Black Rebels/Murder in Mississippi (DVD)

Dated teen drama BLACK REBELS (1960) mixes violence, racial tension, and soft-core sex into an uncomfortable yet fascinating stew. The soapy plot has Hispanic Lola romancing and then plotting revenge on Buck, the white gang leader who killed her brother, while a race riot between black, white, and Hispanic gangs erupts at their high school. Thrown in for good measure are drug dealers, undercover cops, parents who just don`t understand, and a significant amount of skinny dipping. The staggeringly exploitative MURDER IN MISSISSIPPI (1965) is another, more disturbing racially themed movie, and it has not aged gracefully. Loosely inspired by the tragic real-life murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi in 1964, this grindhouse flick has three crusading Northerners assaulted by rednecks; the men are killed, but pretty Carol is kept alive as a sex slave for two crackers. From the director of CHAINED GIRLS and OLGA`S HOUSE OF SHAME, the movie is profoundly offensive, but certainly an unusual viewing experience in today`s more sensitive climate. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.