The Film Uptight (1968)

[Troy]

I never heard about Uptight until I started updating the site with information about the writer, Julian Mayfield. Mayfield stars in, and co-authored the screenplay.

 

Whoever posted the clip mischaracterized the clip as "Blaxploitation" this is an inaccurate description (based upon the clip).

 

Am I the only one who never heard of this flick?

 

 

[frankster]

Can't say i remember it  though many of the characters seem familiar....its intense

 

[Delano]

The second lead was Denzel's Washington father in Mo Better Blues.

[Troy]

Yes I recognize the several of the actors too.  I have not looked up the movie to see how i can watch it yet.

 

It is interesting the movies that become widely known and those which remain obscure. 
 

Was anyone familiar with the writer Julian Mayfield?

[Pioneer1]

EXCELLENT FILM!!!

Thanks for hipping us to it Troy.

My girl Ruby Dee was in the film also....and showing a little skin too!

Also Max Julien played Johnny.
He played the pimp in The Mac a few years later.

That movie was not just excellent but waaaaaaay ahead of it's time, it's hard to believe it was made way back in 1968 because a lot of the themes seem like they were out of the mid or late 70s.

I didn't realize young women were wearing their hair natural back in 1968.
I didn't think that came until the 70s.

I was also surprised how openly they showed homosexuals....Black homosexuals....drinking in bars and playing around.
Surprised they had Black gay hang-outs back in the 60s and even MORE surprised it was so common they put it in a movie in the 60s.

Smoking weed too.

It really affects my perspective on AfroAmerican history and makes me wonder how far back did the dysfunction really go.....and is some of it really "dysfunction".

[ProfD]

On 7/9/2023 at 8:08 AM, Pioneer1 said:

It really affects my perspective on AfroAmerican history and makes me wonder how far back did the dysfunction really go.....and is some of it really "dysfunction".

There is nothing new under the sun. 

 

AfroAmericans have been smoking, drinking, pimping and partying ever since they got off the plantation and especially once they headed to major cities. 

 

By definition, dysfunction is abnormality or impairment of an organ or system or deviation from normal behavior  and regarded as bad.

 

To me, dysfunction is doing sh8t that either doesn't work (unproductive)  or causes harm to others (destructive) and/or doesn't provide tangible benefits to the greater good.

 

I don't consider people who drink, smoke, use drugs, sell p8ssy, etc., as dysfunctional.  Same applies to sexual orientation.  That's their thing.  Live and let live.

 

IMO, dysfunctional people are those who do things that aren't constructive and/or productive and serve to harm or weaken the greater good of humanity.

 

I had not heard of this movie until now either.

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

Yeah.
I just got through reading an article about the sad ending to the brief Earthly life of Frankie Lymon.

He apparently overdosed with Heroin back in the 60s.

 

 

@Troy  and @richardmurray

Well....
That was a good Black film.....I'm ready for another one!
 

[ProfD]

4 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I just got through reading an article about the sad ending to the brief Earthly life of Frankie Lymon.

He apparently overdosed with Heroin back in the 60s.

Drug addiction, alcoholism and promiscuity made many religious AfroAmericans frown on musicians and entertainers back in the 1950s/60s.

 

They weren't thugs and gangsters but their lifestyle choices and performing the devil's music was supposed to be an express ticket to h8ll.

 

Dope became cheaper in the 1970s. It was followed by crack in the 1980s.  

 

It's easy to believe gangsta rap made things worse. As a musician, maybe I'm partial to defending art.

 

But, folks were already using and selling drugs and gang-banging and all the negative that comes with it. 

 

As Public Enemy's Chuck D said, Hip-Hop music was the black CNN putting a bullseye on a the epidemic plaguing AfroAmericans.

 

No different from Hollywood movies, artists and musicians took a negative aspect of life and monetized it musically. 

 

Parents still have the responsibility of raising their children to include what they listen to and watch. Sometimes, the problem is the *parents*.

 

Obviously,  Frankie Lymon's life wasn't a cautionary tale considering the number of folks who've fallen into drug addiction and the ills of it including the ultimate cost...no more life. 

 

[richardmurray]

@Troy

You asked why this film isn't cited or as well known but it has many reasons, that in hindsight or cheap or easy to see.

