Black Cinema Gems
by Abyss47 | created - 10 Aug 2012 | updated - 2 weeks ago | PublicEver wonder why you rarely hear about "iconic" or "classic" black films? Ever wonder why black cinema is so marginalized and rarely talked about? Ever wonder why most black films are so hard to find or lost forever? Well, I'll tell you why.....
Because very few people care about black films, unfortunately. Likely not you, not your mother, not your father, and most likely not your friends either. The majority of non-black films, on the other hand, have pretty much been preserved forever, and people usually go to extra lengths to ensure that many of the lost non-black films don't stay lost for long. Far too many black films, specifically classic black films, have been ignored altogether because the people of that time likely figured that future generations wouldn't care to see such films, and thus, most classic black films are lost for all eternity. You can read about them, but you can't touch them, feel them, see them, or even get close to them. Instead, the people who truly want to see everything black cinema has to offer have to search ten times as hard compared to if they were trying to find any other type of film. This can become incredibly frustrating for cinephiles who make it their goal to see nearly everything from everybody all around the world. But, it's most frustrating to black movie fans who want to get closer to their own culture through the films their own people have made. Even such filmmakers as Ousmane Sembene and Charles Burnett, who have a couple of films widely available to the public, also have a bunch of films they've made that aren't available anywhere to see unless you do some serious digging.
It's definitely the fault of society as a whole, and history's blatant marginalization of black film........well, let's be honest, anything black. A lot of people, whether in power or not in power, simply don't value black films much. It's not just black films made by black filmmakers either, it's black films, period. You can't even see 40 percent of them if you tried, really. Many of these films likely lacked support from their own people as well when they were released in theaters, so those same folks aren't safe from some of the blame either.
One question that often lingers in my mind is, "Why does Criterion only have less than a handful of black titles in their collection?" Why 'Touki Bouki" but no "Hyenas" or "Badou Boy" in their collection, arguably superior films made by the same director? Why 'Do the Right Thing" but not "Malcolm X" or the very influential "She's Gotta Have It"? See, even Criterion is biased towards black film, which further proves my point, yet they've flooded their catalog with non-black films of all categories. We're being neglected important pieces of film history.
With that said, I present to those of you who do care my personal list of black cinema gems; many of these are relatively well known but the majority are unknown and overlooked films the general public isn't familiar with. My main intention was making a list of pretty much all the ones I consider at least solid, so that includes favorites and non-favorites. I haven't seen everything, so this is just a reflection of what I have seen, which is more than the average person but still a lot less than I want to see.
The main criteria was, the film had to be at least decent and deal with some sort of black theme or have a black sensibility, and have either a single or multiple black main characters. But, here's the catch; Any film made by a black filmmaker that I felt was above average automatically went on the list even if the cast was white because black filmmakers deserve just as much credit for the films they make that aren't closely tied to their culture, which is arguably a lot tougher to do. The ones made by non-black filmmakers obviously had to fall in line with the first rule of my criteria.
Like I said above, most black films, specifically early black films, are impossible to find and not available anywhere to the public, and even many of the newer black independent films become incredibly difficult to see unless you go to black film festivals, which I highly recommend doing since they usually contain some real gems. The Pan African Film Festival in particular is wonderful. Every black person or person in general interested in black film should make it their duty to go to that festival whenever it's nearby. I was lucky enough to go recently since it was in my hometown of Los Angeles, and it was very refreshing and exciting seeing all the unique and diverse films from all kinds of new black talent, and participating in the Q&A sessions afterwards. Back to my first point: that's why there are only a few pre-60's entries on the list. I don't count on that changing anytime soon, but hey, miracles happen, don't they?
There are a lot of really good black short films like "A Storybook Ending' (2020) that IMDb wouldn't let me add to my list because their add to list feature is really bad, so thought that was important to mention.
My favorite Black films not listed on IMDb:
"Digitopia" by John Akomfrah
"The Drive-by" by The Hughes Brothers
"Colette Vignette" by Wendell B. Harris Jr.
"You Know Leadbelly" by Wendell B. Harris Jr.
"Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Don Letts
"First World Festival of Negro Arts" by William Greaves
"Kichwateli" by Muchiri Njenga
"Swirl In Bamako" by Dominique Philippe
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1. Within Our Gates (1920)
Not Rated | 79 min | Drama, Romance
Abandoned by her fiancé, an educated black woman with a shocking past dedicates herself to helping a near bankrupt school for impoverished black youths.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Evelyn Preer, Flo Clements, James D. Ruffin, Jack Chenault
Votes: 3,620
2. The Symbol of the Unconquered (1920)
TV-PG | 54 min | Drama, Romance
Racists learn that the land a negro owns lies over a vast oil field, and threaten his life when he refuses to sell.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Iris Hall, Walker Thompson, Lawrence Chenault, Mattie Wilkes
Votes: 571
3. Body and Soul (1925)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A malevolent phony preacher plots to take advantage of a woman from his congregation who happens to be in love with his long-estranged identical twin brother.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Paul Robeson, Marshall Rogers, Lawrence Chenault, Chester A. Alexander
Votes: 1,192
4. Hallelujah (1929)
Passed | 109 min | Drama, Musical
A sharecropper decides to become a preacher after falling for a vamp from the city.
Director: King Vidor | Stars: Daniel L. Haynes, Nina Mae McKinney, William Fountaine, Harry Gray
Votes: 1,999
5. Borderline (1930)
Not Rated | 63 min | Drama
A negro woman having an adulterous affair with a white man causes his wife to go mad and re-enforces the towns-folk's prejudice against Negroes.
Director: Kenneth MacPherson | Stars: Paul Robeson, Eslanda Robeson, Hilda Doolittle, Gavin Arthur
Votes: 575
6. God's Step Children (1938)
Not Rated | 105 min | Drama
A young light-skinned Negress struggles to find her place in both the black and the white worlds.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Jacqueline Lewis, Ethel Moses, Alice B. Russell, Trixie Smith
Votes: 114
7. Swing! (1938)
69 min | Musical, Drama
Ted Gregory is trying to be the first black producer to mount a show on Broadway, but he has trouble with his star singer.
Director: Oscar Micheaux | Stars: Cora Green, Larry Seymour, Hazel Diaz, Alec Lovejoy
Votes: 170
8. The Blood of Jesus (1941)
Approved | 57 min | Drama, Fantasy
An atheist accidentally shoots his Baptist wife. She dies and goes to a crossroads, where the devil tries to lead her astray.
Director: Spencer Williams | Stars: Cathryn Caviness, Spencer Williams, Juanita Riley, Reather Hardeman
Votes: 775
9. The Quiet One (1948)
65 min | Documentary, Drama
A documentary account of the rehabilitation at the Wiltwyck School of an emotionally disturbed Black boy who is unwanted, misunderstood, and inwardly tortured.
Director: Sidney Meyers | Stars: Gary Merrill, Donald Thompson, Clarence Cooper, Sadie Stockton
Votes: 307
10. No Way Out (1950)
Passed | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Film-Noir
Two hoodlum brothers are brought into a hospital for gunshot wounds, and when one of them dies the other accuses their black doctor of murder.
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Stars: Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally, Sidney Poitier
Votes: 6,271
11. Bright Road (1953)
Approved | 68 min | Drama, Music
Based on the story, See How They Run (The Ladies' Home Journal June 51), and subsequently won that year's Christopher award. The story was written by Mary Elizabeth Vroman, a 4th generation... See full summary »
Director: Gerald Mayer | Stars: Dorothy Dandridge, Philip Hepburn, Harry Belafonte, Barbara Randolph
Votes: 807
12. Carmen Jones (1954)
Approved | 105 min | Drama, Musical, Romance
Contemporary version of the Bizet opera, with new lyrics and an African-American cast.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Pearl Bailey, Olga James
Votes: 5,911
13. Edge of the City (1957)
Approved | 85 min | Drama
The growing friendship of two NYC longshoremen is threatened by a notably repellent punk.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: John Cassavetes, Sidney Poitier, Jack Warden, Kathleen Maguire
Votes: 3,586
14. Moi, un noir (1958)
Not Rated | 70 min | Drama
"I, a Negro" depicts young Nigerien immigrants who left their country to find work in the Ivory Coast, in the Treichville quarter of Abidjan, the capital. These immigrants live in squalor ... See full summary »
Director: Jean Rouch | Stars: Oumarou Ganda, Gambi, Petit Touré, Alassane Maiga
Votes: 1,096
Ousmane Sembene's favorite film.
