In honor of Black History Month, we continue our series of recognition of pivotal moments in entertainment that changed the course of history in the black community. One such time is the blaxploitation era, which emerged in the 1970s. Now you may be wondering what exactly the blaxploitation era is. Allow yourself to be explained. Before the 1970s, African Americans were mostly cast in stereotypical roles. Before the 1970s, black actors and actresses were mostly cast as maids, nannies, butlers, and so on. Of course, there were a few exceptions like Sydney Poitier and Lena Horne to name a few, but these actors were a rarity to speak of, and despite their respective accomplishments, that didn't change the fact that most black actors were stereotypical were limited to these roles. Many of the best blaxploitation movies from the '70s started changing the narrative.
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Photo credit: American International Pictures
Pam Grier als Foxy Brown
In short, black actors needed to show they were capable of being superheroes, supervillains, detectives, etc., and black directors (who also had very limited opportunities) needed to show they were capable of being superheroes, supervillains, detectives, and so on kind of films to direct. Thus began the blaxploitation era, a time when black directors and actors came together to create the kinds of films they had always wanted to direct and star in, and showed the world the magic that they could do, given the chance. Today we're taking a look at these movies and giving you a rundown of some to add to your watch list. You can check the list below.
1. Casket
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Jack Hill
Sterne:Pam Grier, Booker Bradshaw, Robert Doqui
Where to see:Amazon Prime
Of course, we have to start with blaxploitation-era godmother Pam Grier. This will be the first of a couple of Pam Grier films on the list because she really was a big part of the movement. started in 1973,YellowIt was about a woman to be reckoned with trying to get even with people who got her sister addicted to drugs. Sister Coffy is on a mission to find those responsible while navigating the streets of drug dealers, pimps and deviants, kicking some butt in the process.
2. Dolemita
Credit: Comedian Intl Enterprise Productions
Director:D'Urville Martin
Sterne:Rudy Ray Moore, D’Urville Martin
Where to see:Tube
Dolemitais an example of how black actors and directors sometimes had to go through it all during the blaxploitation era. D'Urville Martin not only directed this film, he also starred in it. And Rudy Ray Moore not only starred in this film, he also produced it. It's not uncommon these days for actors to direct and star in their own films once they reach a certain level, but back then getting the job done was a necessity.Dolemitais a hilarious crime comedy about a pimp, comedian, and nightclub owner named Dolemite (Ray Moore) who is serving 20 years in prison after being framed. After being freed by the governor, Dolemite seeks revenge on those who put him in prison.
3. Cooley hoch
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Michael Schulz
Sterne:Lawrence-Hilton Jacobs, Leroy „Predigt“ Jackson
Where to see: Amazon Prime
Set in 1960's ChicagoCooley-Collegeis about two best high school friends who deal with the challenges of everyday life and grow through their projects. The two have similar interests like hanging out with friends, chasing pretty girls and listening to Motown music, but they also have big dreams. And as they chase those dreams, they learn a hard lesson about not everyone having their best interests at heart.Cooley-Collegewas a critical and commercial success, grossing $13 million at the box office and serving as an inspiration for future films likeBoyz capa.
4. Friday Foster
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Arthur Marken
Sterne:Pam Grier, Thalmus Rasulala
Where to see: Tube
With Pam Grier,Friday fosterIt's about a photographer named Friday Foster (Grier) who, at the behest of her editor, travels through an airport to take photos of America's richest black man (Rasulala). However, there is a big plot twist when she discovers that she's not the only one taking photos of her model when she witnesses an assassination. With photographic evidence of the crime in his hands, Foster sets out in search of the truth.
5. Black Caesar
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Larry Cohen
Sterne:Fred Williamson, ArtLund
Where to see:Youtube
started in 1973,black CaesarIt follows a young man named Tommy Gibbs (Williamson) growing up on the rough streets of Harlem, whose life is made even more difficult by corrupt police officer John McKinney (Art Lund), who breaks his leg and leaves him for the rest crippled in his life. Life. Angered by the racism he encounters on a daily basis, Tommy Gibbs decides that he is no longer Mr. Nice Guy, who becomes the kingpin of Harlem. And now that he's in power, he intends to bring down New York's mafia John McKinney at any cost.
