Effect of films of this genre on Obama's Candidicy

And sexual humiliation of the white judge was done with relish. It was an expression of absolute hatred, and there was enough of a black audience to enjoy it without any compunctions.

WTF are you on about? I'm white and I love that scene. It's not an expression of anti-white anything, let alone "absolute hatred." The only thing it's "anti" is corrupt power.

By the way, and just FYI, Pam Grier doesn't approve of the use of the term "blaxploitation" for these movies.

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The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

and using your "logic" i guess this means anti-Italian and anti-Irish sentiments have been the foundation for Scorsese's career.

and, i guess you think that if "Top Gun" is shown between now and Tuesday, the mavericky candidates' numbers will go up.

wow. just wow.

by - alrodbel on Sun Jul 13 2008 21:40:52

I just watched the movie on IFC and I thought, "what's the point of showing this at this time." The main page says it was shot in 17 days, with production values and writing similar to a porn flick. I'm not talking about the sexual scenes, which are no more graphic than "Last Tango in Paris" or many other quality films. It was violence for its own sake.

There was the clear catharsis of demonstrated absolute hatred for a reviled group, in this case the white race by the black race. And I suppose that was the main audience, which I would like to have verified if anyone has that info.

Killing the bad guy wasn't quite enough, so his penis was cut off, something I'm not familiar of ever being presented in a previous film. And sexual humiliation of the white judge was done with relish. It was an expression of absolute hatred, and there was enough of a black audience to enjoy it without any compunctions.

I understand many, especially those who are on this site, consider blaxploitation films as an artifact of a time past, something like Film Noir, to be evaluated as part of cinema history. But it also reflects our nations cultural and political history.

Will these films be shown more frequently as we approach the election with the first black candidate for president. Will it demonstrate that such hatred is still a part of the undercurrent of racial dynamics in America.

Perhaps some readers have some thoughts on this.

I disagree with your assertion that this film is anti-white. This film, along with many other films released in the '70s--some of them aimed at more general audiences, not just African Americans (think along the lines of "Billy Jack")--allowed people who felt left behind by mainstream society to rage against an establishment that was seen as dishonest, corrupt and deserving of exposure. The scene where the corrupt pig judge gets his comeuppance was gold, and it reflected the perception that the justice system is meant to protect the interests of the power structure, which, until very recently, was overwhelmingly white. An historical assessment of how minorities and the disenfranchised were treated by society and the justice system shows there is ample justification for this perception, and the people making these films were tapping into this, reaping great profits. In the case of films aimed at Blacks, such as "Foxy Brown", they were also tapping into a demographic that had seen itself continually debased and degraded in film and mass media right through the middle of the twentieth century, and were hungry to see people like themselves in control of things and "fighting the power."

I think the insinuation that there is some mysterious correlation between this film being shown regularly on T.V. and the Obama presidency is completely without merit. This film is considered a classic of its genre by professionals in the film industry as well as ordinary viewers (one of its biggest fans is no less than Quentin Tarantino, who should recognize a solid crime thriller when he sees one). It was directed by Jack Hill, who, though somewhat overlooked in his heyday, is revered by many young filmakers today for the high level of quality and workmanship on display in films where he was given little in the way of time and resourses to do a proper job. The casting in this film was inspired, and it was the perfect vehicle for Pam Grier, who would probably have been a huge mainstream star were she beginning her career today where there are many more opportunities for non-white actors to shine. Sure the film was done quickly and on the cheap, but so are a lot of the films you see playing at Sundance every year. This film has played for years on television (it has even been shown on the decidedly white-bread Turner Classic Movies a few times), and I'm not surprised it seems to have found a home on IFC, as it fits in well with their programming mission of showcasing edgy independent films.

I think you need to dispense with the paranoia about Obama's presidency, and enjoy this movie for what it is--a fun, well-crafted crime drama replete with outrageous characters and situations of the kind that you rarely see on film anymore. Or, if it ain't your cup 'o tea, then don't enjoy it. There are plenty of us who do!

I think Blaxploitation exploited black people more than anything else.. I think all the "white hatred" stuff was in a way a simplification of black peoples' views at the time, this film was after all written and directed by a white man. So this is his representation of how he thought black people think and behave, which seems to involve a lot of drug dealing, casual sex, pimping, vigilante justice, reverse racism and so on.

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It was just a movie that IFC played. I hope you got over it by now.