Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Watermelon Man Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 13, 2021

There were a number of really interesting and at times kind of subversively provocative black comedians who made at least part of their names in the sixties, including Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Nipsey Russell, and Flip Wilson. Kind of lost in that epochal shuffle is Godfrey Cambridge, who rather interestingly was named alongside Cosby, Gregory and Russell as an up and coming black* comedian by Time Magazine in 1965. In some ways at least, Cambridge would seem to have been less likely to embark on a career as a comedian than some of his cohorts as named above, if only because he actually attended medical school for several years, before deciding performing was more to his liking. Cambridge received a Tony nomination in the Best Featured Actor in a Play category for Purlie Victorious in 1962, but by that time he had already appeared, albeit uncredited, in two rather well remembered films, The Last Angry Man and Splendor in the Grass. A few more bit parts in various films ensued through the mid-sixties as Cambridge continued to ply his wares as one of the nation’s most successful comedians of any color, with 1967’s The President's Analyst arguably giving Cambridge a “breakthrough” role, albeit in a supporting situation, something that would continue for his next few films until a “double feature” of sorts that came out in 1970 finally offered Cambridge real, honest to goodness, starring vehicles: Cotton Comes to Harlem (co-written and directed by the writer of Purlie Victorious, Ossie Davis) and Watermelon Man, which was the only major studio film from a guy who might be thought of as his generation’s Ossie Davis, Melvin Van Peebles.

*The magazine actually used the then au courant term "Negro", which is utilized pervasively throughout this film as well.

Jeff Gerber (Godfrey Cambridge) is a typical suburban Caucasian (with Cambridge in whiteface for the first several minutes of the film) who works in the insurance industry and lives with his wife Althea (Estelle Parsons, then a relatively recent Academy Award winner for Bonnie and Clyde) and two cute kids (including one played by future Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi star Erin Moran, here just a tiny tot). Jeff is something of a boor, as is shown in several opening vignettes, and he may also be a typically slightly closeted bigot in a "traditional" way, though as he and Althea watch a morning news broadcast documenting late sixties - early seventies "racial unrest", Althea also manages to sound less than enlightened herself.

The entire conceit of the film is that Jeff suddenly awakens one morning to find himself a black man. Now this is hardly a new concept, having been utilized then fairly recently in the film adaptation of the 1940s musical Finian's Rainbow (where a Southern segregationist finds himself similarly "afflicted"). The fact that Jeff is kind of a jerk about issues revolving around race might also bring to mind The Thing With Two Heads, which would appear a couple of years after this film.

Watermelon Man makes fitful attempts at social critique, but its comedy is hit and miss and only rarely as scabrous as one might expect, or hope. It might have helped had the powers that be simply let Melvin Van Peebles completely rewrite the film from a black perspective, since in his audio introduction he admits up front that screenwriter Herman Raucher (who kind of incredibly went right on to write the novel and then film versions of Summer of '42) wasn't especially pleased with Van Peebles' general approach, nor with Van Peebles' changes to Raucher's originally proposed ending, which in this final version is probably one of the more subliminally provocative moments in an otherwise surprisingly tame film. The fact that Raucher evidently wanted things to end with Jeff waking up white again and realizing it was all a bad dream might indicate an approach on the part of Raucher which was a kind of "cheat" from the get go, depriving this film of some of its aimed for insight. Van Peebles may have attempted to remedy that particular perceived "defect", but Watermelon Man never quite gets to the provocative levels it seems to be aiming for.

Watermelon Man Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Watermelon Man is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Powerhouse Films' Indicator imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. This is a really nicely vivid and well saturated looking presentation for the most part, something that helps to support the kind of mod styles that are on display in some of the women's clothing in particular. Fine detail on admittedly mundane items like the tile on the floor of the Gerbers' bathroom is typically nicely precise looking. Cambridge's makeup in the early part of the film isn't especially helped by the increased resolution of this Blu-ray, but even here, elements like his bristly wig have good textural detail levels. The palette can occasionally tip slightly toward red-pink levels, but primaries tend to look rather good throughout, all things considered. Grain resolves naturally throughout the presentation.

Watermelon Man Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Watermelon Man features a nice sounding LPCM Mono track that capably supports the film's dialogue and some nice, funky music courtesy of Van Peebles himself. No signs of age related wear and tear, or any distortion or damage, were noticed. Optional English subtitles are available.

Watermelon Man Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by Melvin Van Peebles (HD; 5:06) is an audio piece that plays to stills.


• The Guardian Interview with Melvin Van Peebles plays as an alternate audio track to the film and comes with a warning about technical deficiencies. This stems from 1996 and features broadcaster Darcus Howe at London's National Film Theatre, lasting around an hour an 11 minutes.


• Image Gallery

Powerhouse Films only sent a check disc for purposes of this review, but their website details another handsomely packaged Limited Edition from the label which also includes 40-page booklet with a new essay by Sergio Mims, a profile of director Melvin Van Peebles, archival interviews with Van Peebles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and film credits.

Watermelon Man Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Watermelon Man probably seemed considerably more provocative in 1970 than it does today, but the film offers good showcases for Godfrey Cambridge and Estelle Parsons, and some of the supporting cast is goofily enjoyable as well. I think the film would have been much more effective if it had really gone for the jugular, but instead it comes off as a kind of silly sitcom pilot at times. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplementary package slight but enjoyable, for those who are considering a purchase.