15. The Defiant Ones (1958)
Approved | 96 min | Crime, Drama
Two chained-together escaped convicts, White and Black, must learn to get along in order to elude capture.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Tony Curtis, Sidney Poitier, Cara Williams, Theodore Bikel
Votes: 17,812
16. The Cry of Jazz (1959)
Not Rated | 34 min | Documentary, Short, Music
Discussion of jazz and the role of African-Americans in the United States.
Director: Edward Bland | Stars: George Waller, Dorothea Horton, Melinda Dillon, Andrew Duncan
Votes: 319
17. Imitation of Life (1959)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama
An aspiring white actress takes in an African American widow whose mixed-race daughter is desperate to be seen as white.
Director: Douglas Sirk | Stars: Lana Turner, John Gavin, Sandra Dee, Susan Kohner
Votes: 18,206 | Gross: $13.99M
18. The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)
Approved | 95 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
A miner trapped in a cave-in resurfaces, and upon discovering mankind has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust, sets out to find other survivors.
Director: Ranald MacDougall | Stars: Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, Mel Ferrer
Votes: 3,502
19. The Young One (1960)
96 min | Drama
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Director: Luis Buñuel | Stars: Zachary Scott, Bernie Hamilton, Key Meersman, Crahan Denton
Votes: 3,063
20. A Raisin in the Sun (1961)
Approved | 128 min | Drama
A substantial insurance payment could mean either financial salvation or personal ruin for a poor black family.
Director: Daniel Petrie | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands
Votes: 9,562
21. The Intruder (1962)
PG-13 | 84 min | Drama
A charismatic "social reformer" rallies the white populace of a Southern town to oppose school integration, but he soon finds himself in a situation that he cannot control.
Director: Roger Corman | Stars: William Shatner, Frank Maxwell, Beverly Lunsford, Robert Emhardt
Votes: 3,892
22. Niaye (1964)
35 min | Drama, Short
The pregnancy of a young girl scandalizes her community.
Director: Ousmane Sembene | Stars: Serigne Sow, Astou N'Diaye, Mame Dia, Modou Sène
Votes: 112
23. The Cool World (1963)
105 min | Crime, Drama
A look at the horrors of Harlem ghetto slum life filled with drugs, violence, human misery, and a sense of despair due to the racial prejudices of American society.
Director: Shirley Clarke | Stars: Rony Clanton, Carl Lee, Yolanda Rodríguez, Clarence Williams III
Votes: 659
24. One Potato, Two Potato (1964)
92 min | Drama
In his wanderlust, Joe Cullen moves from the US to South America to work in a mining camp, he leaving behind his wife Julie and their infant daughter, Ellen Mary. After Joe stops writing ... See full summary »
Director: Larry Peerce | Stars: Barbara Barrie, Bernie Hamilton, Richard Mulligan, Harry Bellaver
Votes: 940
25. Nothing But a Man (1964)
Not Rated | 95 min | Drama, Romance
A black man and his school-teacher wife face discriminatory challenges in 1960s America.
Director: Michael Roemer | Stars: Ivan Dixon, Abbey Lincoln, Julius Harris, Gloria Foster
Votes: 1,979 | Gross: $0.02M
26. A Patch of Blue (1965)
Unrated | 105 min | Drama, Romance
A blind, uneducated white girl is befriended by a black man who becomes determined to help her escape her impoverished and abusive home life by introducing her to the outside world.
Director: Guy Green | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Shelley Winters, Elizabeth Hartman, Wallace Ford
Votes: 9,529
27. Black Girl (1966)
Not Rated | 65 min | Drama
A black girl from Senegal becomes a servant in France.
Director: Ousmane Sembene | Stars: Mbissine Thérèse Diop, Anne-Marie Jelinek, Robert Fontaine, Momar Nar Sene
Votes: 5,999
28. Oh, Sun (1970)
98 min | Drama
A native of Mauritania is delighted when he is chosen to work in Paris. However, he is disappointed when he sees racial inequity as blacks are relegated to manual labor while less skilled whites are given preferential treatment.
Director: Med Hondo | Stars: Robert Liensol, Théo Légitimus, Ambroise M'Bia, Gabriel Glissant
Votes: 828
29. Dutchman (1966)
55 min | Drama
With the provocation of her lovely half-naked body and strikingly lascivious speech, Lula, a sinister, neurotic white girl, lures to his doom Clay, a good-looking young Black stranger whom ... See full summary »
Director: Anthony Harvey | Stars: Shirley Knight, Al Freeman Jr., Frank Lieberman, Robert Calvert
Votes: 486
30. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Approved | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
A couple's attitudes are challenged when their daughter introduces them to her African-American fiancé.
