Monday, April 2, 2012

Blaxploitation Films: An Overview of the African American Urban Action Genre of the 1970s

Richard Roundtree as Shaft.
The term “Blaxploitation" was coined in the early 1970s to describe a genre of low-budget, action pictures that featured mostly American African actors and typically played in urban neighborhood theaters.  Some critics considered these movies offensive, charging that their African Americans protagonists were poorly-developed stereotypes. Indeed, Blaxplotation "heroes" were often private eyes, gangsters, and drug dealers that were violent, sexually insatiable, and defiant of authority. Those traits were certainly nothing new in 1970s cinema--Dirty Harry's Inspector Callahan was more violent than the private eye hero in Shaft and James Bond was more promiscuous. What made Shaft unique was that its protagonist was a black man and--at a time when the only African American movie star was Sidney Poitier--that was a game-changer.

The mainstream success of Blaxploitation pictures like Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970) and Shaft (1971) spawned dozens of urban action films from 1971 to 1976. Richard Roundtree, who exuded cool as John Shaft in three films, became the genre's first star, but others quickly followed: former football player Fred Williamson; feisty Pam Grier; and, to a lesser degree, Tamara Dobson (Cleopatra Jones), karate champion Jim Kelly (Black Belt Jones), and Bernie Casey (Hit Man).

The majority of Blaxploitation films were aimed to simply entertain. They were, after all, "exploitation films," defined in The Film Encyclopedia as movies "made with little or no attention to quality or artistic merit but with an eye to a quick profit, usually via high-pressure sales and promotion techniques emphasizing some sensational aspect of the product." Still, the Blaxploitation genre made a lasting impact on the film industry by spotlighting African American actors, indirectly promoting female empowerment, and producing memorable film soundtracks.  

Williamson in Black Caesar.
Actors like Richard Pryor, Godfrey Cambridge, and William Marshall had established solid credentials in the entertainment industry well before the start of Blaxploitation films. However, their careers got a substantial boost when they landed starring roles in The Mack (Pryor), Cotton Comes to Harlem (Cambridge), and Blacula (Marshall). Jim Brown was already a leading man, but the box office hits Slaughter, Black Gunn, and Three the Hard Way made him a bona fide genre superstar. And, as mentioned earlier, the Blaxploitation genre created its own stars in Richard Roundtree, Fred Williamson, Bernie Casey, and Pam Grier--all of whom went on to long careers in film and television.

Pam Grier as Foxy Brown.
Quentin Tarantino has suggested that Pam Grier was Hollywood's first female action star. It's hard to disagree, given her body of work in action films like Coffy, Foxy Brown, and Friday Foster. Combining toughness, sexuality, and female empowerment, Grier dominated the male characters in her films. Even when she became their victim briefly, as in Foxy Brown, she retaliated with a vengeance.

When The Washington Times compiled a list of the Top 10 Female Action Stars earlier this year, Pam Grier ranked #9. Except for Linda Hamilton in Terminator (1991) and Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979), every other actress listed is from a film made in 2001 or later. Thus, Grier was breaking ground for female action stars that wouldn't be plowed for two more decades--an impressive achievement.

Blaxploitation films also broke ground with urban soundtracks composed by well-known musicians such as Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, and James Brown. Hayes scored a No. 1 Billboard hit with "Theme from Shaft," which also earned an Academy Award for Best Song. His Shaft soundtrack was so popular that Hayes was cast in the lead role in his own Blaxploitation film, Truck Turner (he also composed its soundtrack). Still, music critics generally regard Curtis Mayfield's Superfly soundtrack as the best for a Blaxploitation film. In fact, the success of Mayfield's No. 4 single, "Freddie's Dead"--which was released before Superfly--may have contributed to the film's success. James Brown's soundtrack for Black Caesar is considered one of his strongest albums.

William Marshall in Blacula.
Speaking of Black Caesar, it's one of several Blaxploitation films with interesting origins. Writer-director Larry Cohen (It's Alive) based Black Caesar  loosely on the 1931 gangster film Little Caesar. The 1972 film Hit Man was a remake of the Michael Caine thriller Get Carter. Black Mama, White Mama appears to be a loose remake of The Defiant Ones. The mainstream success of Blacula (which featured a fine lead performance from William Marshall) spawned other horror films: Blackenstein; Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde; Sugar Hill (about zombies); and the sequel Scream, Blacula, Scream.

This month, the Classic Film & TV Cafe pays homage to the Blaxploitation films--the African American urban action films of the 1970s. Yes, they were violent exploitation films and lasted for just a few years. Yet, they remain an important part of American cinema history and warrant a closer look.

12 comments:

  1. Looking forward to this Rick. One film in this genre I have been looking for is UPTIGHT directed by Jules Dassin. The film was based on John Ford's THE INFORMER.

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    1. John, I think UP TIGHT (1968) pre-dates the Blaxploitation genre, though it certainly shares common themes. In fact, I'd say that films like it and SWEET SWEETBACK (1971) played a pivotal role in the evolution of the Blaxploitation films. You know, Jules Dassin was certainly a versatile director.

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  2. This will be an interesting month at the Cafe. I find most of the Blaxploitation films hilarious--but I don't think that was the aim at the time.

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  3. I have always liked the theme to Shaft, can you dig it? And I think Pam Grier is quite fun. Tarantino's assessment of her as the first female action star is spot on. Fun post!

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    1. Toto, Tarantino is a big Pam Grier fan. When he adapted Elmore Leonard's novel RUM PUNCH, he changed the lead character to an African American woman and changed her name from Jackie Burke to JACKIE BROWN (an homage to Pam's FOXY BROWN).

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  4. Looking forward to this month! I see a correlation between Blaxploitation movies and many Hong Kong films. They're wholly different styles, but both groups allowed themselves to be defined by a broad genre and were limited in terms of budgets. But because of these apparent shortcomings, the strongest qualities shine even brighter. Blaxploitation horror films, like BLACULA and its sequel and SUGAR HILL, were covered in shadows and almost had the same effect of the Universal horror movies of the '30s. And the stars of these films? Many outstanding actors! I could watch Fred Williamson in anything, even if he were just reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. And I concur that Pam Grier was one of the first female action stars -- a woman who shocks you with her charisma, strength and ultra-coolness well before you even realize how ridiculously beautiful she is. Can't wait to read about the first film in this month's Café theme!

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    1. Great point, Sark. Additionally, the genre and budget constraints required some creative filmmaking. For example, on-location city scenes surely cost less than building sets--so that saved money. At the same time, it gave the films a realistic look that added to their cool urban vibe. In addition to great actors, the folks behind the cameras were no slouches either: Gordon Parks, Sr. was a renowned photographer before directing SHAFT; Larry Cohen would go to make several low-budget classics; and Ernest Tidyman won an Oscar for THE FRENCH CONNECTION.

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  5. Rick, I thought Shaft was just plain a wonderful movie. I never thought of it as a blaxploitation film. I really did not like any of the others at all -- just not for me, and some were certainly just as stereotypically demeaning to the black actor as the roles of maids and shoeshine boys in the 30's. Your reviews were very good, and perhaps I should give one or two another chance, since it was years ago since I saw them.

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    1. Becky, while there were some stereotypes in these films, there were also plenty of strong, intelligent African American characters. For example, Priest may be a second-tier drug dealer in SUPER FLY, but he's smart enough to know it's a bad business all around and that he needs to get out of it.

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  6. Rick,

    Yet another genre - or is this a sub genre? - that I fell into by circumstance. ONE television and ONE older brother. these films bring back so many memories. In my recollection of childhood days they seem to have been on all the time on television, along with beloved Universal monsters. I love Shaft and Pam Grier remains a hero to me. How wonderfully kick-ass, yet feminine. Gotta dig it!

    AND the music! Great stuff! Thanks for dedicating a post to these memorable and fun features so evocative of the times during which they were produced.

    Keep 'em coming! You never fail to touch a chord with me.

    Aurora

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    1. "Wonderfully kick-ass, yet feminine." That's a perfect description for Pam Grier, Aurora. And you're right, the Blaxploitation genre spawned some memorable music, too

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  7. Well, Rick, Superfly is the one I'll view again. Who knows, maybe the ensuing years (more than I'll admit!) will allow me to see things I didn't realize before.

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