Well, on a happy note
My friend
uncleskull asked for some feedback on Blaxploitation films. I'm no expert, but I'm always willing to share what I know. I thought I'd share it with all of you as well.
"Black Caesar" (1973) is a classic Larry Cohen film, starring Fred Williamson, one of the "coolest" of the Blaxploitation actors, and almost the only one to go on to make at least a few non-black specific action pictures. He was originally a football star, but does have some genuine acting talent. "Black Caesar" is essentially a black version of the 1931 gangster film "Little Caesar," starring Edward G Robinson, which itself had a lot in common with "The Public Enemy," released the same year, so it is firmly entrenched in the classic gangster genre, aside from being an all-or-mostly-black cast. It's been years since I've seen it, but I recall liking it a lot.
"Dolomite" (1975) stars Rudy Ray Moore, a black comedian who was in many ways a godfather to modern rap/hip-hop. His style involves lengthy, sometimes rhyming or sing-song put-downs and extremely creative obscenity. At the time of the movie, he was more well-known for his comedy albums (yep, LPs) than his acting, and to be honest, he's best when he's "performing" in the film, not when he's trying to act out scenarios with other actors. He has had something of a comeback since the mid-90s, when new generations discovered his old work, and I suspect his acting has improved.
"The Spook Who Sat By the Door" (1973) is one of the very few Blaxploitation movies directed by a Black man. It is unflinching in its criticism of American racism and still pertinent. The plot involves a black man who joins the CIA, who discovers that he is very useful as a spy - since no one pays any attention to black people! The "spook" in the title is a play on words - spooks are spies as well as black people.
"Black Jesus" (1968) is a really strange movie, made in Italy, which may be partly responsible for starting the Blaxploitation craze, since in America it did very well for a foreign film in black neighborhoods. American Woody Strode (also a former football player, but a truly exceptional actor who had been in films with John Wayne and Raymond Burr) plays a Gandhi-like revolutionary in an African nation suffering the pangs of decolonization. Again, a very political film.
"The Black Gestapo" (1975) is one of those so-bad-you-need-to-see-it-to-believe-it types. Perhaps I've shown you the video box art of black guys in Nazi uniforms in my collection. Anyway, it's a pretty over-the-top depiction of the Black Panthers - or what white people were afraid the Panthers were like, full of sex and violence. The main black Nazi is played by Charles Robinson, who most of our generation remember as the sweater-clad Court Clerk in "Night Court."
"Blacula" (1972) is really the only one of the standard black-horror-cycle (which includes "the Blaxorcist," "Blackenstein," and "Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde") worth seeing, although I'll mention a couple of other exceptions below. The deep-voiced and convincing William Marshall (who had a memorable appearance on "Star Trek" as well as being the aformentioned "Blaxorcist") gives a highly sympathetic performance as an African prince afflicted with vampirism by the Count himself when he pleads for an end to the European slave-trade. A latter-era monster movie in the tradition of the originals.
"Bucktown" (1975) is a movie I like to say looks like the movie the KKK would've made in the 1920's to show how bad America was going to get if things weren't turned around quick. *No* one is a good guy in this movie, the black people are just as predatory and nasty as the white cops and the Italian gangsters. Fred Williamson, who stars, is at least a bit more honest than the others in his brutality, and is motivated by a desire to be left alone.
"Shaft" (1971) is the movie usually cited as the beginning of the Blaxploitation craze. Whether that's strictly true or not (a lot of people would contest it), it certainly was one of the most successful, both commercially and in terms of pure entertainment value. It's a standard post-noir detective story, but with believably modern (contemporary) urban settings and characters. Stars Richard Roundtree, who would return to the character in two sequels.
"Ganja and Hess" (1973) is another black vampire movie. Oddly there are no drug references at all - Ganja is the name of the female lead, and it seems to have nothing to do with pot. Anyway, it stars Duane Jones, of "Night of the Living Dead" fame, in pretty much his only other starring role, as an exotic, powerfully romantic vampire. Not as good as "Blacula," but very different from most blaxploitation - it was an attempt to create "Art" that almost succeeded.
"Sugar Hill" (1974) is the only black zombie movie, I think, and very successfully uses the voodoo tradition to create an atmosphere superior to most other black horror films. Again, "Sugar Hill," is the name of the lead character, not any kind of reference. Stars Marki Bey, who does her best to compete with Pam Grier as a sexy black leading lady, and also features one of the best Baron Samedis in film.
Speaking of the busty Ms. Grier, we should at least mention her career in passing. Several of her films have similar plotlines - she's a tough, no-nonsense but basically innocent chick who has been wronged by white mobsters and goes after them for revenge. If I recall, that's the plot of "Coffy," (1973) "Foxy Brown," (1974) and "Sheba, Baby" (1975) I suppose "Foxy Brown" is the best, but they're more or less interchangeable.
uncleskull asked for some feedback on Blaxploitation films. I'm no expert, but I'm always willing to share what I know. I thought I'd share it with all of you as well.