First, this is a movie directed by a white man, who was blacklisted as a enemy of the state.

I don't know to what extent the fbi manipulated this film's life but that is in itself interesting.

Second, Black militancy is not beloved in the black community in the usa. 

Movies love to make it seem like every black home is a black panther cell waiting to happen but the truth is the nonviolent or christian communities in the black community  in the usa have always opposed black militancy  very strongly. This film, at the end of the day, treats black militancy as acceptable.  Not necessarily good or successful but acceptable. That makes it a nono to the black christian or black nonviolent community. And, white audiences will be blocked from viewing this by white media controllers. The visibility of acceptable black militancy is going to be quelled. In the same way, the white media controllers make sure the internet doesn't make the works of the senegalese Sembene known to more black folk. 

Third, the black homosexual character will strike a negative for the extreme anti gay folk who existed without reproach at that time. 

 

So I like the film, I wish it was smarter, but it has some strong truths in it.  

[Troy]

I watched Uptight last night and I thought it was a very good film.  The acting was a bit over the top, but enjoyable, nonetheless.

 

@richardmurray I read conintelpro had agents working the film.  This tells me the film was definitely of potential benefit to the black community.  I thought the film did a good job illustrating the conflict in the Black community surrounding militancy.  Frank Silvera, character Kyle's oppoiation to The Councils tactics showed this.

 

I too wish the film were "smarter," but given the time, the constraints, the FBI I think the final product is commendable. 

 

Janet MacLachlan who played Jeannie passed in 2010 (she was older than my mother!)  Now that was a fine sista! 

 

I liked Roscoe Lee Brown's gay character.  His scene in the police station was priceless. 

 

Booker T and The MG's did the original score.

 

@Pioneer1 man, I wish I had a list of good films to watch queued up, but I don't.  I used to this like with music they rarely make a good film, but they do the problem is discoverability as it is with books. 

 

That said last weekend I watched, A Thousand and One.  It was very good film too (obviously IMHO) It was released in theaters in March of this year, but I did not learn about it until this weekend, scrolling through movies to watch on my Chromecast. The lead actress, Teyana Taylor is easy on the eyes too 

 

 

[richardmurray]

@Troy 

 

Quote

This tells me the film was definitely of potential benefit to the black community.

People say birth of a nation revitalized the KKK, and ever since films have been given this position and grand movers, but I oppose that view. I love the arts and have been inspired or know others who have been inspired but the arts don't move communities. The arts are cover stories for communities desires in the usa. It wasn't the matrix that caused mass shooting. It wasn't birth of a nation that revitalized the KKK. Uptight even if every black person saw it in the 1960s wasn't going to lead to a militancy surge in the black community in the usa, for one simple reason. The majority in the black community in the usa have never advocated or supported black militancy. 

 

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 I thought the film did a good job illustrating the conflict in the Black community surrounding militancy. 

 

Did it? That is what I meant about smart.  Communal activities like Black Militancy or Back to Africa or making a state in the usa have been in the black community in the usa since the usa was founded. Alongside, citizenry adoption into the usa. But, the majority in the black community in the usa has never, never,, never advocated militancy.

[ProfD]

3 hours ago, richardmurray said:

But, the majority in the black community in the usa has never, never,, never advocated militancy.

Mainly because most Black leaders knew militancy could have led to a race war resulting in the wholesale massacre of most AfroAmericans. 

 

Even if they so desired. AfroAmericans would not have been able to amass enough weapons and bloodlust to launch a military campaign against their oppressors.

 

Instead, AfroAmericans settled for integration, faith, hope and the belief that one day we'll all be free and that white folks would treat us fair and equal. 

[richardmurray]

based on what I know of black leaders from 1865 to today, the following is a lie and doesn't state the main cause 

Quote

Mainly because most Black leaders knew militancy could have led to a race war resulting in the wholesale massacre of most AfroAmericans. 

 

Even if they so desired. AfroAmericans would not have been able to amass enough weapons and bloodlust to launch a military campaign against their oppressors.

 

Instead, AfroAmericans settled for integration, faith, hope and the belief that one day we'll all be free and that white folks would treat us fair and equal. 

 

 

[ProfD]

27 minutes ago, richardmurray said:

based on what I know of black leaders from 1865 to today, the following is a lie and doesn't state the main cause 

Fair enough. I've read  your thesis so I'm not surprised.

