1/7/2024 0 Comments Iceberg slim![]() The aesthetics of ICEBERG SLIM mirror those of the books he wrote. ICEBERG SLIM follows Beck’s path from criminal to literary icon. Adopting the pseudonym Iceberg Slim, he wrote books with that deglamorized the experience of pimping. He married, fathered three daughters, and with his wife’s encouragement and support, turned his experiences as a criminal into groundbreaking novels. Once freed from prison, Beck made a commitment to reform his ways. Beck spent years working as a pimp, mastering the art of manipulating his “stable” of women to earn a profit, only to eventually be arrested and imprisoned. ICEBERG SLIM tells the story of Robert Beck, a man whose sexual abuse as a child and troubled relationship with his mother led to him pursuing a life of crime and objectification. ![]() The resulting film presents an intimate portrait of a man who worked to redeem his troubled past through writing. Powers shared that Hinojosa was inspired to make the film after Ice-T gave him a copy of Pimp: The Story of My Life, Slim’s most famous book. But through remarks given by DOC NYC’s Artistic Director, Thom Powers, they were still able to convey their thanks and gratitude to the audience. Wednesday’s snowstorm prevented director Jorge Hinojosa and producer Ice-T from traveling to New York for the US premiere of ICEBERG SLIM: PORTRAIT OF A PIMP. Why are none of Slim's ex-prostitutes interviewed? What light would they have cast on this man and his past? Though interviews with Slim's ex-wife and three daughters, who seem to view their dad fondly and indulgently, do lighten things up somewhat, it's difficult to listen to Slim himself and celebrity interviewees glossing over the icky aspects of his ex-vocation.This post was written by DOC NYC blogger Carrie Nelson Thus parents may rightfully worry that this movie glamorizes prostitution and pimping. Though he speaks candidly of drug abuse and beating women, far more time is spent rhapsodizing about fancy cars and the street cred a pimp enjoys. Slim himself is presented more as an endearing oddball than a man who brutalized and subjugated women. But parents may find this particular documentary more troubling than most historical looks back. So that makes it easy to accept Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp as a harmless diversion that illuminates a little corner of our country's history. Images of pimps as sharp-dressed, elegant strivers linger both in our culture and on-screen in this interesting, if troubling documentary. One hacks a smoker's cough as she lights up - parents may want to point out the effects of smoking, if they allow older teens to watch this very iffy prospect at all. Slim is a former heroin and cocaine addict and discusses this onscreen viewers also hear that he spent all his ill-gotten gains this way. There is some cursing, including unbleeped four-letter words, and plenty of references to women as "bitches." An archival scene of Slim slapping a woman who falls to the ground is played repeatedly, and there is some discussion of beating women to "keep them in line" that seems unrepentant. Interviewees chuckle indulgently as they talk about Iceberg Slim's life and that of the pimp in general, which sends a powerful and confusing message to the viewer, particularly when the film's words are illustrated with glamorous images of well-dressed men in fancy cars and suits. The brutality and ugly aspects of this job are generally glossed over in the film in favor of praising the pimp's style and power. Parents need to know that Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp is about a man who formerly made his living from prostitutes.
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