Director: Melvin Van PeeblesCast: Godfrey Cambridge, Estelle Parsons
Genre: Comedy/Drama 1970
Running time: 98 mins.
Rating:★★★
Jeff Gerber (Godfrey Cambridge) seems to have it all: successful career, a nice suburban home, a progressive-thinking wife (Estelle Parsons) and two cute children. But he's also a loud-mouthed racist who wakes up one morning to discover he's turned into a black man. The doctors have no explanation and on cure for his sudden change. Suddenly, Gerber is a white bigot in black skin who has to deal with a shocked family, intolerant neighbors, cold shoulders at the office and a back seat on the bus!
A "light" comedy on what karma could do to someone who overly upbeat-know it all-racist who only see things in a black and white manner. It is only when he wakes up that morning and discovers he has turned black that he abruptly realizes how narrow minded his thinking is. His own hatred and stereotyping for anyone who isn't white is turned towards him bringing a lot of anger within him. A nightmare that gives him different kind of confidence of himself, a drive to for tolerance and hard work without having everything handed to him so easily, regardless of race. Beauty is only skin deep!
The use of quick changing from yellow to red to blue in the cinematography allows the audience to reflect on their own quick judgement on strangers. The film plays on stereotypes of both blacks and white to such an extreme that it seems ridiculous and comical. However, this is where the film is brilliant in its subtle underlining message. In spite of everything, everyone has to struggle with intolerance and quick judgement, so again, why should color of skin matter? Love is all you need!
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