Black and White

Director: James Toback James Toback

Overview

James Toback's gritty urban drama about hip-hop culture and identity crises comes to DVD with a solid 2.35:1 widescreen anamorphic transfer. English soundtracks are rendered in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby Digital Surround. Both soundtracks are closed-captioned, and English subtitles are also accessible. Bonus features include a commentary track by the director, as well as a featurette consisting of a video diary kept by Toback. Music videos, theatrical trailers, and a series of deleted scenes and outtakes complete this fine package from Columbia/TriStar.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/26/2000
UPC:	0043396052888
Original Release:	1999
Rating:	R
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00

Special Features

Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video; Widescreen presentation; Feature audio: English 5.1 [Dolby Digital] and 2-channel [Dolby Surround]; Subtitles: English; Director's commentary; Exclusive featurette: James Toback's video diary; Deleted scenes and alternate takes; Music videos; Theatrical trailers ; Interactive menus; Direct weblink

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Downey Jr.	Terry
Brooke Shields	Sam Donager
Allan Houston	Dean Carter
Oli 'Power' Grant	Rich Bower,Actor
Ben Stiller	Mark Clear
Bijou Phillips	Charlie
Scott Caan	Scotty
Joe Pantoliano	Bill King
Raekwon	Cigar
Claudia Schiffer	Greta
Jared Leto	Casey
Stacy Edwards	Sheila King
Kidada Jones	Jesse
Marla Maples	Muffy
Gaby Hoffmann	Raven
William Lee Scott	Will King
Mike Tyson	Himself
Elijah Wood	Wren
James Toback	Arnie Tishman
Method Man	Himself
Kim Matulova	Kim
Eddie Kaye Thomas	Marty
George Wayne	Himself
Power	Rich Bower
Ron Silver	Actor
Gina Gershon	Actor
Rory Cochrane	Actor
Sticky Fingaz	Actor
Garry Pastore	Actor
Gaby Hoffman	Actor

Technical Credits

James Toback

James Toback	Director,Screenwriter
Daniel Bigel	Producer
Mark Burg	Executive Producer
Stephanie Corsalini	Casting
Louis DiGiaimo	Casting
Oren Koules	Executive Producer
Michael Mailer	Producer
Hooman Majd	Executive Producer
Edward R. Pressman	Executive Producer
Ron Rotholz	Producer

Scene Index

Side #1--
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [1:21]
2. "Daddy'S Little Girl" [5:23]
3. Charlie [:45]
4. Rich [2:55]
5. The Question Of Identity [2:25]
6. Terry & Sam [2:34]
7. Dean [1:07]
8. Cigar [2:48]
9. Questions & Answers [1:12]
10. Mark [1:59]
11. George Wayne [3:51]
12. Greta [1:45]
13. 75% [2:50]
14. Dean Takes The Bribe [5:52]
15. Sea Cruising [1:47]
16. The Wall [5:28]
17. Under Arrest [1:49]
18. Wren [2:29]
19. "I Got Caught." [1:57]
20. Mike Tyson [5:23]
21. Room 406 [2:11]
22. Wisdom [4:44]
23. Opening Night [5:54]
24. Homicide [:23]
25. Urgent Meeting [3:15]
26. Redemption [8:19]
27. Terry Goes Solo [5:08]
28. Future Plans [2:39]

Menu

Side #1--
   Play Movie
   Audio & Subtitles
      English 2-Channel (Dolby Surround)
      English 5.1 (Dolby Digital)
      English Subtitles
   Special Features
      Director'S Commentary
         Commentary On
         Commentary Off
      Isolated Music Score
         Score On
         Score Off
      James Toback'S Video Diary
      Deleted Scenes And Alternate Takes
         Casey And Charlie
         Terry And Mike
      Music Video
      Talent Files
         James Toback (Director)
         Scott Caan
         Robert Downey Jr.
         Bijou Phillips
         Power
         Raekwon
         Brooke Shields
         Mike Tyson
      Theatrical Trailers
         Black And White
         Blue Streak
         Bad Boys

Editorial Reviews

Writer-director James Toback (Two Girls and a Guy) daringly tackles the subject of race relations with this absorbing drama, which attempts to analyze the appeal of hip-hop culture to upscale white youth. Filmed in quasi-documentary style -- utilizing handheld cameras, long takes, and overlapping dialogue -- the diffusely plotted Black and White relies on the seemingly improvisational interaction between its cast members. These include Bijou Phillips, who plays an upper-middle-class New York teen whose posturing impresses gangsta rappers in Harlem; Brooke Shields, appearing as a documentary filmmaker married to openly gay Robert Downey Jr.; Allan Houston, portraying an African-American college basketball star bribed by undercover cop Ben Stiller; and, in a cameo role, Mike Tyson. The large ensemble also includes Claudia Schiffer, Stacy Edwards, Jared Leto, Elijah Wood, Joe Pantoliano, and even Toback himself. An unusually ambitious little film, Black and White never quite answers the questions it poses, but it will fully engage viewers attracted to hip-hop's urban milieu.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Director and screenwriter James Toback returns to the subject of identity with this thoughtful but meandering drama that, like his other films, is largely built upon improvisational performances. The director's courage is evident in every frame as he addresses a taboo subject: white teens who are willing to do anything for acceptance by their African-American friends and the striving by these same African-Americans to achieve mainstream success in the "white" world. Black and White (1999) starts off strong with a provocative performance by newcomer Bijou Phillips as the most unapologetic seeker of approval from her hip-hop-loving friends. Phillips eventually fades into the background, and the film becomes hampered by Toback's insistence upon grafting a standard crime-drama plot onto proceedings involving a crooked cop (well played with his trademark romantic desperation by Ben Stiller) out to frame a basketball star, and the violent consequence of his scheme. All the threads come together in the powerful finale, however, and despite its flaws, the end result is one of Toback's best films.

All Movie Guide - Karl Williams

...Black and White easily earns distinction as the greatest semi-improvised didactic fantasy ever made about cultural miscegenation.

Entertainment Weekly - Troy Patterson