[Troy]

10 hours ago, richardmurray said:

Uptight even if every black person saw it in the 1960s wasn't going to lead to a militancy surge in the black community in the usa,

i agree, and I did not intend to suggest that it did. What it helped do was show people different sides of the issue of Black militancy from the perspective of the people.

 

@richardmurray your comments suggest the intent is the movie was to advocate for or glamorize militancy. I don’t think that was the point of the film.

 

I never thought a armed conflict in America today would be winnable or desirable.  As mentioned in uptight. Our oppressor has access to the military.
 

11 hours ago, richardmurray said:

But, the majority in the black community in the usa has never, never,, never advocated militancy.

That may be true, but they are a significant number of people who do. The popularity of the Black Panthers tells of that. 
 

Radical change is what is needed in America.

[Chevdove]

On 7/8/2023 at 2:10 PM, Troy said:

 

 

Am I the only one who never heard of this flick?

 

I've never heard of this film. 

[richardmurray]

@Troy

Quote

What it helped do was show people different sides of the issue of Black militancy from the perspective of the people.

Did black people need to be shown different sides of the black militancy argument or non blacks?

Quote

 your comments suggest the intent is the movie was to advocate for or glamorize militancy. 

My comment is erroneous in terms of suggesting positive promotion of black militancy in the usa was the purpose of the film uptight.  

Quote

 I don’t think that was the point of the film.

 

I never thought a armed conflict in America today would be winnable or desirable.  As mentioned in uptight. Our oppressor has access to the military.
 

In my mind uptight wasn't meant  to positively promote black militancy in the usa either, though how people relate to any artwork is open.

In my mind the key is definitions or details when it comes to any of the many strategy based tribes in the black village in the usa.

Quote

That may be true, but they are a significant number of people who do. The popularity of the Black Panthers tells of that. 
 

Radical change is what is needed in America.

in my mind again, the definitions or details or particular populaces in the usa matter when it comes to how the usa relates to one of said populaces.

 

@ProfD for the record my position isn't based on a thesis or idea, it is based on historical fact, not a thesis. It doesn't warrant interpretation

@Chevdove most film historians, who spend their entire lives watching films,  at best have seen one percent of all films made. And that doesn't include the films that are unavailable through demolition or withering over the many years. Like books, like music, no one can experience it all in a lifetime, too many works have been made. Most people haven't heard of or seen most films.

The question is who selects and who presents?  And it is no shame for a black person in a white country to not have control over the selection or presentation. 

 

[Chevdove]

On 7/12/2023 at 4:41 PM, richardmurray said:

 

@Chevdove most film historians, who spend their entire lives watching films,  at best have seen one percent of all films made.

 

Really!? @richardmurray

This surprises me! Well then, I don't feel too bad now, when I realize that I have not seen a great film! 

Ever so often, I will come across an old film, watch it, and then become amazed that I had not seen it back when it initially came out. 

 

On 7/12/2023 at 4:41 PM, richardmurray said:

 

The question is who selects and who presents?  And it is no shame for a black person in a white country to not have control over the selection or presentation. 

 

So true! But it is frustrating though, when you find out that a certain film that could have been beneficial has been suppressed! 

[Pioneer1]

ProfD

 

 

Mainly because most Black leaders knew militancy could have led to a race war resulting in the wholesale massacre of most AfroAmericans. 

 

Even if they so desired. 

I think your SECOND explanation may infact be more accurate than your first....lol.

IF THEY DESIRED.

 

The fact is, most AfroAmericans don't DESIRE to take up arms against White racists.
They feel they're getting too much benefit from them.

 

It reminds me of that scene from "Do The Right Thing" when Buggin' Out ran around trying to get Black folks to boycott Sal's Pizza for it's racism and the niggas ran around laughing at him and clowning him and showed more support for that racist Sal and his even more racist son when they KNEW they were being exploited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chev

 

I've never heard of this film.

 

Lol...I hadn't either until they posted it.
Then I decided to check it out and I LOVED it!

 

I started playing it on the internet in the day time but got 10 minutes into it and decided, NO...this is a movie I need to watch at night on the BIG SCREEN with some snacks...LOL.

 

So I watched it later on that night and didn't get up from it once.

