Black Panthers 'Vanguard' documentary is relevant and revealing

The Black Panthers; Vanguard of a Revolution

The lack of literature, cinema and ephemera dedicated to the Black Panthers is truly astounding considering the social and political impact they had for almost a decade. It's a testament to how incisive and dangerous they were.

It is within this vacuum that Stanley Nelson's compelling documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution, arrives in theaters in select cities over the course of this month.

It's a moving and memorable tribute to an ambitious organization that unfortunately collapsed under the weight of infighting and oppression at the hands of a hostile federal government.

Coming on the heels of the equally powerful Listen to Me Marlon, it's an important film for young people to see, because at the very least it provides context for something that a lot of people have heard of and maybe are vaguely familiar with -- but little else.

As with any film on a topic as polarizing as the Panthers, there will be detractors with this film. It paints the organization's founder, Huey Newton, in a very unflattering light. There are several prominent figures in the movement (like Bobby Seale) who declined to participate. And the film focuses on 1966 to 1973, so there are certain aspects of the Panthers' history that are not explored in great detail.

Still, this was a film several years in the making and it shows. This is definitely a warts-and-all documentary, which looks at what was both inspiring and infuriating about the Panthers.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution

Yes, some of their goals were improbable and occasionally their methods were unorthodox, but one walks away from this film with a sense that America needed the Panthers, whether they realized it or not.

This documentary is also yet another example of how there are so many stories of non-white American culture that need to be told and inexplicably haven't been. We've seen countless films romanticizing white America's role in excursions both abroad or at home, while the history of communities of color has been largely relegated to the sidelines.

It's easier to sell a film like this because it's commercial prospects are minimal and there's not the same risk there is in mounting a production with sets, actors and international distribution. But as Straight Outta Compton proved, audiences of color are hungry to see their stories on screen.

Sure, there was an attempt to bring the Panthers' story to screen once in the mid-'90s, via Mario Van Peebles, but the time is ripe for a revisit of this material. In the meantime, see The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution if and when you can, it's a movie of this moment in the very best way.