Who would have thought that a major studio like Columbia Pictures would have taken a chance with a creative filmmaker like Melvin Van Peebles, or a film like Watermelon Man? Well, let's take a look at the facts behind the making of this film. Watermelon Man was written by a white man, Herman Raucher, under the title "The Night the Sun Came Out," about a bigoted white man who wakes up one morning to find out that he has turned into an African-American. Raucher sold the story to Columbia, who had planned to cast a white actor in the lead.

Melvin Van Peebles was tapped to direct because of his recent success with The Story of a Three-Day Pass. Van Peebles had tried to become a filmmaker in America, but was unsuccessful. In France, he was able to apply as a French director by writing a novel in French and then filming it. The novel was La Permission, and Van Peebles filmed it in 1967, with French funding, as The Story of a Three-Day Pass, which turned out to be a major international success, and so, Van Peebles flew out to Hollywood, when he was hired by Columbia to make this film. With Van Peebles came a number of changes. Instead of a white actor, the part was instead played by black comedian Godfrey Cambridge, who played the role in whiteface for the first part of the film. Additionally, the original ending, in which Cambridge's character wakes up to find that it was all a dream, was thrown out by Van Peebles. The result is a truly entertaining film.

Jeff and Althea Gerber live in a small suburban neighborhood with children Burton and Janice. Jeff gets up every morning, exercises, spends a few minutes under a tanning machine, and eats his breakfast before going to race the bus. Jeff is a successful insurance salesman. During lunch, he jokes around with the black cook at a small cafe, and during work hours, he acts in a sexist manner towards the attractive receptionists. One morning, he wakes up and goes to the bathroom, only to find that he has turned into a black man. At first, he tries to convince himself that this is a nightmare, but to no avail. Throughout the day, he makes several attempts to find a "cure," even going into the "colored section of town" to find the stuff that "they use when they want to look white." Soon, he is being treated differently by everyone, in different manners. He is harassed by cops who always assume that he has stolen something. The white woman who ignored his advances before now finds him attractive. Longtime friends and neighbors disturb his household with threatening phone calls.

With the wrong hands, this could have ended up as one of the biggest failures in cinematic history. Luckily, it didn't, wasn't, and isn't. Watermelon Man just works. A terrific cast and acting help. So do the inventive music, direction, and editing of Mr. Melvin Van Peebles. So does Herman Raucher's hilarious script. The odds worked for everyone involved. This is a terrific, spot-on movie. I highly recommend it. Sadly, though, the DVD's only special feature is Melvin Van Peebles' introduction. It plays in the form of an alternate audio track over the film's credits. A full-length commentary, like Melvin and Mario Van Peebles did for Baadasssss! would have been appreciated. On the plus side, though, Sony did a great job with the film's transfer. The print is damn fine. This film has never looked better than it does on the DVD release. The audio track is clear and easy to hear throughout, but it's in mono only. Oh well.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older