[richardmurray]

@Chevdove oh yes, remember, the quantity of artist creating who aren't making grand dollars has always been far larger than the number of artists being exposed. 

I will help you. How many telenovela films in Latin American media per year+ How many films from Nigerian cinema per year+ How many films from the five major Indian<as in asia> cinema per year+ How many films from mainland china per year+ How many films from hong kong per year+ how many films from Japan <t.v. or theatrical > per year+ how many films <t.v. plus streaming + cable+theatrical> per year from Hollywood in the USA+ How many films from independent filmmakers in the usa per year? That alone is a lot, and not exhaustive. I didn't include europe or russia. Many films are made per year. And let alone the backlog. 

This is why who controls the art that is viewed or ranked is key. They dictate what of the 1% gets access. 

 

Well remember, their is a price for being controlled. Look at Europe. 

To have the greatest freedom one must have control, but that is a bloody thing, it isn't always easy or pretty

 And like all empires, all empires before and after the usa , the USA benefits from people who accept slavery cause when the cage is gilded 
https://aalbc.com/tc/profile/6477-richardmurray/?status=2380&type=status

[Troy]

On 7/15/2023 at 10:28 AM, Pioneer1 said:

So I watched it later on that night and didn't get up from it once.

 

Glad you enjoyed it.  It was a pleasant surprise to me too.  I also watched a interview with the filmmakers the main pimps in the film was murdered before the flick wrapped.  They had to pay the Panthers off. It was amazing the a film of it's type of was made and a miracle it was finished.

 

 

[richardmurray]

@Troy everything is possible 

[Pioneer1]

On 7/16/2023 at 7:25 PM, Troy said:

 

Glad you enjoyed it.  It was a pleasant surprise to me too.  I also watched a interview with the filmmakers the main pimps in the film was murdered before the flick wrapped.  They had to pay the Panthers off. It was amazing the a film of it's type of was made and a miracle it was finished.

 

 

I read the wiki review of the film and saw where the FBI monitored it and put it on various watch lists.
Even made it's way to Hoover's desk....lol.....damn.

The movie was quite entertaining but  I didn't see anything threatening or even inspiring about it.

[richardmurray]

@Pioneer1 what movie has inspired you the most?

[Pioneer1]

21 hours ago, richardmurray said:

@Pioneer1 what movie has inspired you the most?

Hmmm........
Interesting question.

I haven't thought about it much but if I had to give an answer right off the top......

I'd have to say that of all of the movies I've seen SO FAR, it would have to be a tie between Spike Lee's Malcolm X and Marvel's Black Panther.

Both movies were very inspiring and uplifting for different reasons.
 

[richardmurray]

@Pioneer1 functional too, looking at the films inspired you most, they have many discrepancies with uptight in story in production

[Chevdove]

On 7/15/2023 at 10:28 AM, Pioneer1 said:

 

 

So I watched it later on that night and didn't get up from it once.

 

Okay, so, now I will check it out! Thanks for your input. @Pioneer1

On 7/15/2023 at 7:02 PM, richardmurray said:

 

I will help you. How many telenovela films in Latin American media per year+ How many films from Nigerian cinema per year+ How many films from the five major Indian<as in asia> cinema per year+ How many films from mainland china per year+ How many films from hong kong per year+ how many films from Japan ... 

 

 

Great point @richardmurray

YOu know, the little bit of foreign films that I've seen is because of the certain awards programs that I can access that push certain films. Interestingly, a lot of the wone I've watched are insanely good and makes me want to see more. But deep down inside, I believe that some of these films may never make it to my screen because of politics. Some of the foreign films include some controversial issues that I think America does not want to reach Black American minds. But even like in our films, I notice that some of the foreign films depict ancient history in 'non-African' faces, but in reality that is not the truth. So maybe some foreign films make it over here to be shown in the west because some foreign film makers submit to the 'hidden code' of showing history in non-African faces. 

 

[richardmurray]

and simple connections @Chevdove you know media is a business but it is that raw sometimes. You got a friend connected or you don't. most don't right.

 

[Pioneer1]

16 hours ago, richardmurray said:

@Pioneer1 functional too, looking at the films inspired you most, they have many discrepancies with uptight in story in production

Really?

How so?

 

[richardmurray]

in my view, but no need to preach it.