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Blaxploitation Films
Fully updated to include Baadassss and The Hebrew Hammer and to cover the deaths of Isaac Hayes and Rudy Rae Moore
In the early 1970s a type of film emerged that featured all-black casts; really cool soul, R 'n' B, and disco soundtracks; characters sporting big guns, big dashikis, and even bigger 'fros; and had some of the meanest, baddest attitudes to shoot their way across the screen. An antidote to the sanitized "safe" images of blackness that Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby presented to America, these films depicted a reality about the world which African-American audiences could identify with, even if the stories themselves were pure fantasy. This guide reviews and discusses more than 60 Blaxploitation films, considering them from the perspectives of class and racial rebellion, genre, and Stickin' it to the Man. Subgenres covered include Blaxploitation horror films, kung-fu movies, westerns, and parodies.
In the early 1970s a type of film emerged that featured all-black casts; really cool soul, R 'n' B, and disco soundtracks; characters sporting big guns, big dashikis, and even bigger 'fros; and had some of the meanest, baddest attitudes to shoot their way across the screen. An antidote to the sanitized "safe" images of blackness that Sidney Poitier and Bill Cosby presented to America, these films depicted a reality about the world which African-American audiences could identify with, even if the stories themselves were pure fantasy. This guide reviews and discusses more than 60 Blaxploitation films, considering them from the perspectives of class and racial rebellion, genre, and Stickin' it to the Man. Subgenres covered include Blaxploitation horror films, kung-fu movies, westerns, and parodies.
160 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 20, 2024
A BRITISH LECTURER LOOKS AT THESE EARLY 1970’S AFRICAN-AMERICAN FILMS
Mikel J. Koven is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Worcester (UK). He wrote in the Introduction to this 2001book, “What is Blaxploitation?... This current volume is an introduction and attempt at cataloguing the phenomenon of blaxploitation Films… this genre… is s fusion of two different words---black and exploitation… But the problem comes when we ask who is being exploited?...these must be films that exploit our desire to see black people, specifically African-Americans, on screen, doing presumably what one expects or wants to see African-Americans doing.”
He continues, “However, what we see those African-Americans doing on screen in those leading roles gives a warped view of black culture in the early 1970s. The roles for black character within Blaxploitation Films… did not necessarily reflect the lives of African-Americans in the United States at that time. The films contain the dreams and aspirations of American blacks and also sell images back to them.” (Pg. 7)
He goes on, “Blaxploitation both markets itself into an emerging African-American film market with promises of ample sex and violence, and draws on contemporary fears and anxieties that, one assumes, have a direct relevance for black communities… The vast majority of Blaxploitation Films were not very good movies---at best, some could be considered ‘interesting.’ However, the vast majority of contemporary African-American films are quite excellent. In fact, I think John Singleton is one of the best American filmmakers working today…” (Pg. 9-10)
He explains, “Three films have been identified by scholars and historians as starting the Blaxploitation movement: Ossie Davis; ‘Cotton Comes to Harlem.’ Melvin Van Peebles’ ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song’ and Barry Shear’s ‘Across 110th Street.’ … ‘Cotton Comes to Harlem’ was the film for which the (presumably white) reviewer for Variety coined the term ‘Blaxploitation.’ This was a new kind of independent black cinema---daring, bold, inventive---which did not reduce the people of Harlem to stereotypes, or just white folks’ servants. This was not the glorified Uncle Tom African-America of Sidney Poitier or Bill Cosby; friendly representations of blacks which would not upset white America. This was black people living, breathing, loving, and yes, fighting, killing and stealing, to and for black people.” (Pg. 11-12)
Of ‘Sweet Sweetback,’ he comments, “I really hate this film. Although I can appreciate the fact that it was revolutionary when it was made… I was more concerned with the aggressive sexuality that the movie depicts. The first scene of the film shows a very young … boy having sex with a prostitute… This kind of sexual exploitation of children is one of the few places I draw the line. It also occurs to me that, despite Van Peebles’ claim that the film was rated X due to the film’s unrelenting realism, that this ‘all-white jury’ wanted to suppress the ideas of the film, the truth is more banal---the film is more pornography than Blaxploitation… It strikes me that the $15 million it made domestically was due more to curiosity about the sex in the film, than an engagement with the socio-politics of it.” (Pg. 14-15)
