I'm trying to track down some blaxploitation movies set in New York and made during the 1970's. It's often tricky to find out in what city certain movies are set by just reading the summary.
Can anyone help me out?
Thanks
Blaxplotation? You're talkin' about blaxploitation movies in general or movies set in NY?
I'm asking because there are many kinds of blaxploitation movies. It's an individual film genre! It was made by, for and about Black people, so it imitated many famous film stories.
Blaxploitation contains not only mob movies, but horrors, kung-fu, fantasy and comedies, too!
If You wanna films set in NY look for:
-Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss song
-Superfly,
-Shaft
If You want to see blaxploitation horrors, look for:
-Abby,
-Blacula,
-Blackenstein
The others:
-The Black Gestapo
-Truck Turner (Isaac Hayes role)
-The Mack (Richard Pryor!)
-Black Belt Jones (kung-fu movie!)
Unfortunately, blaxploitation isn't a very famous film genre today, so it's very difficult to find the less popular productions. I'm interrested in Black movies but I have one problem: In association with little popularity of this genre, I can't find any subtitles in my language (Polish). In my country this film genre is really unknown but I'm very interrested in this subject. I love these climates: New York in 70s, Curtis Mayfield's or Isaac Hayes' music, and Black actors like Ron O'Neal or Richard Roundtree... I really love it.
Sorry if I wrote it very 'pell-mell', but please consider I'm only 16 yrs old... But I'm best in it in my class :P
Greetings
Thanks!
The reason that I'm asking is that I'm researching 70's movies set in New York. Everything from Shaft to Saturday Night Fever! Naturally, many blaxploitation movies were set in NYC, so I'm trying to get a list together of the best ones. I love the gritty feel of NYC in the 70's coupled with the diologue you just don't get these days!
And I agree with your statements. Blaxploitation is criminally under-represented on dvd at the moment.
Thanks for your recommendations, I shall definately check some of these out!
RE Blaxploitation, donkey 90 wrote; "It was made by, for and about Black people"
No! It was made by white people. It's called blaxploitation because white money was paid to white film-makers to produce exploitative movies about "ni88ers". The blacks were the ones being exploited. How much money do you think Pam Grier or Fred Williamson made compared to Jack Hill and Larry Cohen? Corporate (white) America realised that there was a quick buck to be made in producing films for a black audiance. It didn't matter how poor the film was or what kind of effect it had socially, these movies were almost guaranteed a certain success at the box office because, for the first time, black people could go and see films that they could relate to.
Therefore, technically, neither Cotton Comes to Harlem of Sweet Sweetback count as blaxploitation movies as they both had black directors.
And Across 110th Street is definately NOT a blaxploitation movie, it just happens to have black protagonists.
@thesky
Actually, blaxsploitation was started by these three films: COTTON COMES TO HARLEM, SHAFT, and SWEET SWEETBACK'S BADASSSSSSS SONG (all directed by black directors,BTW.) White people didn't start making these films until all three of these films proved that it was a viable moneymaker--which is why so many of these films were cranked out in the '70's. Only thing I don't like about the term "blaxsploitation" is that practically every film made during the '70's about black people gets thrown under that label as if they're all the same---which they aren't--there was a full range of diverse films made by and for black people that didn't fall under SUPERFLY/SHAFT catagory. Like THE BUS IS COMING, TOGETHER BROTHERS, UPTIGHT (actually made in 1968) THE WATERMELON MAN, REPORT TO THE COMMISSIONER, and many others.
Here's a good,fun podcast with David Walker, a writer who's spent years writing about blaxsploitation in general, that really breaks down what blaxploitation films were, what they meant to black folks, and their legacy filmwise---it also mentions and gives props to ACROSS 110TH STREET as the classic it is:
http://welcometothatwholething.com/that-whole-blaxploitation-thing -with-david-walker/
-Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss song was shot entirely in and around L.A> not in New york as your post incorrectly states. All you have to look is watch the film once- remember the final chase scene through the southern California desert. Last time I checked New york state doesn't have too many deserts.