Director: Stanley Kramer | Stars: Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Katharine Houghton
Votes: 48,876 | Gross: $56.70M
31. To Sir, with Love (1967)
Approved | 105 min | Drama
Idealistic engineer-trainee and his experiences in teaching a group of rambunctious white high school students from the slums of London's East End.
Director: James Clavell | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Judy Geeson, Christian Roberts, Suzy Kendall
Votes: 20,388 | Gross: $42.43M
32. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Approved | 110 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A black Philadelphia police detective is mistakenly suspected of a local murder while passing through a racially hostile Mississippi town, and after being cleared is reluctantly asked by the police chief to investigate the case.
Director: Norman Jewison | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, Lee Grant
Votes: 83,497 | Gross: $24.38M
33. Mandabi (1968)
Not Rated | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
A money order from a relative in Paris throws the life of a Senegalese family man out of order. He deals with corruption, greed, problematic family members, the locals and the changing from... See full summary »
Director: Ousmane Sembene | Stars: Makhouredia Gueye, Ynousse N'Diaye, Isseu Niang, Mustapha Ture
Votes: 1,457
34. Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968)
Not Rated | 75 min | Documentary
Filmmaker William Greaves auditioned acting students for a fictional drama, while simultaneously shooting the behind-the-scenes drama taking place.
Director: William Greaves | Stars: Patricia Ree Gilbert, Don Fellows, Jonathan Gordon, Bob Rosen
Votes: 2,510
35. The Story of a Three Day Pass (1967)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama, Romance
A black American soldier is demoted for fraternizing with a white girl in France.
Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Harry Baird, Pierre Doris, Christian Marin, Nicole Berger
Votes: 614
36. City of Contrasts (1969)
22 min | Short
A somewhat-humorous look at the city of Dakar, its people, architecture, politics, social behavior, and even the white French tourists, and especially the influence of France's culture and ... See full summary »
Director: Djibril Diop Mambéty
Votes: 152
37. Borom sarret (1963)
20 min | Short, Drama
Boron Sarret is arguably the first film made by a black African. It illustrates poverty in Senegal, particularly for the working man.
Director: Ousmane Sembene | Stars: Ly Abdoulay, Albourah
Votes: 1,520
38. The Learning Tree (1969)
PG | 107 min | Drama
A bittersweet, idyllic story about a year in the life of 14-year-old Newt Winger, born into a poor Black family in Kansas, who learns about love, fear, racial injustice, and immorality.
Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Kyle Johnson, Alex Clarke, Estelle Evans, Dana Elcar
Votes: 1,621
39. Several Friends (1969)
Not Rated | 21 min | Short
An improvised late '60's short-subject student film, and debut movie of Director, Charles Burnett; done in the neo-realist, documentary film style. A day-in-the-life South Central L.A. tale... See full summary »
Director: Charles Burnett | Stars: Andy Burnett, Eugene Cherry, Charles Bracy, Cassandra Wright
Votes: 368
40. The Lost Man (1969)
M | 122 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A gang of black militants plots to rob a factory to finance their "revolutionary struggle".
Director: Robert Alan Aurthur | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Joanna Shimkus, Al Freeman Jr., Michael Tolan
Votes: 221
41. Cotton Comes to Harlem (1970)
R | 97 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Two Harlem cops investigate a robbery, believing that a reverend has staged it in order to steal the money he's collected for a local fundraiser.
Director: Ossie Davis | Stars: Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, Calvin Lockhart, Judy Pace
Votes: 2,685 | Gross: $4.39M
42. Watermelon Man (1970)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Jeff Gerber, a racist white man, wakes up one morning to discover that he has become black.
Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Godfrey Cambridge, Estelle Parsons, Howard Caine, D'Urville Martin
Votes: 2,859 | Gross: $1.50M
43. Badou Boy (1970)
56 min | Comedy
Sarcastic look at Senegal's capital following the adventures of a somewhat immoral street urchin.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambéty | Stars: Lamine Ba, Al Demba Ciss, Christoph Colomb, Gaby Diallo
Votes: 201
44. Tick, Tick, Tick (1970)
G | 100 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Racial tensions threaten to explode when a black man is elected Sheriff of a small, racially divided town in the deep south.
