Customer Reviews

A Huey P. Newton Story

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I reviewed this befroe and they would not put it up, why? I did not cuss, I merely suggested that something was quite foul smelling with the way this man is STILL being treated. I suggested that Spike Lee, could of sold his basketball tickets for the dough it would cost to at least put some chapter stops on this DVD. American wedding,the movie with all the white folks in it gets audio commentary, six documentaries,16 page booklet. But make a film about Huey Newton, and you get no booklet, no chapter stops, no biography, or documentaries. You could of jammed this DVD with hours of documentaries, and t.v. appearances that HUEY did but NO! Not even CHAPTER STOPS, poor huey.

Even if you don't know anything about the Black Panthers or could care less about the Black Panthers, you should still see this movie. I must admit that before this film I was mostly uninterested in the Black Panthers. After seeing this movie I could not wait to read Revolutionary Suicide. The portrayal of Dr. Huey P. Newton in the film by Roger Guenveur Smith is like no other. It is captivating and spellbinding and most importantly it is inspiring to see an actor be so committed to a character. For the most part, I am usually unaffected by movies and I rarely would rate a movie this high, but this is an exception. If you have not seen this film you must see it. To date, this is the most incredible thing I have seen. See it immediately.

I don't know much about Huey P. Newton at all. Up to the point when i seen this movie, if you told me the mans name I would have had no idea who he was, but now I do. I saw this movie the first time on tv. I was channel surfing and I came across this movie. After watching it for a sec. I could not turn the channel. Roger Guenveur Smith is absolutly wonderful in this movie. I was blown away. Such passion in his acting. I still don't know much about Huey P. Newton, but watching this movie has changed my perspective on what the Black Panthers were all about. Check this movie out. Its amazing......

If you do not know who Roger Guenveur Smith is, and somehow don't recognize him from other Spike Lee joints, then this piece will introduce you to an amazing actor. An amazing actor. An amazing performance. Granted, this is translated from the stage to the cinema, but it is quite affecting in expressing the character that was Huey P. Newton, and his explosive personality and his intellect. As great a character as Newton is, Guenveur Smith's intense and deeply expressed performance outdoes the imagery, the music, even the text. As an actor, this is a master class in deep and committed artistry.

I'm very disappointed. I wanted a documentary. I wanted to know Huey's story, and the hopes of his struggle. Instead, what Spike & pal give us is a one-man play. The actor sits on the stage, chain-smoking and rambling for almost 2 hours. For the sake of Dr. Huey P. Newton (he earned a doctoral degree in 1980), I'm being very generous with 4 stars.

Huey lived his entire life (1942-1989) in the age of television. Even in death, he must live on thousands of hours of footage. He wrote books. He gave countless interviews. Why not let him speak for himself?

The performance is fine as a matter of acting (accurate? I don't know). The delivery is frenetic, and makes it appear that Newton suffered from Parkinson's disease (spasticity). At points it's almost moving. At points it's fairly incomprehensible. But it's neither coherent, nor informative. It shows Huey as if he were always the tattered man that the FBI left of him.

I wanted to know what happened to Huey. What were the Black Panthers? What did they do? What did they try? WHAT HAPPENED!?? This movie gives only a few scattered, vague, spastic hints.

Why, Spike? WHY?

Cool dvd which arrived as described. This was intented as a Christmas gift and it arrived timely. Smooth transaction and great seller.

It took me until the midpoint of this documentary play to value it - and then I was completely sold. The simplicity of the frame, the silhouettes in the background and the passion of the actor, Roger Guenveur Smith, all pulled me into a story that I think deserves every ounce of this focus and talent. This is the kind of drama that needs to be watched several times before making "final" judgment -but even after watching it only once you will be touched and want to learn more about Huey and the movement. Great job!

I have read books that were authored by Mr. Huey P. Newton, and his ethics were much like the ethics of Malcolm X, or Muhammad Ali, without confining himself to a religion to do it. Mr. Newton was a revolutionist, rather than a violent racialist that had unjustly hated the law. Although a revolution always contradicts some laws, the laws it contradicts is usually unjust laws. I would suggest to everyone to check out YouTube for documentaries about this revolutionist. "Power to the people" was his strongest hope and belief for all Americans even if lethal force was in fact necessary to bring about such justice for the people. As You probably know he helped organized The Black Panther Party, because the only people that actually benefited the most from Capitalism were the rich or wealthy whites that had supported the white power structure that had mercilessly oppressed, the poor and especially second class citizens in America in that day. A highly respected man said that not one member of the black panther party had created slavery, slums, poverty, or oppressive conditions in America, and he also said that violence is the voice of the unheard. He also said that it was not any member of the Back Panther Party that had cause the darkness in America, but it is those who are oppressed that are the products of the darkness. These things were said by the late Martin Luther King Jr. The most powerful weapon ever used against the American people by their own government was the American media. However, as a news show called 60 Minutes would correctly put it, what happened to the poor people in America, was the hate that hate produced. The hate that hate produced was a news interview with the late Malcolm X. The movie, A Huey P. Newton Story says some true things about Mr. Newton. However, truer things about him are shown through his writings, and through his documentaries. Although Mr. Newton's life ended with his murder and his crack addiction, It would take severe conditions such as prison and poverty to vilify such an intelligent and heroic mind. If you really want to know him, then read his books and watch his video clips before you pass any judgement about this interesting revolutionary. A Huey P.Newton story was just OK, but it was far from good enough. If there is actually God, Then he must be the righteous judge. Huey P. Newton is definitely worth careful research.

see this movie. there is nothing like it. the performance is super-stellar. the subject material is explosively revealing. kudos to all involved. this movie will bring u closer to newton and the civil rights movement with all the power and magic they encompass. enjoy and be amazed.