"Black Caesar" (1973) is a classic Larry Cohen film, starring Fred Williamson, one of the "coolest" of the Blaxploitation actors, and almost the only one to go on to make at least a few non-black specific action pictures. He was originally a football star, but does have some genuine acting talent. "Black Caesar" is essentially a black version of the 1931 gangster film "Little Caesar," starring Edward G Robinson, which itself had a lot in common with "The Public Enemy," released the same year, so it is firmly entrenched in the classic gangster genre, aside from being an all-or-mostly-black cast. It's been years since I've seen it, but I recall liking it a lot.
"Dolomite" (1975) stars Rudy Ray Moore, a black comedian who was in many ways a godfather to modern rap/hip-hop. His style involves lengthy, sometimes rhyming or sing-song put-downs and extremely creative obscenity. At the time of the movie, he was more well-known for his comedy albums (yep, LPs) than his acting, and to be honest, he's best when he's "performing" in the film, not when he's trying to act out scenarios with other actors. He has had something of a comeback since the mid-90s, when new generations discovered his old work, and I suspect his acting has improved.
"The Spook Who Sat By the Door" (1973) is one of the very few Blaxploitation movies directed by a Black man. It is unflinching in its criticism of American racism and still pertinent. The plot involves a black man who joins the CIA, who discovers that he is very useful as a spy - since no one pays any attention to black people! The "spook" in the title is a play on words - spooks are spies as well as black people.
"Black Jesus" (1968) is a really strange movie, made in Italy, which may be partly responsible for starting the Blaxploitation craze, since in America it did very well for a foreign film in black neighborhoods. American Woody Strode (also a former football player, but a truly exceptional actor who had been in films with John Wayne and Raymond Burr) plays a Gandhi-like revolutionary in an African nation suffering the pangs of decolonization. Again, a very political film.
"The Black Gestapo" (1975) is one of those so-bad-you-need-to-see-it-to-believe-it types. Perhaps I've shown you the video box art of black guys in Nazi uniforms in my collection. Anyway, it's a pretty over-the-top depiction of the Black Panthers - or what white people were afraid the Panthers were like, full of sex and violence. The main black Nazi is played by Charles Robinson, who most of our generation remember as the sweater-clad Court Clerk in "Night Court."
"Blacula" (1972) is really the only one of the standard black-horror-cycle (which includes "the Blaxorcist," "Blackenstein," and "Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde") worth seeing, although I'll mention a couple of other exceptions below. The deep-voiced and convincing William Marshall (who had a memorable appearance on "Star Trek" as well as being the aformentioned "Blaxorcist") gives a highly sympathetic performance as an African prince afflicted with vampirism by the Count himself when he pleads for an end to the European slave-trade. A latter-era monster movie in the tradition of the originals.
"Bucktown" (1975) is a movie I like to say looks like the movie the KKK would've made in the 1920's to show how bad America was going to get if things weren't turned around quick. *No* one is a good guy in this movie, the black people are just as predatory and nasty as the white cops and the Italian gangsters. Fred Williamson, who stars, is at least a bit more honest than the others in his brutality, and is motivated by a desire to be left alone.
"Shaft" (1971) is the movie usually cited as the beginning of the Blaxploitation craze. Whether that's strictly true or not (a lot of people would contest it), it certainly was one of the most successful, both commercially and in terms of pure entertainment value. It's a standard post-noir detective story, but with believably modern (contemporary) urban settings and characters. Stars Richard Roundtree, who would return to the character in two sequels.
"Ganja and Hess" (1973) is another black vampire movie. Oddly there are no drug references at all - Ganja is the name of the female lead, and it seems to have nothing to do with pot. Anyway, it stars Duane Jones, of "Night of the Living Dead" fame, in pretty much his only other starring role, as an exotic, powerfully romantic vampire. Not as good as "Blacula," but very different from most blaxploitation - it was an attempt to create "Art" that almost succeeded.
"Sugar Hill" (1974) is the only black zombie movie, I think, and very successfully uses the voodoo tradition to create an atmosphere superior to most other black horror films. Again, "Sugar Hill," is the name of the lead character, not any kind of reference. Stars Marki Bey, who does her best to compete with Pam Grier as a sexy black leading lady, and also features one of the best Baron Samedis in film.
Speaking of the busty Ms. Grier, we should at least mention her career in passing. Several of her films have similar plotlines - she's a tough, no-nonsense but basically innocent chick who has been wronged by white mobsters and goes after them for revenge. If I recall, that's the plot of "Coffy," (1973) "Foxy Brown," (1974) and "Sheba, Baby" (1975) I suppose "Foxy Brown" is the best, but they're more or less interchangeable.