Director: Ralph Nelson | Stars: Jim Brown, George Kennedy, Fredric March, Lynn Carlin
Votes: 1,357 | Gross: $1.24M
45. They Call Me Mister Tibbs! (1970)
GP | 108 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
In San Francisco, a high-priced call girl is murdered and the case is assigned to Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Martin Landau, Barbara McNair, Anthony Zerbe
Votes: 4,363 | Gross: $5.12M
46. The Landlord (1970)
PG | 112 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
At the age of 29, Elgar Enders (Beau Bridges) "runs away" from home. This running away consists of buying a building in a black ghetto in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn. Initially, his ... See full summary »
Director: Hal Ashby | Stars: Beau Bridges, Lee Grant, Diana Sands, Pearl Bailey
Votes: 3,080 | Gross: $0.96M
47. The Great White Hope (1970)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
A Black champion boxer and his white female companion struggle to survive while the white boxing establishment looks for ways to knock him down.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: James Earl Jones, Jane Alexander, Lou Gilbert, Joel Fluellen
Votes: 2,804 | Gross: $2.70M
48. Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)
R | 97 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After saving a Black Panther from some racist cops, a black male prostitute goes on the run from "the man" with the help of the ghetto community and some disillusioned Hells Angels.
Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Melvin Van Peebles, Hubert Scales, John Dullaghan, Simon Chuckster
Votes: 5,852 | Gross: $15.18M
49. Emitai (1971)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama
As World War II is going on in Europe, a conflict arises between the French and the Diola-speaking tribe of Africa, prompting the village women to organize their men to sit beneath a tree to pray.
Director: Ousmane Sembene | Stars: Andongo Diabon, Robert Fontaine, Michel Renaudeau, Ousmane Camara
Votes: 473
50. Shaft (1971)
R | 100 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A crime lord hires black private eye, John Shaft, to find and retrieve his kidnapped daughter.
Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John
Votes: 20,991 | Gross: $16.69M
51. Le wazzou polygame (1971)
50 min | Drama
An Islamic faithful returns from his holy pilgrimage to Mecca with the venerated title "el hajji". On his return he falls in love with his daughter's friend Santou, who is already engaged ... See full summary »
Director: Oumarou Ganda | Stars: Oumarou Ganda, Joseph Salamatou, Zalika Souley
Votes: 77
52. The Organization (1971)
PG-13 | 106 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In San Francisco, Police Lieutenant Virgil Tibbs helps a group of idealistic vigilantes expose a drug ring controlled by powerful businessmen.
Director: Don Medford | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Barbara McNair, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Sheree North
Votes: 2,157 | Gross: $1.50M
53. Hour Glass (1971)
10 min | Fantasy, Short
In the midst of the Black consciousness movement, a basketball player imagines his profession to that of a gladiator. After a series of reflections including his upbringing as a foster child of White Americans, he returns to his origins.
Director: Haile Gerima | Star: Mel Rosier
Votes: 55
54. Super Fly (1972)
R | 91 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The daily routine of cocaine dealer Priest who wants to score one more super deal and retire.
Director: Gordon Parks Jr. | Stars: Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier, Julius Harris
Votes: 8,581
55. Black Girl (1972)
PG | 97 min | Drama
An aspiring dancer and her wicked sisters resent their mother's love for a foster daughter.
Director: Ossie Davis | Stars: Brock Peters, Claudia McNeil, Leslie Uggams, Louise Stubbs
Votes: 555 | Gross: $0.41M
56. Trouble Man (1972)
R | 99 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A neighborhood "problem solver" is framed for murder by a couple of local crime bosses trying to get him out of the way.
Director: Ivan Dixon | Stars: Robert Hooks, Paul Winfield, Ralph Waite, William Smithers
Votes: 1,602
57. Buck and the Preacher (1972)
GP | 102 min | Adventure, Drama, Western
A wagon master and a con-man preacher help freed slaves dogged by cheap-labor agents out West.
Directors: Sidney Poitier, Joseph Sargent | Stars: Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Ruby Dee, Cameron Mitchell
Votes: 2,682 | Gross: $3.03M
58. Top of the Heap (1972)
R | 90 min | Drama
A D.C. black cop is pushed over the edge when he is passed over for a promotion, leading him on a violent personal crusade against criminals punctuated by feverish psychedelic dream visions.
