Notre agent de Harlem (1973)

A black man plays Uncle Tom in order to gain access to CIA training, then uses that knowledge to plot a new American Revolution.

Director:

Ivan Dixon

Writers:

Sam Greenlee (screenplay), Melvin Clay (screenplay) (as Mel Clay)

Stars:

Lawrence Cook, Janet League, Paula Kelly

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lawrence Cook	...	Dan Freeman
Janet League	...	Joy
Paula Kelly	...	Dahomey Queen
J.A. Preston	...	Dawson
Paul Butler	...	Do-Daddy Dean
Don Blakely	...	Stud Davis
David Lemieux	...	Pretty Willie
Byron Morrow	...	General
Jack Aaron	...	Carstairs
Joseph Mascolo	...	Senator Hennington
Elaine Aiken	...	Mrs. Hennington
Beverly Gill	...	Willa
Bob Hill	...	Calhoun
Martin Golar	...	Perkins
Jeff Hamilton	...	Policeman

Storyline

In order to improve his standing with Black voters, a White Senator starts a campaign for the CIA to recruit Black agents. However, all are graded on a curve and doomed to fail, save for a soft-spoken veteran named Dan Freeman. After grueling training in guerrilla warfare, clandestine operations and unarmed combat, he is assigned a meager job as the CIA's token Black employee. After five years of racist and stereotyped treatment by his superiors, he quietly resigns to return to his native Chicago to work for a social services agency...by day. By night, he trains a street gang to be the vanguard in an upcoming race war, using all that the CIA has taught him...

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Plot Keywords:

cia | blaxploitation | explosion | exploding car | riot | 

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Taglines:

Their first mistake was letting him in. Their biggest mistake was letting him out!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Crime

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The actor who played Pretty Willie (David Lemieux) was a member of the Black Panthers and later became a Chicago police detective.

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Quotes

[after being told he and the other light-skinned gang members are to rob a bank]
Pretty Willie: All the yellow nigga's, right?
[His anger coming to a slow boil]
Pretty Willie: Look, man, I am TIRED of that! I am not passing! I am BLACK! Do you hear me, man? Do you understand? I am BLACK! I am a NIGGA', you understand me? I was BORN Black, I -LIVE- Black, and I'm gonna die, prob'ly -BECAUSE- I'm Black, because some Cracker that -KNOWS- I'm Black, better than -YOU-, Nigga', is prob'ly gonna put a BULLET in the back of my head!

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Connections

Spoofs Autant en emporte le vent (1939)

User Reviews

A Vastly underrated and under-viewed Black Film !

I have seen this film on several occasions ( though not lately), have spoken to its author , and have known several of its cast members, the most notable of which would be Lawrence Cook and Paula Kelly. For a time the film was withdrawn from circulation, though it was briefly brought back in a limited release in the late 1980s. It was made on a shoestring budget. The subject matter was so controversial that the then Mayor of Chicago would not allow it to be filmed in the city, which is where Greenlee had sought to film it. Gary, Indiana had to be the stage, instead. Despite the obvious budget ( and therefore technical) limitations--not to mention the dearth of then well known names--the film is highly effective. Many a movie patron who sat through it went home feeling somewhat--perhaps considerably--less secure about himself and the world around him. I loved the film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 1981 (France)

Also Known As:

Notre agent de Harlem

Filming Locations:

63rd Street & Cottage Grove Avenue, Woodlawn, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$265,706

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bokari

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1