“How to Eat Watermelon”
(And Enjoy It) is an exciting and positive biography. The documentary shows a great visual of the pioneering
African-American filmmaker’s career. In the documentary you see Mr. Van Peebles
as a father, pioneer, lover, artist, businessman, trickster, and intellectual.
The documentary also gives a record of American racism and one man’s crafty,
angry and resourceful answer to it. From the documentary you see how Van
Peebles made his way in the world on his own terms. Van Peebles grew up
on the notorious South side of Chicago at the time racial tensions were very
high. The documentary allows you to open up
your normal view of him and look t him as a human being. His side was
not based on a white or black view in particular he just narrated as one views
based on what he observed from all his years of life , the title in its self
shows brilliance in that he articulated a way of thinking where you can be you
and not feel guilty because of any barriers. It was more of a self help
documentary as far as seeing yourself as a serious person without being serious
because thoughts have been taught act like that because someone is judging the
race as a whole. His thoughts were provocative and unapologetic because it was
coming from views of a man who grew up in Chicago and experienced different
walks of life and expressed it as very few can. Like most movies the scenes and
nature could rub some the wrong way but I would argue that those who are meant
to understand will see he drove the his assertions of uniqueness and drove his
point home verified by commentary by other black film makers such as Gordon Parks and Spike Lee. The genius
is how he was viewed in the movie as anti black establishment and anti white
establishment and showed that you can be you without any constraints or an
"oughtness" based on another race of pre determined thoughts. in a
way he gave us incite on how he thinks everyone should be; An individual where
his genius shows us how he showed how regular he was as a man. Also I
loved how he cleverly made the title to make everyone think the movie was going
to be a certain way but as the movie continued he couldn't help but make the
viewers elevated there pre conceived judgments from ethnic backgrounds. He
exposed how we all collectively are bias but in that it shows how much we are
alike. I found his views on relationship really funny in the fact he was
fearful of monogamous relationships in the film his daughter even joked that he
organized his women the weekdays and she said "If you're Tuesday night's
girl, you better not call on Wednesday." All in all "How to Eat Watermelon in White
Company." is a must see he has a rare honesty that seems to make viewers
travel throw a roller coaster of a modern renaissance man.
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