With BLACK AND WHITE, writer-director James Toback (FINGERS, TWO GIRLS AND A GUY) confronts the topic of race head on--most specifically, the influence of black urban hip-hop culture on white America. Set in New York City as the 1990s wind to a close, the film is told in a broad, episodic fashion, interweaving several different story lines in order to address a multitude of ideas. In the most comedic, a white documentarian (Brooke Shields) and her gay husband (Robert Downey Jr.) follow a group of affluent white teenagers (led by Bijou Phillips) around the city as they unabashedly pursue a Staten Island hip-hop crew. As the leader of the crew, Rich Bower (the Wu-Tang Clan's Power) struggles to leave his criminal past behind and become a legitimate musician. In the most dramatic subplot, an undercover police detective (Ben Stiller) frames a talented college basketball player (Allan Houston) in order to exact an ambiguous revenge. Toback blends improvisation with tightly scripted scenes, and the result is a loose, broad essay on the state of racism at the turn of the millennium. BLACK AND WHITE features impressive performances by the all-star cast, but it is Mike Tyson who steals the film with his unforgettable cameo.
Director Toback's multifaceted dramedy concerns the influence of hip-hop culture on white America. The revolving story--partly scripted, partly improvised--focuses on three separate stories that eventually converge, albeit loosely. In the first, a documentary filmmaker (Shields) follows a group of well-to-do white high school students in Manhattan as they spend time emulating their favorite hip-hop stars. In the second, a budding rapper (Wu-Tang Clan's Power) struggles to leave behind a life of crime for the record business. And in the third, a college basketball star (Houston) is bribed by a jealous police officer (Stiller) into throwing a game.
The film was originally released in America on April 5, 2000.
Toback shot BLACK AND WHITE entirely on the streets of New York City.
In the confrontation between Tyson and Downey Jr., Toback didn't prepare Tyson for what Downey was going to say or do.
Power, a successful music producer who drifted into acting, made his film debut with BELLY.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Single Side - Single Layer
Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35
Full Frame - 1.33
Letterbox - 2.35
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
Music Video
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary: James Toback - Director
Featurette: James Toback's Video Diary
Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer
Interactive Features:
Scene Access
Interactive Menus
Text/Photo Galleries:
Talent Files:
1. James Toback - Director
2. Robert Downey, Jr. - Star
3. Power - Star
4. Raekwon - Star
5. Brooke Shields - Star
6. Ben Stiller - Star
7. Bijou Phillips - Star
8. Mike Tyson -Star
Cameo
Mike Tyson: American Boxer
Director of Photography
David M. Ferrara: Director of Photography
Production Designer
Anne Ross: PD - "Mercy"
Costume Designer
Jacki Roach: Costume Designer
Review 1:
"...Engaging for its fresh milieu....It remains naturalistic, edgy and humorous..."
Source: Variety
p.88
Review 2:
"...Vital, immediate and often uproarious. An exciting, eclectic cast..."
Source: Movieline's Hollywood Life
p.33 04/??/2000
Review 3:
"...Earns distinction as the greatest semi-improvised didactic fantasy ever made about cultural miscegenation....Shades of gray..." -- Rating: B
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.109 09/29/2000
Review 4:
"...Hilarious, deeply ribald....Don't miss it." -- 3 out of 5 stars - A Satisfying Rental
Source: Premiere
p.104 11/01/2000
Review 5:
"...Moments of rough-hewn ingenuity....Teeming with vitality..."
Source: Sight and Sound
p.41 12/01/2000
Shopping Cart:
