Larry Karaszewski on

Coonskin

Released 1975
Distributor Bryanston Distributing

Ralph Bakshi’s nervy satire on race relations courted controversy from all sides, beginning with its in-your-face title (which Bakshi himself objected to) and its incendiary use of African-American stereotypes to score its satirical points. The 1975 film, a mix of live action and animation, referenced a wide range of black-cultural hot buttons including Song of the South and blaxploitation fare. The production of the movie was fractious enough (Bakshi was locked out of the studio at one point) but the actual release of the film was when the fireworks, including picketing and a few smoke bombs in select theater lobbies, really started. In the decades since, cooler heads have prevailed and Coonskin counts artists as disparate as Spike Lee and Quentin Tarantino among its fans. NSFW!

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About Larry Karaszewski

Larry Karaszewski and his writing/directing/producing partner Scott Alexander are best known for writing unusual true stories.  Their current release is “Dolemite is My Name” featuring Eddie Murphy as Rudy Ray Moore. The duo previously created the hit television miniseries “The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” for which they won the Golden Globe, Emmy, PGA and WGA Awards. They also won the Golden Globe and WGA Award for the film “The People vs Larry Flynt.” Other movies include the Oscar winning “Ed Wood” (WGA nomination), “Big Eyes” (Independent Spirit nomination), “Auto Focus" and “Man on the Moon.” The team has been inducted into the Final Draft Screenwriting Hall of Fame.  Larry is also a Governor for writers branch, co-chair of the International Feature Film category, and a Vice President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

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