| Videos |
| Simon Chuckster | ... | Beetle | |
| Melvin Van Peebles | ... | Sweetback | |
| Hubert Scales | ... | Mu-Mu | |
| John Dullaghan | ... | Commissioner | |
| West Gale | |||
| Niva Rochelle | |||
| Rhetta Hughes | ... | Old Girl Friend | |
| Nick Ferrari | |||
| Ed Rue | |||
| John Amos | ... | Biker (as Johnny Amos) | |
| Lavelle Roby | |||
| Ted Hayden | |||
| Mario Van Peebles | ... | Young Sweetback / Kid (as Mario Peebles) | |
| Sonja Dunson | |||
| Michael Augustus | |||
| Peter Russell | |||
| Norman Fields | |||
| Ron Prince | |||
| Steve Cole | |||
| Megan Van Peebles | ... | Kid (as Megan Peebles) | |
| Joe Tornatore | |||
| Mike Angel | |||
| Jeff Goodman | |||
| Curt Matson | |||
| Marria Evonee | |||
| Jon Jacobs | |||
| Bill Kirschner | |||
| Vincent Barbi | |||
| Chet Norris | |||
| Joni Watkins | |||
| Jerry Days | |||
| John Allen | |||
| Bruce Adams | |||
| Brer Soul | |||
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Edson C. Kurose | ... | Coronor (as Ed Kurose) | |
| Max Van Peebles | ... | Young Sweetback | |
| Maggie Bembry | ... | Woman (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Melvin Van Peebles | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Melvin Van Peebles | (written by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Jerry Gross | .... | producer | |
| Melvin Van Peebles | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Earth Wind & Fire | |||
| Melvin Van Peebles | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Robert Maxwell | (as Bob Maxwell) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Melvin Van Peebles | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Nora Maxwell | .... | makeup supervisor | |
Production Management | |||
| Clyde Houston | .... | production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| José García | .... | second unit director | |
| Clyde Houston | .... | assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| John H. Newman | .... | sound editor | |
| Arthur Piantadosi | .... | dubbing sound | |
| Clark Will | .... | sound | |
| Luke Wolfram | .... | sound editor | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Cliff Wenger | .... | special effects | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Jose Garcia | .... | camera operator | |
| Robert Maxwell | .... | camera operator | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Jeremy Hoenack | .... | assistant editor | |
| J.F. Kinyon | .... | archival editorial services (uncredited) | |
Other crew | |||
| Chic Borland | .... | production assistant | |
| Skip Karnas | .... | production assistant | |
| Winfred Tennison | .... | production assistant | |
| Priscilla Watts | .... | production assistant | |
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| Boyz n the Hood | Fritz the Cat | Wild at Heart | Jimmy and Judy | American Gangster |
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You can say what you want about "blaxploitation" films. If nothing else, they can be a lot of fun in their overt use of black stereotypes and semi-predictable storylines. Since their construction is so obvious, it is not the same as the way blacks were portrayed in a film like "Birth of a Nation." Melvin Van Peebles put this thing together by himself (with a little monetary help from Bill Cosby), and while the technical quality is not exactly Hollywood, neither is the content. It is difficult to imagine what it must have been like to have been in the audiences for this film's premiere, as a strong black character emerges to defend his existence against the Racist State. The film uttered what nearly everybody has thought, and seeing it on the screen must have been a truly shocking experience. Perhaps even cathartic, but that may be pushing it. I don't know. I wasn't there.
Maybe it's a good sign that viewing such films today lends itself more to camp fun than any possible serious interpretation; it is a sign that we have moved on, at least a little bit.