Coonskin (film)

Coonskin
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRalph Bakshi
Written byRalph Bakshi
Based onUncle Remus
Produced byAlbert S. Ruddy
StarringBarry White
Charles Gordone
Philip Thomas
Scatman Crothers
CinematographyWilliam A. Fraker
Edited byDonald W. Ernst
Music byChico Hamilton
Production
companies
Distributed byBryanston Distributing Company
Release date
  • August 20, 1975 (1975-08-20)
Running time
83 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.6 million

Coonskin is a 1975 American live-action/animated satirical crime film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film references the Uncle Remus folk tales, and satirizes the blaxploitation film genre as well as Disney's racially controversial film Song of the South, also adapted from the Uncle Remus folk tales.[1] The film's narrative concerns three anthropomorphic Uncle Remus characters, Br'er Rabbit (referred to as Brother Rabbit), Br'er Fox (referred to as Preacher Fox), and Br'er Bear (referred to as Brother Bear). They rise to the top of the organized crime racket in Harlem, encountering corrupt law enforcement, con artists, and the Mafia, in a satire of both racism within the Hollywood film system, and America itself. The film stars Philip Thomas, Charles Gordone, Barry White, and Scatman Crothers, all of whom appear in both live-action and animated sequences.

Originally produced under the titles Harlem Nights and Coonskin No More... at Paramount Pictures, Coonskin encountered controversy before its original theatrical release when the Congress of Racial Equality accused the film of being racist. When the film was released, Bryanston gave it limited distribution and it initially received mixed reviews. Later re-released under the titles Bustin' Out and Street Fight, Coonskin has since been re-appraised, recontextualizing the film as the condemnation of racism that the director intended, rather than a product of a racist imagination, as its detractors had claimed. A New York Times review said, "Coonskin could be Ralph Bakshi's masterpiece."[2] Bakshi has stated that he considers Coonskin to be his best film.[3]

  1. ^ "Coonskin | Bakshi productions, Inc". Bakshi Film Studios.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Cohen-84 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Gibson, Jon M.; McDonnell, Chris (2008). "Coonskin". Unfiltered: The Complete Ralph Bakshi. Universe Publishing. pp. 106, 108–109, 114, 127. ISBN 978-0-7893-1684-4.

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