1970s blaxploitation films: a lot has changed, but much has stayed the same

LA Times ^ | 10/10/2009 | Lewis Beale

[Saije]

...Say what you will about the roughly 150 black action, horror and comedy films that came out between 1971 and 1976, the height of the blaxploitation era: that they were cheaply made, poorly acted, hyper-violent and glorified pimps, prostitutes, criminals and con men -- all those things are true, to a certain extent. But they were also utterly empowering, gobbled up by African American audiences desperate for strong, and recognizable, working-class heroes...

Howard believes that '70s cultural references have stuck with us -- afros are popular again, and there are countless music videos that reference "Superfly" and "The Mack" -- but as far as opening industry doors is concerned, "certainly some more people came [in], but it was begrudging. It didn't make a long-lasting impact."

And there's a bigger issue: White wonders where the Jim Browns and Fred Williamsons of today are. Noting that "many of the black leading characters are usually coming from comedy or rap," and that other than Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Will Smith there are few African American actors who can be considered leading men (not to mention the almost total absence of black female leads), Howard asks, "Where's our George Clooney? There are not many people who are representative of the black alpha male today...

Williamson adds, "We were fulfilling the need of a public that was starving for a different kind of product, and the void is still there."

Now, he adds, the studios' idea of filling the void "is to put Samuel Jackson or Denzel in every picture. And Tyler Perry's movies succeed because there is nothing else. If that's all you have, you support it. But we're gonna get tired of Tyler Perry. He has to have a son who goes to high school and kicks some ass."

[Saije]

There are not many people who are representative of the black alpha male today...

Well, there's Barack Obama. Uh...and Michelle...she's got a little Pam Grier in her I think.

[Boogieman]

I’d say more like a little Angela Davis!

[angkor]

>>> “Where’s our George Clooney? There are not many people who are representative of the black alpha male today... <<<

If one is a racist, that might be an important question.

[DemforBush]

I think I’ve seen nearly every film mentioned in the article, and multiple times at that. Shaft was my favorite - pretty good storyline for the genre, great themesong, and Richard Roundtree is always fun to watch in action.

On the “guilty pleasure” end of the genre, there was always Dolemite (Rudy Ray Moore). Man, they must have made those flicks for about $8.95 a picture. The acting was abysmal, the humor was often crude, but it was so over the top you just couldn’t help but laugh along with the cheese.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkjExJqf34o <—bleeped, but probably still NSFW (a bit of profanity and brief nudity)

[Beowulf9]

I always thought it was ‘big’ of them to use that black actor in Night of the Living Dead. He played a strong male, in a realistic way, brave, noble. Had a good part.

Course, along with everybody, he died. But I did feel sorry he died.

[BenLurkin]

[Saije]

“I think I’ve seen nearly every film mentioned in the article, and multiple times at that. Shaft was my favorite - pretty good storyline for the genre, great themesong, and Richard Roundtree is always fun to watch in action.”

I saw several of them back when as well. And didn’t really think of them as just movies for black people. If you like action movies, they were enjoyable.

[SIDENET]

Howard asks, "Where's our George Clooney?

Dude, you can have ours!

[Sherman Logan]

But they were also utterly empowering, gobbled up by African American audiences desperate for strong, and recognizable, working-class heroes...

Not a lot of work being done by this particular segment of the working-class.

Course, they don't really mean working, they mean poor and/or criminal or on welfare. You just can't say so.

[fuente]

Rudy Ray Moore bump!

[Krankor]

Hey, don’t forget Blacula. Cheap production values, for sure, but it also had a strong lead, a good story, some fine music and it was pretty scary. Oddly enough, considering it was a blacksploitation movie, Blacula, a dignified man, was sorely disappointed in some aspects of the black culture of the time.

[DemforBush]

You know, that’s one of the few I *haven’t* seen. I do like William Marshall, though. He was in one of my favorite episodes of the original Star Trek - “The Ulitmate Computer.”

[rockrr]

My favorite of the genre - especially the soundtrack.

[Krankor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6MaaPKSTu4&feature=related

[Ready4Freddy]

1970s? Try Oct, 2009 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-wqmnJrOFM

[Krankor]

Ha! Ha! That’s one of the funniest trailers I’ve seen in a long time. Is that the biggest handgun there is?

[Pride_of_the_Bluegrass]

Great Article Thanks

[P.O.E.]

TMC had "Sugar Hill" on a few weeks ago. Among the best zombies of all time...

[Ready4Freddy]

sho ‘nuff

[packrat35]

Rudy Ray Moore was the man

Dolemite
The Human Tornado (Dolemite 2)
The Disco Godfather (Dolemite 3)
and the most awesome of all
Petey Wheatstraw

[tlb]

William Marshall may have been a fine Blacula, an excellent Daystrum Institute computer designer for Starfleet, but his ultimate role was as the King of Cartoons on Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. Absolutely regal.

But I’m talkin’ about William Marshall.

[Jack Deth]

Let's not forget this little known, classic blaxploitation jem directed by Hogan's Heroes Ivan Dixon:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLKSyy5AwtQ


I'd read the paperback novel back in high school and was impressed how well it translated to the big screen. You'll see more than a few hommages to it in the trailer for Black Dynamite


Jack.

[Yardstick]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWU7JPXajOk&feature=related