6. The human tornado
Credit: Comedian Intl Enterprise Productions
Director:Roquemore Cliff
Sterne:Rudy Ray MooreLady Reed
Where to see: Tube
If you want to participateDolemita, then be sure to addThe human tornadoon the list as it is the official sequel to the film. Again starring Rudy Ray Moore and Lady Reed,The human tornadoIt's about a Rhymer who flees California and along the way ends up meeting a madam (Lady Reed) and her fighters and helping them fight a local gangster.
7. Inferno no Harlem
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Larry Cohen
Sterne:Fred Williamson, Margaret Avery, Julius Harris, Gloria Hendry, D’Urville Martin
Where to see:Tube
And if you plan to participateblack Caesar, be sure to continue with the 1973 sequelInferno no Harlem, about a new adventure for Tommy Gibbs (Fred Williamson). After an attempt on his life, Tommy Gibbs wants to confront the corrupt New York District Attorney DiAngelo, who had already tried to arrest him and his father, Papa Gibbs, in order to monopolize the illegal drug trade. While trying to fight for justice, Tommy also falls in love with a beautiful lady, making this a crime and love story.
8. Bucktown
Photo credit: Plitt Theater
Director:Arthur Marken
Sterne:Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Tony King, Thalmus Rasulala
Where to see: Youtube
If you haven't figured it out already, Fred Williamson was the man. This time Williamson played the role of Duke Johnson in the 1975 film.Bucktown, which revolves around a young man who travels to his small southern hometown (Bucktown) to arrange his brother's funeral. There he decides to revitalize his brother's nightclub and quickly discovers the corruption and racism that is rampant in the city, leading him to team up with his girlfriend Aretha (Pam Grier) as they are faced with various bribes and demands from the police are confronted with.
9. Ganja & Hess
Photo credit: Kelly-Jordan Enterprises
Director:Bill Gunn
Sterne:Marlene Clark, Duane Jones
Where to see: Outstanding+
The horror element of the blaxploitation era was crucial as it proved that black actors and actresses could play ghosts, ghouls and goblins very well. With Marlene Clark and Duane Jones,Ganja & Hessfollows the adventures of anthropologist Dr. Hess Green (Jones), who becomes a vampire after his assistant stabs him with an ancient cursed dagger. The only other person that Dr. Green is the widow of his assistant (Clark), with whom he falls in love. Together they become immortal vampires.
10. Blacula
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:William Crain
(Video) Why Was Everybody Kung Fu Fighting In The 70s?Sterne:William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas, Gordon Pinsent, Charles Macaulay, Thalmus Rasulala
Where to see: Youtube
ok boom The next isblobula, which many consider to be the best horror film of the blaxploitation era. With William Marshall as an African prince who is turned into a vampire by Count Dracula during a visit to Transylvania,blobulaIt's a horror adventure at its finest as Count Dracula awakens to wreak havoc on 1970s Los Angeles after being imprisoned in a coffin for several lifetimes. Despite mixed reviewsblobulaIt was a box office success and paved the way for other black horror films.
From June 2021 there will be oneblobulaReboot in development currently being planned. The film will be a co-production between MGM, Bron Studios and Hidden Empire Film Group, will be directed by Deon Taylor and produced by Roxanne Avent.
11. Blackenstein
Credit: Frisco Productions
Director:William A. Levey
Sterne:Joe Desue, John Hart, Andrea King
Where to see: Tube
And ifblobulawas the counterpart to blaxploitationDracula, ThenSchwarzsteinis the opposite ofFrankenstein. Launched Aug 1973SchwarzsteinIt's about a war veteran (Desue) who becomes a threat to society's killer when a doctor switches his medication. Although not as critically and commercially successful asblobula, this is a movie that will be appreciated more and more as time goes on.