Director: Christopher St. John | Stars: Christopher St. John, Paula Kelly, Florence St. Peter, Leonard Kuras
Votes: 397 | Gross: $0.26M
59. The Final Comedown (1972)
R | 83 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Black revolutionaries take action in the white suburbs.
Director: Oscar Williams | Stars: Billy Dee Williams, D'Urville Martin, Celia Milius, Maidie Norman
Votes: 446 | Gross: $0.16M
60. Bone (1972)
R | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller
When a criminal breaks into the Beverly Hills home of a wealthy couple having marital problems, he unwillingly provides the spouses with an unlikely resolution to their conflicts as well as a solution to his own secret problem.
Director: Larry Cohen | Stars: Yaphet Kotto, Andrew Duggan, Joyce Van Patten, Jeannie Berlin
Votes: 1,375
61. Hickey & Boggs (1972)
PG | 111 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Bill Cosby and Robert Culp ("I Spy") are united again as private eyes in this Walter Hill-scripted "film noir." Searching for a missing girl, they find themselves involved with vicious criminals and precipitating a string of deaths.
Director: Robert Culp | Stars: Bill Cosby, Robert Culp, Ta-Ronce Allen, Rosalind Cash
Votes: 1,378
62. Sounder (1972)
G | 105 min | Drama, Family
The oldest son of a loving and strong family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks, Carmen Mathews
Votes: 4,818 | Gross: $3.10M
63. Shaft's Big Score! (1972)
R | 104 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Shaft is back to find the murderer of an old friend on the cold hard city streets with a little help from his new friends.
Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Drew Bundini Brown, Joseph Mascolo
Votes: 3,590 | Gross: $10.00M
64. Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
R | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan
Votes: 4,840 | Gross: $6.03M
65. Slaughter (1972)
R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Slaughter, a former Green Beret, avenges the killing of loved ones by the Mob, and in so doing is coerced by the Feds into traveling to Mexico to finish off surviving mobsters.
Director: Jack Starrett | Stars: Jim Brown, Stella Stevens, Rip Torn, Cameron Mitchell
Votes: 1,312
66. The Legend of Nigger Charley (1972)
PG | 98 min | Western
A slave kills a white man in self-defense and heads West towards freedom, pursued by a professional slave hunter.
Director: Martin Goldman | Stars: Fred Williamson, D'Urville Martin, Don Pedro Colley, Thomas Anderson
Votes: 500 | Gross: $1.95M
67. Across 110th Street (1972)
R | 102 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Two New York City cops go after amateur crooks who are trying to rip off the Mafia and start a gang war.
Director: Barry Shear | Stars: Anthony Quinn, Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Franciosa, Frank Adu
Votes: 7,139 | Gross: $3.60M
68. Melinda (1972)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Frankie Parker, a womanizing DJ in LA, meets new girl in town, Melinda, falling hard for her. When she's murdered in his apartment, he is framed for it - an ex-girlfriend and a karate class to help find her killer and clear his name.
Director: Hugh A. Robertson | Stars: Calvin Lockhart, Rosalind Cash, Vonetta McGee, Paul Stevens
Votes: 316
69. Hit Man (1972)
R | 90 min | Crime, Drama
An ex-cop discovers that his brother's recent death is intertwined with both the Los Angeles underworld and the city's porno movie scene.
Director: George Armitage | Stars: Bernie Casey, Pam Grier, Lisa Moore, Bhetty Waldron
Votes: 1,089 | Gross: $1.06M
70. Malcolm X (1972)
PG | 91 min | Documentary, Biography
James Earl Jones narrates this fascinating and moving documentary about the life of the assassinated black leader through various sources.
Director: Arnold Perl | Stars: James Earl Jones, Ossie Davis, John Ali, Muhammad Ali
Votes: 532 | Gross: $0.10M
71. Gordon's War (1973)
R | 90 min | Adventure, Crime
Four Vietnam Vets go to war against the drug dealers and pimps of Harlem.
Director: Ossie Davis | Stars: Paul Winfield, Carl Lee, David Downing, Tony King
Votes: 449 | Gross: $0.82M
72. Child of Resistance (1973)
36 min | Short, Drama
A woman dressed in a robe, hands bound, is being transported through a barroom into a jail cell, directly outside of which later appears a jury box filled with jurors. Linearity is rejected... See full summary »
Director: Haile Gerima | Star: Barbarao
Votes: 34
73. Ganja & Hess (1973)
R | 112 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
After being stabbed with an ancient, germ-infested knife, a doctor's assistant finds himself with an insatiable desire for blood.
