Talk to me -Eric Gonzalez
I didn't particularly like this film because I just didn't know what to make of it. I didn't take away any sort of greater understanding or moral lesson, which is not necessary in a film, but it seems like that is what the filmmakers were going for. Usually when a movie ends with a eulogy scene it is a plot device for summing up the accomplishments of the main character. I don't this that Greene's work can really be quantified that way. His accusation of Dewey Greene being a "house slave" AKA an "Uncle Tom" are the same sorts of things that happen in the black community today and I think such a thing is only hurtful. When that sort of infighting happens in minority groups it only serves to divide them more and subjugate Civil Rights aspirations by dividing power. In this respect Petey Greene is no hero. His behavior is not transcendent or useful then or now. But Petey Greene, I believe contributed by speaking his mind frequently. In addition to his asking for cool heads in the aftermath of the King assassination, Petey Greene promoted a dialog among people that historically had disproportionately less access to mass media. That free expression would serve to allow blacks a high-level dialog in order to discuss pressing issues in their community. Petey Greene might very well have made great strides in breaking the silence of the black community. Speaking his mind is what his fans liked about him, and that is what he will be known best for,.