12. Preto-Shampoo
Photo credit: World Amusement Company
Director:Greydon Clark
Sterne:John Daniels, Tanya Boyd, Joe Ortiz, Skip E. Lowe
Where to see:Brown sugar
First of all, you should turn to the Brown Sugar Streaming App, a streaming service where you can watch hit movies and TV shows along with the largest collection of classic black movies. If you want to show your support for Black History Month, this is a great and affordable streaming service to subscribe to and subscribe toShampoo voris one of many films in his catalogue. Talk aboutShampoo vor, the film is about a promiscuous black barber and businessman (Daniels) who has frequent relationships with his white clients. However, when he begins a relationship with his black secretary (Boyd), he soon discovers that her white gangster ex-boyfriend will do anything to get her back.
13. Slacking off
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Jack Starret
Sterne:Jim Brown, Stella Stevens, Rip Torn
Where to see: Amazon Prime
With Jim Brown as a former Green Beret captain named Slaughter, who seeks revenge for his parents' murder,ease upis a film about reckoning. The slaughter wreaks havoc by killing many of the people he believes were involved in his parents' murder before he is caught by the police. Now facing murder charges, Slaughter has no choice but to strike a deal with government officials to find and kill another gangster who escaped to Mexico.ease upIt was a box office success, grossing $10 million on a budget of $750,000.
14. Superflight
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
Director:Gordon Parks
Sterne:Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee
Where to see: Amazon Prime
started in 1972,SuperfliegeIt's about a cocaine dealer named Priest who wants to make a big deal before he retires. Working with his reluctant friend Eddie (Lee), Priest devises a grand plan that will allow him to close his deal before leaving the scene altogether. However, the plan is foiled when a desperate street hustler informs the police of Priest's plans, leaving him in an awkward altercation with the cops, whom he disobeys.
15. Welle
Photo credit: MGM
Director:Gordon Parks
Sterne:Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi
Where to see: Amazon Prime
Mit Richard Roundtree,Otheris about a smooth and suave private detective who encounters a variety of enemies including Bumpy (Gunn), the leader of the dark crime mafia. Throughout the film, Detective Shaft also fights the Black Nationals, and the white mob he discovers are attempting to blackmail Bumpy by kidnapping his daughter. Focused on issues of the Black Power movement, race, masculinity and sexuality,Otherwas a hit that grossed $12 million at the box office along with its theme song, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
16. Sugar Hill
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Paul Maslansky
Sterne:Larry D. Johnson, Robert Quarry, Marki Bey
Where to see: Amazon Prime
to the moral ofZuckerbergis not to meet a woman who is already out for revenge. When a nightclub owner (Johnson) is beaten to death by a hired gang after refusing to sell to local mob boss Morgan (Quarry), his grieving bride turns to old voodoo authority Mama Maitresse (Zara Cully ) to summon the demon spirit of Baron Samedi (Don Pedro Colley) to raise a zombie army with a simple instruction - to take revenge.
17. Sabbat, Baby
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Wilhelm Girdler
Sterne:Pam Grier, Rudy Challenger, Austin Stoker
Where to see: Tube
When her father's loan business is destroyed by criminals trying to force a sale, Sheba Shayne (Grier) travels back to her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky to even the score. There, she meets her old friend Brick Williams (Austin Stoker), who helps her attack the henchmen of a local loan shark named Pilot (D'Urville Martin), but the attack changes when Brick is eventually killed. Now full of rage, Sheba is on a mission to defeat Pilot's boss, Mob Boss Shark.
18. Pate der Disco
Credit: Generation International Pictures
Director:J. Robert Waggoner
Sterne:Rudy Ray Moore, Theodore Toney
Where to see:Tube
Released at the end of the disco movement,Pate der Discois a funny film about a retired police officer (Ray Moore) who now owns a nightclub known as the "Godfather of Disco". While things are fun at Disco, there is a twist when Disco Godfather declares war on a group of drug dealers after his nephew has a bad trip with Angel Dust.
