Tommy Gibbs is a tough kid, raised in the ghetto, who aspires to be a kingpin criminal. As a young boy, his leg is broken by a bad cop on the take, during a payoff gone bad. Nursing his ...
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Title: Black Caesar (1973)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Fred Williamson | ... | ||
| Gloria Hendry | ... |
Helen
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Art Lund | ... |
McKinney
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D'Urville Martin | ... |
Reverend Rufus
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| Julius Harris | ... |
Mr. Gibbs
(as Julius W. Harris)
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Minnie Gentry | ... |
Momma Gibbs
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Philip Roye | ... |
Joe Washington
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William Wellman Jr. | ... |
Alfred Coleman
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James Dixon | ... |
Bryant
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| Val Avery | ... |
Cardoza
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Patrick McAllister | ... |
Grossfield
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| Don Pedro Colley | ... |
Crawdaddy
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Myrna Hansen | ... |
Virginia Coleman
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Omer Jeffrey | ... |
Tommy as a Boy
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Michael Jeffrey | ... |
Joe as a Boy
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Tommy Gibbs is a tough kid, raised in the ghetto, who aspires to be a kingpin criminal. As a young boy, his leg is broken by a bad cop on the take, during a payoff gone bad. Nursing his vengeance, he rises to power in New York City's Harlem. Angry at the racist society around him, both criminal and straight, he sees the acquisition of power as the solution to his rage. He performs a free-lance hit on a Mob contract to attract the attention of the head of a Mafia family. Reluctantly accepted into 'The Family,' he grows increasingly autonomous and aggressive, eventually starting a gang war. Written by Tad Dibbern <DIBBERN_D@a1.mscf.upenn.edu>
Taglines:
Hail Caesar, Godfather of Harlem...The Cat with the .45-Caliber Claws!Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
7 February 1973 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Black Caesar, le parrain de Harlem See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Reverend Rufus: You know, I almost feel like I could pray for her.
See more »
Written by James Brown and Fred Wesley
Performed by James Brown
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
The mob boss's forks, in the Italian restaurant. See more »Quotes
Tommy Gibbs: [at Mama's funeral] I gave her everything she wanted, Rufus, but she still wasn't ever happy.Reverend Rufus: You know, I almost feel like I could pray for her.
See more »
Soundtracks
Like It Is, Like It WasWritten by James Brown and Fred Wesley
Performed by James Brown
See more »
Not one to miss on an opportunity, Larry Cohen's second feature film utilised the explosion of blaxploitation cinema after the successes of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) and Shaft (1971), and crafted his own "black" action film, modelled on the 1931 film Little Caesar. Fred Williamson plays the titular role, a boy from the streets, witnessing and being victim of brutality from the white community, and particularly a local police officer, McKinney (Art Lund). As an adult, Caesar's goal is to become kingpin of Harlem, and he won't let anything stand in his way.
The narrative is a story told over, which focuses on a person who looses everything in the pursuit of power, including childhood friends, wives, and particularly looses sight of the person that they are. It's always great to watch a Cohen movie from this period. When filming in the streets (in this case New York - of which is his usual setting), his guerilla-style is self evident: clearly in the making of these films, Cohen does not get any kind of permission to film, he simply turns up and does it. In one scene, Williamson has been shot, the camera follows him down the busy street from a roof top, and passers by seem to want to help him. It's these elements of exploitation cinema that I embrace.
Whilst this is certainly not one of Cohen's greatest (check out his horror output for some terrifically socio-political subtexts), the film oozes charm. Not only do we have the easy-cool of Fred Williamson, the film also has the ubiquitous Gloria Hendry , although not in her usual kung-fu-influenced fighting mode. Even though this film is less well known than Shaft or Superfly (1972), who's soundtracks were composed by soul giants Isaac Hayes and Curtis Mayfield respectively, Black Caesar's soundtrack is provided by the godfather of soul himself, James Brown: Break it down! Heeyyyyaa!!
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