Director: Bill Gunn | Stars: Duane Jones, Marlene Clark, Bill Gunn, Sam L. Waymon
Votes: 2,589 | Gross: $0.02M
74. The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)
PG | 102 min | Action, Drama, Crime
A black man plays 'uncle Tom' in order to gain access to CIA training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new American revolt.
Director: Ivan Dixon | Stars: Lawrence Cook, Janet League, Paula Kelly, J.A. Preston
Votes: 1,561 | Gross: $1.00M
75. The Horse (1973)
Not Rated | 14 min | Short, Drama
A young black boy tends to a horse while four white men wait for the kid's dad to euthanize the horse.
Director: Charles Burnett | Stars: Gordon Houston, Maury Wright, Gary Morrin, Roger Collins
Votes: 421
76. Touki Bouki (1973)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama
Mory, a cowherd, and Anta, a university student, try to make money in order to go to Paris and leave their boring past behind.
Director: Djibril Diop Mambéty | Stars: Magaye Niang, Myriam Niang, Christoph Colomb, Mustapha Ture
Votes: 4,100
77. Black Caesar (1973)
R | 87 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Raised in Harlem, Tommy Gibbs becomes a successful mob boss but he clashes with the rival Mafia and his old enemy, dirty cop McKinney.
Director: Larry Cohen | Stars: Fred Williamson, Gloria Hendry, Art Lund, D'Urville Martin
Votes: 3,878
78. The Mack (1973)
R | 110 min | Crime, Drama
Goldie returns from five years at the state pen and winds up King of the pimping game. Trouble comes in the form of two corrupt white cops and a crime lord who wants him to return to the small time.
Director: Michael Campus | Stars: Max Julien, Don Gordon, Richard Pryor, Carol Speed
Votes: 3,296
79. Coffy (1973)
R | 90 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A sexy Black nurse takes vigilante justice against inner-city drug dealers after her sister becomes their latest victim.
Director: Jack Hill | Stars: Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, Robert DoQui, William Elliott
Votes: 12,912
80. Shaft in Africa (1973)
R | 112 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Private investigator John Shaft is recruited to go undercover to break up a modern slavery ring where young Africans are lured to Paris to do chain-gang work.
Director: John Guillermin | Stars: Richard Roundtree, Frank Finlay, Vonetta McGee, Neda Arneric
Votes: 3,211 | Gross: $3.18M
81. Don't Play Us Cheap (1972)
Not Rated | 99 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
As an African American family and friends gather in an apartment for a house party, two imps take human form in order to break up the party.
Director: Melvin Van Peebles | Stars: Thomas Anderson, Jay Van Leer, Robert Dunn, Mabel King
Votes: 385
82. Cleopatra Jones (1973)
PG | 89 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
During the 1970s, U.S. Special Agent Cleopatra Jones proves to be an invaluable asset to the local police forces in the war on drugs.
Director: Jack Starrett | Stars: Tamara Dobson, Bernie Casey, Brenda Sykes, Antonio Fargas
Votes: 3,528 | Gross: $2.98M
83. Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Vigilante Slaughter comes under attack from Duncan, a local money launderer whose hit-man traps Slaughter in a car at a cliff, but Slaughter escapes, arms himself, and goes after Duncan's hideout.
Director: Gordon Douglas | Stars: Jim Brown, Ed McMahon, Don Stroud, Brock Peters
Votes: 598
84. Savage! (1973)
R | 81 min | Action, Drama
Action packed story of how Jim Haygood (James Glehart) young, black and brilliant becomes the legendary leader of a rebel army. In a daring ambush on the beach Moncada, elusive leader of ... See full summary »
Director: Cirio H. Santiago | Stars: James Iglehart, Lada Edmund Jr., Carol Speed, Sally Jordan
Votes: 166
85. Black Snake (1973)
R | 82 min | Thriller
Story of a slave revolt on a 19th-century Caribbean island.
Director: Russ Meyer | Stars: Anouska Hempel, David Warbeck, Percy Herbert, Thomas Baptiste
Votes: 684
86. Live and Let Die (1973)
PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller
James Bond is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organisation and a reliable psychic tarot card reader.