He outlines, “So what are the major themes of Blaxploitation Films, according to these films? … These films were unique… because African-American characters were given positions of authority… [They] also feature an overall documentary feel to their street scenes… for the first time, African-Americans were able to see the world as they experienced it, not in the squeaky clean world of a Sidney Poitier movie… also… the sexual theme… It is an aggressive sexuality … not the safe kind of sexually neutral image of Potier… The final theme… is the idea of ‘sticking it to the Man,’ or resisting the authority of those who say they are in charge,” (Pg. 16-17)
He asks, “What ever happened to Blaxploitation Films?... I feel that Blaxploitation Films existed largely between 1970 and 1975… As soul music declined in popularity, or rather, as it was replaced and overshadowed by another musical form, the movies changed with this trend. Disco music altered blaxploitation Films considerably, and those films… which feature more disco music on their soundtracks than soul music, bear little resemblance to the early 1970s flicks… These films ae gentler, more disciplined and often had a lower classification certificate than films like ‘Shaft’ or ‘Superfly.’ These movies were aimed at a younger teenaged audience, rather than an adult one. It is also worth mentioning that many of Blaxploitation’s actors moved on to do more high-profile and (seemingly at the time) more respectable films…
“But, personally, I feel that the changing face of African-American popular music, and how the music helped change cultural attitudes, more than anything else, was the real death knell for Blaxploitation Films… blaxploitation had its day and left a legacy of talent and films that reflect approximately a five-year period of African-American popular culture. I hope to have demonstrated that, regardless of the films’ qualities as ‘art’ or even as ‘films,’ there are still many interesting and potentially informative aspects to be explored within them.” (Pg. 88-89)
This book will be of great interest to most people interested in learning more about these films.
Mikel J. Koven is Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Worcester (UK). He wrote in the Introduction to this 2001book, “What is Blaxploitation?... This current volume is an introduction and attempt at cataloguing the phenomenon of blaxploitation Films… this genre… is s fusion of two different words---black and exploitation… But the problem comes when we ask who is being exploited?...these must be films that exploit our desire to see black people, specifically African-Americans, on screen, doing presumably what one expects or wants to see African-Americans doing.”
He continues, “However, what we see those African-Americans doing on screen in those leading roles gives a warped view of black culture in the early 1970s. The roles for black character within Blaxploitation Films… did not necessarily reflect the lives of African-Americans in the United States at that time. The films contain the dreams and aspirations of American blacks and also sell images back to them.” (Pg. 7)
He goes on, “Blaxploitation both markets itself into an emerging African-American film market with promises of ample sex and violence, and draws on contemporary fears and anxieties that, one assumes, have a direct relevance for black communities… The vast majority of Blaxploitation Films were not very good movies---at best, some could be considered ‘interesting.’ However, the vast majority of contemporary African-American films are quite excellent. In fact, I think John Singleton is one of the best American filmmakers working today…” (Pg. 9-10)
He explains, “Three films have been identified by scholars and historians as starting the Blaxploitation movement: Ossie Davis; ‘Cotton Comes to Harlem.’ Melvin Van Peebles’ ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassss Song’ and Barry Shear’s ‘Across 110th Street.’ … ‘Cotton Comes to Harlem’ was the film for which the (presumably white) reviewer for Variety coined the term ‘Blaxploitation.’ This was a new kind of independent black cinema---daring, bold, inventive---which did not reduce the people of Harlem to stereotypes, or just white folks’ servants. This was not the glorified Uncle Tom African-America of Sidney Poitier or Bill Cosby; friendly representations of blacks which would not upset white America. This was black people living, breathing, loving, and yes, fighting, killing and stealing, to and for black people.” (Pg. 11-12)
Of ‘Sweet Sweetback,’ he comments, “I really hate this film. Although I can appreciate the fact that it was revolutionary when it was made… I was more concerned with the aggressive sexuality that the movie depicts. The first scene of the film shows a very young … boy having sex with a prostitute… This kind of sexual exploitation of children is one of the few places I draw the line. It also occurs to me that, despite Van Peebles’ claim that the film was rated X due to the film’s unrelenting realism, that this ‘all-white jury’ wanted to suppress the ideas of the film, the truth is more banal---the film is more pornography than Blaxploitation… It strikes me that the $15 million it made domestically was due more to curiosity about the sex in the film, than an engagement with the socio-politics of it.” (Pg. 14-15)
He outlines, “So what are the major themes of Blaxploitation Films, according to these films? … These films were unique… because African-American characters were given positions of authority… [They] also feature an overall documentary feel to their street scenes… for the first time, African-Americans were able to see the world as they experienced it, not in the squeaky clean world of a Sidney Poitier movie… also… the sexual theme… It is an aggressive sexuality … not the safe kind of sexually neutral image of Potier… The final theme… is the idea of ‘sticking it to the Man,’ or resisting the authority of those who say they are in charge,” (Pg. 16-17)
