Coonskin (1974)

Directed by

Ralph Bakshi

Genre

comedy film, blaxploitation film, live-action/animated film, adult animated film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 37m

Rated

R

Rating

6.1 of 10 from 144 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Three anthropomorphic characters named Brother Rabbit, Preacher Fox, and Brother Bear climb the ranks of organized crime in Harlem. They encounter corrupt police, con artists, and the Mafia in a satire aimed at racism in Hollywood and America. The film uses both live-action and animation.

satiricalgrittyprovocativedarkly comicurbananimatedunsettlingedgy

What happens

Coonskin is a 1975 American live-action/animated satirical crime film written and directed by Ralph Bakshi, adapted from the Uncle Remus folk tales. The narrative concerns three anthropomorphic 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." Bakshi has stated that he considers Coonskin to be his best film. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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