Sunlight

Plenty of room for growth, but the experimentation with form and style for a first project is impressive. Melvin Van Peebles decided he wanted to make films, so he did, knowing that he would learn along the way. Gotta admire that.

Plenty of room for growth, but the experimentation with form and style for a first project is impressive. Melvin Van Peebles decided he wanted to make films, so he did, knowing that he would learn along the way. Gotta admire that.

this has to be the most devastating 10 minute film i’ve ever seen. van peebles demonstrates an innate ability to film some insanely expressive shots that are so simple it can be hard to pinpoint what’s evoking the emotions. 

there’s also a chase sequence in this that’s basically just a prototype of what’s to come in sweet sweetback’s and reminded me of the magnificence of those long shots of sweetback running through LA.

this has to be the most devastating 10 minute film i’ve ever seen. van peebles demonstrates an innate ability to film some insanely expressive shots that are so simple it can be hard to pinpoint what’s evoking the emotions. 

there’s also a chase sequence in this that’s basically just a prototype of what’s to come in sweet sweetback’s and reminded me of the magnificence of those long shots of sweetback running through LA.

Definitely in a much better headspace to be rewatching this a year since the first time I saw it.

This early Van Peebles short seems like silent film by way of Cassavetes almost. Van Peebles’ portrayal of young love and the contradictions there within it is beautiful. Two young people want to get married and the woman is pushing it harder, but the man wants to be realistic about it. His fear is that without some money between them first that she would soon grow to resent him. The chaos of a hymn during a wedding overlaid upon tunes played over a jukebox lends to this duality of brashness and reason.

Definitely in a much better headspace to be rewatching this a year since the first time I saw it.

This early Van Peebles short seems like silent film by way of Cassavetes almost. Van Peebles’ portrayal of young love and the contradictions there within it is beautiful. Two young people want to get married and the woman is pushing it harder, but the man wants to be realistic about it. His fear is that without some money between them first that she would soon grow to resent him. The chaos of a hymn during a wedding overlaid upon tunes played over a jukebox lends to this duality of brashness and reason.