That meaningless retitle of "Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes" must have been to disguise it from association with the original title that didn't play well or generate much of a reception on initial release. But seeing is believing and, good reception or no, BNANPOS is absolutely the perfect title, and one that attracted me to watch, after my brother recommended it to me off a retitled dvd he saw it on, and said "See "Jive Turkey", you'll like it", and, I thought ,"With a title like that, really?"
Well, call it "Baby" or "Jive", I liked it.
Crazy Credits: Opening first states "Based on a true story" followed by "Story by" credit. Cute
Then "1956", and when it cuts to a machine gun massacre of innocents, first a frumpy lady attired in a dingy schmatta of indeterminate date, then a guy with a fro in a dashiki, AND THEN a kid on a stingray bike with a sissy bar, you no the low budget is not going to allow for accuracy in period details.
I don't get all these reviewers who claim to be such blaxploitation connoisseurs, and admit low budgets are a given in the genre, then nit-pick anachronisms (if that's your thing, yeah, you can sure have yourself a ball nit-picking away to your heart's content for almost an hour and a half with this one) and criticize the makers for being over-ambitious to even attempt such a period piece. I say, if you're such a long-time blaxploitation buff, by now you should've seen enough of the deficiencies of no-budgets to instantly ignore them and try to appreciate what they do manage to achieve under such constraints
Seen that way i do think this is an original, substantive effort, considerably better conceived and executed than most of its type
Contrary to everyone else, it was the aspects of the period setting that DID work that pleased me most, In spite of everything, at it's heart it successfully evokes the setting and the spirit of 1950's ghetto life and the criminals that ran it: the gambling parlors, the crap games, numbers running, opium dens full of prostitutes and hoods, but also Pop's barber shop, nickel candy at the corner store, soul food counters and Mama's home cooking. And that script full of '50s jive (I'm talking "Talk", not turkey), though also not free of anachronisms, often sounds like pure poetry. The dialogue of the few white characters is also accurate for the period: Bluntly, unapologetically.
Too bad the score, good in that '70s funkadelic way, doesn't contain a note resembling the popular "race" music of that time
Better acted overall than most blaxies, with a number of terrific character bits. I had seen Paul Harris in some minor roles early in his career (For Love of Ivy, Across 110th Street, The Mack) and i'm glad to see he got the lead in this. As Pasha, a Black Mafia "Don" his continuously strong expression with intention does much to unify the diverse personalities and ambitions coming from so many directions in the plot, and he carries the movie.
. . . . .
Something should also be said about the Glamazon Serene (a one time film appearance by Don--that's right, not Dawn--Edmonson aka Tawny Tan), strictly a sideshow, even freak show, to the plot, but memorable, even unforgettable as one of the best OTT performances ever on screen.
Seekers of the usual dose of action and violence will be disappointed. It's all about the intrigue, and if you can get into that, it'll keep you involved.
When violent action does occur, it is all the more effective, extremely violent and very gory, some of the best you'll see if you just wait for it.
Even I have to admit all the talk slows it down a bit, and even at less than 90 minutes, should have been cut down. They could start with cutting some of the grossest anachronisms, like the opening scene I mentioned above, although in that particular case, you'd also lose some of the much needed action. So film editing is hard
But I'm really glad my brother recommended it.
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