Filmmaker Isaac Julien uses film clips and interviews to illustrate the history of the so-called "blaxploitation" genre.Filmmaker Isaac Julien uses film clips and interviews to illustrate the history of the so-called "blaxploitation" genre.Filmmaker Isaac Julien uses film clips and interviews to illustrate the history of the so-called "blaxploitation" genre.
Photos
Richard Roundtree
- Self
- (archive footage)
Tamara Dobson
- Self
- (archive footage)
Ron O'Neal
- Self
- (archive footage)
Storyline
Did you know
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Featured review
Good introduction to the genre
A very entertaining doc that gives a good overview of a unique side of 70's cinema. It great to see some of the people who worked in this influential genre get a chance to reflect and talk. The collected critics are interesting too. Where this doc is of sort of a disservice is when it tries to explain the end of the genre.
Nobody here is really able to step back and admit that the majority of black action films from the 70's were extremely bad. Even the great ones are poorly made from a technical standpoint but have become classics due to the energy and talent of the main cast. Many of the lesser films were impossible to watch and not feel ripped off. After a sitting thru a bunch of duds, people would naturally stop supporting them. Also by 1975, the neighborhood independent movie theaters were closing and the start of the major chain cinema was beginning to take hold. This killed all independent exploitation film making eventually. No kung-fu films, women in prison films, spaghetti westerns or monster films like in the sixties and early 70's. This has to be taken into account including whatever "racist" conspiracy that squelched the black cinema of the 70's. That's my historical comment.
There was about 5 minutes too much time spent discussing the "Jackie Brown" controversy. But anything that creates more screen time for Pam Grier makes up for it.
Nobody here is really able to step back and admit that the majority of black action films from the 70's were extremely bad. Even the great ones are poorly made from a technical standpoint but have become classics due to the energy and talent of the main cast. Many of the lesser films were impossible to watch and not feel ripped off. After a sitting thru a bunch of duds, people would naturally stop supporting them. Also by 1975, the neighborhood independent movie theaters were closing and the start of the major chain cinema was beginning to take hold. This killed all independent exploitation film making eventually. No kung-fu films, women in prison films, spaghetti westerns or monster films like in the sixties and early 70's. This has to be taken into account including whatever "racist" conspiracy that squelched the black cinema of the 70's. That's my historical comment.
There was about 5 minutes too much time spent discussing the "Jackie Brown" controversy. But anything that creates more screen time for Pam Grier makes up for it.
helpful•101
- ChungMo
- Jun 25, 2005
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Baadasssss Cinema: A Bold Look at 70's Blaxploitation Films
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime58 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1
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