Film - Coonskin (1975)

"Warning -This film offends everybody!"

A satire of racial stereotyping; of Disney's Song of the South; and what the blaxploitation genre had become in particular. A furious attack on all sorts of power-bases both criminal and otherwise. This is about as far down as Ralph Bakshi could take it. There are no heroes. Everyone is vicious, brutal and corrupted. Yet the film design (live action and animation as only Bakshi can do it) is superb. The whole Madigan sequence is incredible, and the hatred for this monster is palpable. The boxing sequence, and the Godfather and his wife sequence also stand out. Controversial but unmissable film which Paramount dropped immediately!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwjLV-RkPfg

Film - Heavy Traffic 1973

One of a run of features by Ralph Bakshi which were seriously pessimistic social commentary, set in the decaying NYC, of the early 1970s. Sexist, racist, misogynist, misanthropic...you won't see this on tv as part of the design was to offend. There are no good guys or heroes. Just unpleasant characters caught in vicious times. However, the design is brilliant. Bakshi has his own signature mix of animation and live action, and it really is perfect here. New York seems to drift physically and in time, and it is rotten. Gay rights, civil rights, workers rights, the mob, the fuzz, Italians, Jews, the establishment, sex workers, the disabled, hustlers, religion, even god...everything and everyone is considered and found wanting. A masterpiece