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"Black Caesar" is what i thought of as one of the NY black exploitation movies.
shareOK, New York in the 70s, I would expand it to general crime drama:
Across 110th St.
Shaft and Shaft's Big Score
The Hot Rock
Black Caesar and Hell Up In Harlem
Cotton Comes to Harlem
Madigan and Coogan's Bluff (late 60s)
Marathon Man
3 Days of the Condor
Hope that helps, most all of these are awesome!
Nobody's mentioned any Lumet movies; check out Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and Network (think that was NY but not sure). Carlito's Way was set in NY in the 70s too. Across 110th Street is certainly one of the best films about NY.
shareOne of my favorites may be 1980, but it is early enough to have a lates 70's feel. Fame which shows the School of Performing Arts as well as familiar looking terrain as the kids walk and ride to school.
shareHere you go, off the top of my head:
Shaft (of course) ****
Superfly (Parks Jr) *****
Black Caesar ****
Hell Up In Harlem **
Cotton Comes to Harlem (Chester Himes)*****
Come Back Charleston Blue (Chester Himes)*****
Gordon's War ****
Three the Hard Way (DC, LA, Chicago too)***
Willie Dynamite ***
The Education of Sonny Carson (BedStuy/coming of age) ****
Aaron Loves Angela (Parks Jr. again/romance)***
Claudine (domestic drama)***
(My personal ratings out of five *)
The Education of Sonny Carson is DOPE!!!!
shareIsn't asking which Blaxploitation in NYC sort like asking which:
1) A noir picture that took place in Los Angeles?
2) Old "Race" movie that had Harlem in the title?
3) An Astaire movie had a scene of dancing at night club?
4) A Western with a saloon?
5) Hitchcock movie with a scene on a train?
6) A Jackie Chan or Burt Reynolds movie with a fight scene?
7) A Disney Movie with the Herione with exceptionally big eyes?
8) Simpsons episode where Homer says something stupid?
Aw C'mon, it's not that obvious is it my friend?...unless you think NYC was the only place you saw 70s Black folks on-screen, you're missing out on lot of 70s Blaxploitation cinema. There was much more than just the hair, brims, white walls, hoes & pimps if you bother to seek it out:
Trick Baby (Philly), Amazing Grace (Baltimore), Bingo Long (Georgia), Thomasine & Bushrod (Georgia), Uptown Saturday Night (Chicago), Spook who sat by the Door (Chicago), Detroit 9000 (self explanatory), JD's Revenge (New Orleans), Take a Hard Ride (Arizona), Legend of N****r Charley (New Mex, Ariz), Slaughter (Mexico), I Escaped from Devil's Island (Caribbean), Blacula (Los Angeles), Norman is that you? (Hollywood), Hit (LA), Mandingo (Louisiana), Dolemite (LA), Watermelon Man (LA), Black Belt Jones (LA), Bone (Beverley Hills), Cleopatra Jones (LA, Hong Kong),...don't consider these Blaxploitation but Sounder (Louisiana), Learning Tree (Kansas), Leo the Last (London) the list goes on.
Gordon's War has some great footage of 1973 NYC plus theres a great car chase thru the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel!!!
shareAlthough not strictly a Blaxploitation, the 1973 Bond film "To Live and Let Die" borrows heavily from the genre. It really needs to be in the list simply for one the greatest collection of pimpmobiles ever assembled in a single movie. You also got great NY locations, classic cliché characters like Mr Big and that overall 70s vibe, what else do you need?
btw, a earlier post suggested blaxploitation is not accurate because the actors were paid well, the term never implied the actual actors, crew members, etc were being exploited (a loaded word to begin with) but the actual black culture and it's stereotypes were being exploited, which to some extent is true.
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The Seven Ups ( 1973 )