Black Caesar (1973)

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

Writer:

Larry Cohen

Stars:

Fred Williamson, Gloria Hendry, Art Lund

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fred Williamson	...	Tommy Gibbs
Gloria Hendry	...	Helen
Art Lund	...	McKinney
D'Urville Martin	...	Reverend Rufus
Julius Harris	...	Mr. Gibbs (as Julius W. Harris)
Minnie Gentry	...	Momma Gibbs
Philip Roye	...	Joe Washington
William Wellman Jr.	...	Alfred Coleman
James Dixon	...	Bryant
Val Avery	...	Cardoza
Patrick McAllister	...	Grossfield
Don Pedro Colley	...	Crawdaddy
Myrna Hansen	...	Virginia Coleman
Omer Jeffrey	...	Tommy as a Boy
Michael Jeffrey	...	Joe as a Boy

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.

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Plot Keywords:

power | criminal | gang war | new york city | mob | 

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Taglines:

Hail Caesar, Godfather of Harlem...The Cat with the .45-Caliber Claws!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 February 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Godfather of Harlem

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP),Larco Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Originally offered to Sammy Davis Jr., who turned it down.

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Goofs

In one scene, Fred Williamson is seen walking down the sidewalk. Look closely, and you can see a length of mic cord trailing from his leg.

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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.

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Alternate Versions

In the original theatrical version, when a wounded Tommy Gibbs is seen wandering in the slums at the film's conclusion, the film fades to the New York skyline with the caption AUGUST 22, 1972 appearing and then the end credits. However, on European prints and the version issued by MGM on VHS and DVD, they included a scene where a street gang robs, beats, and leaves Tommy for dead and then the usual skyline fade and credits. According to Larry Cohen on the DVD commentary, he was surprised MGM used the European film negative for the DVD release. Therefore, the current MGM version is labeled as an "accidental" director's cut. It also lacks continuity purposes for the subsequent sequel, HELL UP IN HARLEM when Tommy is mysteriously brought back to life when the film was released overseas.

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Connections

Featured in King Cohen: The Wild World of Filmmaker Larry Cohen (2017)

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Soundtracks

Sportin' Life
Written by James Brown and Fred Wesley
Performed by James Brown

User Reviews

Larry Cohen does not miss an opportunity

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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