19. Via 110th Street
Photo credit: Filmguarantors
Director:Barry Scher
Sterne:Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Franciosa, Paul Benjamin
Where to see:Youtube
With Yaphet Kotto as a young black cop, William Pope, who is assigned to a burglary case that turns into a mass murder in Harlem,Via 110th streetIt's action-packed and suspenseful as Pope teams up with bigoted Italian-American cop Frank Mattelli (Anthony Quinn), with whom he frequently clashes during the investigation. If you're looking for a mellow, lazy movie to watch in the afternoon, consider givingVia 110th streeta shot.
20. Cotton arrives in Harlem
Photo credit: Samuel Goldwin Jr.
Director:Ossie Davis
Sterne:Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, Redd Foxx
Where to see: Tube
Cotton comes to Harlemcenters on Harlem's African American population, who is led by Rev. Deke O'Malley (Calvin Lockhart), who dishonestly claims that community donations are being used to secure property in Africa. When New York cops Gravedigger Jones (Cambridge) and Coffin Ed Johnson (St. Jacques) find out what he's up to, they find the money/donations smuggled in a cotton bale. Despite discovering the conspiracy, the money suddenly disappears, messing up their investigation.
21. Three the hard way
Photo credit: Allied Artist Pictures
Director:Gordon Parks
Sterne:Jim Kelly, Fred Williamson, Jim Brown
Where to see: Amazon Prime
With a budget of 2 million dollars,three the hard wayis the most expensive and ambitious blaxploitation film ever made. Featuring football players Jim Brown and Fred Williamson and martial arts icon Jim Kelly, aka "The Big Three",three the hard wayis a non-stop thriller about three friends who join forces to fight a mysterious organization bent on racial genocide.
22. Dump truck
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Jonathan Kaplan
Sterne:Issac Hayes, Paul Harris, Nichelle Nichols
Where to see: Amazon Prime
"Truck," starring Issac Hayes as a bounty hunter, Mack "Truck" Turner is about a pimp named Gator (Harris) who is killed when Truck is chasing him. Devastated by his death, Gators girlfriend Dorinda (Nichols) vows to avenge his death by offering ownership of her successful call girl business to anyone who can take down Truck, making it clear he won't go down without a fight.
23. Uptown, Saturday night
Photo credit: First Artists
Director:Sydney Poitier
Sterne:Sydney PoitierHarry Belafonte
Where to see: Amazon Prime
Saturday night downtownis a funky detective film about two working-class friends who search the underworld for a lottery ticket that was lost in a nightclub robbery. The film spawned two indirect sequels,let's do this again(1975) eA piece of action(1977) and planned for a Kenya Barris-written Kevin Hart remake starting in 2018.
24. Where is up?
Credit: Universal Pictures
Director:Michael Schulz
Sterne:Richard Pryor, Margaret Avery, Lonette McKee
Where to see:Amazon Prime
which way is upIt's sort of moving towards a blaxploitation film, but basically we're including it here because Richard Pryor was a genius. A remake of the 1972 filmMimi's seduction, Pryor plays not one, not two, but three different roles: an orange picker who has two wives at the same time, the orange picker's father, and a reverend who gets the orange picker's wife pregnant (madness). If you just want a glimpse of why Pryor is one of the best, be sure to check it out.which way is up.
25. Cleopatra Jones
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
Director:Jack Starret
Sterne:Tamara Dobson, Caro Kenyatta, Albert Popwell
Where to see: Brown sugar
It stars Tamara Dobson as Federal Agent Jones, a young woman on a mission to save her betrayed boyfriend (Bernie Casey) from a perverted drug queen named Mom (Shelley Winters).Cleopatra JonesIt's packed with amazing action.
26. Fuchsiges Braun
Photo credit: American International Pictures
Director:Jack Hill
Sterne:Pam Grier
Where to see: Amazon Prime
And speaking of great action movies, nobody has kicked ass like Foxy Brown. Seeking revenge after a mob killed an undercover cop she was dating, Brown assumes the identity of a prostitute and enlists the help of neighborhood vigilantes to track down the men responsible for her murder boyfriend, their mafia bosses and even his own brother. .
So there you have it! 26 of the best blaxploitation movies to watch this month and beyond. Follow us for more fun content and updates.