He asks, “What ever happened to Blaxploitation Films?... I feel that Blaxploitation Films existed largely between 1970 and 1975… As soul music declined in popularity, or rather, as it was replaced and overshadowed by another musical form, the movies changed with this trend. Disco music altered blaxploitation Films considerably, and those films… which feature more disco music on their soundtracks than soul music, bear little resemblance to the early 1970s flicks… These films ae gentler, more disciplined and often had a lower classification certificate than films like ‘Shaft’ or ‘Superfly.’ These movies were aimed at a younger teenaged audience, rather than an adult one. It is also worth mentioning that many of Blaxploitation’s actors moved on to do more high-profile and (seemingly at the time) more respectable films…
“But, personally, I feel that the changing face of African-American popular music, and how the music helped change cultural attitudes, more than anything else, was the real death knell for Blaxploitation Films… blaxploitation had its day and left a legacy of talent and films that reflect approximately a five-year period of African-American popular culture. I hope to have demonstrated that, regardless of the films’ qualities as ‘art’ or even as ‘films,’ there are still many interesting and potentially informative aspects to be explored within them.” (Pg. 88-89)
This book will be of great interest to most people interested in learning more about these films.
September 26, 2011
Solid introduction to blaxploitation films, but nowhere near a comprehensive guide-- for that, you want Josiah Howard's "Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide" from FAB Press. Still, if you don't want to commit to that right off the bat, Koven's book provides a good list of essential films.
August 3, 2022
A decent overview of the blaxploitation cycle including some that straddle the line between two genres (e.g. kung fu/blaxploitation like The Tattoo Connection [1978]) and more contemporary examples - often parodies à la Black Dynamite (2009). But acts more of just a good, pretty comprehensive list of films to see more than anything. Koven's writing isn't the strongest and too often it feels like he doesn't actually like blaxploitation cinema. I get coming from a scholarly critical angle can be important to give weight to your words but I'd prefer over anything if authors were enthusiastic and passionate about what they were writing about - makes for a much more enjoyable read. Also the author's ratings for certain films are bafflingly low, such as like a half star (or one star whatever it was) for Dolemite... Suggests to me that the author is just not into some of this cult stuff. A light and easy starting point if you aren't already quite deep into the genre, but make sure to ignore the ratings and just use it as a list of films to see basically. I've discovered a few films from this book that I've now made sure to add to the watchlist because they sound awesome.
February 4, 2022
A poorly written and scarcely researched overview of the blaxploitation cycle with about as much depth as the text of a VHS tape box. There are some prominent omissions ("Hit Man", "Black Samson", "Melinda", "Bone", "The Spook who sat at the Door") but given the fanboy nature of most of the book, that's not a big loss.
October 26, 2025
Very detailed list of Blaxploitation films. Gave me a lot of movies to look at in the future, also takes care to track the general themes of said movies. Good start to this subject matter, but certainly not the end.
The book recommends reading "Black Movie, White Money" so I'll be sure to check that out eventually.
The book recommends reading "Black Movie, White Money" so I'll be sure to check that out eventually.
May 15, 2013
This book is a good starting point for Blaxploitation fans or people who are new to the subject. The author is heavily critical of the films and I got the impression he hated most of them, which begs the question as to why he wrote the book in the first place. Some useful information such as: the availability of these films and each film has a review and a score out of 5. The author also covers the social issues and cultural context contained within these films - some Blaxploitation films are pure trash and he seemed to be scraping the barrel to come up with some (arguably non-existent) social commentary for the lesser films. A newer version of this book has been published.
May 28, 2013
An easy read but it does not feel particularly authoritative. Koven's style of writing often veers towards 6th form standard and I expected more insight into the films in general. However, this book does provide a casual overview of some of the films in the genre (as well as spoofs) and has marked my card re: further viewing.
It was interesting to note that Koven has updated his thoughts on some of the films since the first edition based on further viewing.
It was interesting to note that Koven has updated his thoughts on some of the films since the first edition based on further viewing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews