black community
in the late 1960's and onwards, and here each fundamental point of their panflet is carefully detailed in interviews with Huey P. Newton (from a jail cell, back when he was arrested
for murder of a policeman) and Eldridge Cleaver. Their fight against racism, bad political system and getting their civil rights done was presented to the world in documentaries as this, demonstrations and other acts. Little by
little they were marginalized, oppressed and with many internal divisions until its ending. As legacy, several other organizations were created to fight
racism and social injustice, getting wider appeal and without the self-defense part, and right to bear arms as the Panthers had (...by any means necessary!)
I know the group's story thanks to Van Peebles' 1995 biopic, which is amazing and one of my favorite films; and with the small research I did the film didn't took many liberties with the material neither downplayed situations revolving the party members, their cause and it's ultimated dissolution led by the FBI. A documentary as this proves how exactly was the Black Panther cause, presenting each program point in detail, their righteousness though showing themselves as a violent shock to the system since they were imposing characters. A film like this serves to inform people who don't know much about them or misjudge the facts - the Marxist origins and the little red book are all there but don't think for a moment they were completely rooted with the Comunist cause; the idea of a fair society and equal rights is the main concern, one that is admired by many but followed by a bunch. Those who have, those who have not and those in between fighting for a better world to live.
Here, we are able to see how the program worked in their community, people helping each other whenever there was a problem, the school programming, and it's easy to understand why it works as political platform better those paid commercials from more afortuned political parties. The Black Panthers showed what they wanted to achieve and some of the results as well. 8/10
I know the group's story thanks to Van Peebles' 1995 biopic, which is amazing and one of my favorite films; and with the small research I did the film didn't took many liberties with the material neither downplayed situations revolving the party members, their cause and it's ultimated dissolution led by the FBI. A documentary as this proves how exactly was the Black Panther cause, presenting each program point in detail, their righteousness though showing themselves as a violent shock to the system since they were imposing characters. A film like this serves to inform people who don't know much about them or misjudge the facts - the Marxist origins and the little red book are all there but don't think for a moment they were completely rooted with the Comunist cause; the idea of a fair society and equal rights is the main concern, one that is admired by many but followed by a bunch. Those who have, those who have not and those in between fighting for a better world to live.
Here, we are able to see how the program worked in their community, people helping each other whenever there was a problem, the school programming, and it's easy to understand why it works as political platform better those paid commercials from more afortuned political parties. The Black Panthers showed what they wanted to achieve and some of the results as well. 8/10
