Black Rebels/Murder In Mississippi

"Something Weird Video makes one of their bolder programming choices with this two-fer DVD featuring a pair of 1960s exploitation movies dealing with the touchy subject (both then and now) of racism. Black Rebels (a version of the 1960s juvenile delinquency expos? This Rebel Breed tricked out with some incongruous nudie sequences) and Murder in Mississippi (inspired by the same case fictionalized once again 23 years later in Mississippi Burning) are both transferred to disc in their original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The source materials for Black Rebels are a bit worn, but the photography is good and the contrast is clear and balanced on this release. Murder in Mississippi looks considerably worse, and while it doesn't seem to be the fault of the transfer, the image is impenetrably dark in spots and is hard to watch much of the time, though it's questionable if a better-looking print of the film exists. Both films are in English, and have been mastered in Dolby Digital Mono, with no subtitles or multiple language options. Something Weird have included their usual array of bonus materials, including six trailers for films with a racial hook (including a trailer for This Rebel Breed under yet another alternate title, Lola's Mistake) and a curious Department of Agriculture educational film from 1937, The Negro Farmer. A collection of drive-in promotional artwork accompanied by radio spots for exploitation films rounds out the program, which should please exploitation film buffs with a taste for '60s-style controversy."