Director: Guy Hamilton | Stars: Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto, Jane Seymour, Clifton James
Votes: 115,388 | Gross: $35.38M
87. Hit! (1973)
R | 134 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A Federal Agent, whose daughter dies of a heroin overdose, is determined to destroy the drug ring that supplied her. He recruits various people whose lives have been torn apart by the drug ... See full summary »
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, Paul Hampton, Gwen Welles
Votes: 860 | Gross: $0.08M
88. Detroit 9000 (1973)
R | 106 min | Action, Crime, Drama
After a fundraiser for a black politician is robbed, Detroit police put two detectives, one white and one black, on the case, who try to work together under boiling political pressure.
Director: Arthur Marks | Stars: Alex Rocco, Hari Rhodes, Vonetta McGee, Herbert Jefferson Jr.
Votes: 1,149 | Gross: $3.36M
89. Hell Up in Harlem (1973)
R | 94 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A gangster in Harlem must rescue his ex-wife, who has been kidnapped by the Mafia.
Director: Larry Cohen | Stars: Fred Williamson, Julius Harris, Gloria Hendry, Margaret Avery
Votes: 1,757 | Gross: $1.45M
90. Five on the Black Hand Side (1973)
PG | 96 min | Comedy
In contrast to most of the violence-laden "blaxploitation" films of the period, this low-budget effort eschews exploitation for humanity and domestic drama. Leonard Jackson plays a barber ... See full summary »
Director: Oscar Williams | Stars: Godfrey Cambridge, Clarice Taylor, Leonard Jackson, Virginia Capers
Votes: 486 | Gross: $1.72M
91. Sambizanga (1972)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama
A man is wrongfully arrested and tortured to death after he is suspected of being part of a revolutionary group.
Director: Sarah Maldoror | Stars: Elisa Andrade, Domingos de Oliveira, Jean M'Vondo, Dino Abelino
Votes: 768
92. Three the Hard Way (1974)
R | 89 min | Action, Thriller
Blaxploitation film about three martial-arts specialists who prevent white supremacists from tainting the U.S. water supply with a toxin that's only harmful to black people.
Director: Gordon Parks Jr. | Stars: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly, Sheila Frazier
Votes: 1,754 | Gross: $1.28M
93. Tough (1974)
G | 87 min | Drama
Gossett continually rebels against the white establishment. The boy finds he can expect no back-up of his attitude at home, where his parents wallow in self-indulgence, so he feels that a show of force is his only option.
Director: Horace Jackson | Stars: Dion Gossett, Christopher Townes, Renny Roker, Rich Holmes
Votes: 83 | Gross: $1.21M
94. The Super Cops (1974)
R | 90 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
The true story of two New York City cops. Greenberg & Hantz fought the system, became detectives and were known on the streets as "Batman & Robin".
Director: Gordon Parks | Stars: Ron Leibman, David Selby, Sheila Frazier, Pat Hingle
Votes: 1,124
95. Willie Dynamite (1974)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama
A social worker tries to get a pimp to change his ways.
Director: Gilbert Moses | Stars: Roscoe Orman, Diana Sands, Thalmus Rasulala, Joyce Walker
Votes: 1,313 | Gross: $0.48M
96. Ali the Fighter (1973)
G | 142 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
Behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling the Fight of the Century between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali.
Directors: Rick Baxter, William Greaves | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Burt Lancaster
Votes: 64
97. The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 110 min | Drama, History
Story of a black woman in the South who was born into slavery in the 1850s and lives to become a part of the civil rights movement in the 1960s.
Director: John Korty | Stars: Cicely Tyson, Eric Brown, Richard Dysart, Joel Fluellen
Votes: 2,492
98. Blazing Saddles (1974)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Western
In order to ruin a western town, a corrupt politician appoints a black Sheriff, who promptly becomes his most formidable adversary.
Director: Mel Brooks | Stars: Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Slim Pickens, Harvey Korman
Votes: 152,319 | Gross: $119.50M
99. Foxy Brown (1974)
R | 92 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A voluptuous vigilante takes a job as a high-class prostitute to get revenge on the mobsters who murdered her boyfriend.
Director: Jack Hill | Stars: Pam Grier, Antonio Fargas, Peter Brown, Terry Carter
Votes: 11,999 | Gross: $2.46M
100. Claudine (1974)
PG | 92 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In the 1970s Harlem, garbage collector Roop feels intimidated by the idea of dating Claudine who is a single mother of six on welfare.
Director: John Berry | Stars: Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Tamu Blackwell
Votes: 2,503 | Gross: $3.51M
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