Posts tagged Blaxploitation
Black Dynamite Shakes The Smack Out!
Oct 16th
There aren’t many movies like Black Dynamite that come along. The new film is the first for production company Ars Nova, and the second for director Scott Sanders. Starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tommy Davidson and Mykelti Williamson, it also features a cameo by Arsenio Hall as a pimp.
Classifying “Cowboy Bart”: Deconstructing Racism in “Blazing Saddles”
Sep 6th
In my mind, there is no doubt that Mel Brooks knew his 1974 film Blazing Saddles would piss off just about everyone who saw it, but I think he intended to also set people thinking. Blazing Saddles is the first film to blatantly satirize white racism toward blacks.
Stepin Fetchit: The Life and Times of Lincoln Perry
Aug 21st
In the prime of his career, back in the 1930′s, Lincoln Perry was the first black Hollywood star. His comic gift was respected by fans both black and white, and it made him a millionaire. Since then, his portrayals of lazy black characters have made him an anathema within both communities, and his films are all but forgotten (many are lost entirely).
Fred Williamson: Original Gangsta
Jul 30th
He’s the baddest of the bad, and he’s been it for forty years. Now that’s a legacy.
Revisiting Blaxploitation
Jul 9th
Sweet, funky soundtracks, black superheroes, and a whole lotta ass-kicking. These are the first things people remember about the afrocentric film explosion of the 1970′s which is often called “blaxploitation”. Mostly forgotten, these films represent the adolescence of black filmmaking, as artists and actors alike struggled to redefine the black presence on the big screen.
