Coonskin (film)
Coonskin (film)
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.
Plot
Sampson and the "Preacher" rush to help their friend, Randy, escape from prison, but are stopped by a roadblock and a shootout with the police begins. While waiting for them, Randy converses with an escapee named Pappy, who claims to know a story about three people similar to him and his friends. Pappy's story is told in animation overlaid on a background of photos and live-action footage.
Plot
Brother Rabbit, Brother Bear, and Preacher Fox decide to pack up and leave the Southern states after the bank mortgages their house and sells it to a man who wants to turn it into a brothel. Arriving in Harlem, Rabbit, Bear and Fox find that all is not as it seems. They encounter a con man named Simple Savior, a self-styled revolutionary leader who claims to be the cousin of "Black Jesus", and that he gives his disciples "the strength to kill whites". In a stage show at his "church", Savior acts out being brutalized by symbols of black oppression—represented by images of John Wayne, Elvis Presley, and Richard Nixon, before asking his parishioners for "donations". Rabbit, well aware of the scam, tries to stir up anti-revolutionary sentiment in the crowd at the venue, prompting Savior to have him killed. After Rabbit saves himself with reverse psychology, he and Bear kill Savior. This allows Rabbit to take over Savior's racket, starting his climb to the top of organized crime in Harlem. As Rabbit prepares to deal with competition, Savior's former associates warn him that if he cannot kill his rivals, they will kill him.
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