By Rob Rector
To celebrate the upcoming Revival House double-feature screening of Black Dynamite and Three the Hard Way, on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Milton Theatre, I reached out to Dr. Mikel Koven, one of the pre-eminent purveyors of what is commonly referred to as “Blaxploitation” cinema.
The term was coined by Junius Griffin, the then-head of the Los Angeles NAACP, who embraced the exploitation subgenre that reached far beyond its target audience and is an example of independent filmmaking at its best.
Koven, a senior lecturer and course leader of Film Studies at the University of Worcester, UK, penned “Blaxploitation Films,” which looks at the genre film by film. He gave us his recommendations for essential viewing to fully appreciate the genre.
Superfly (1972) Perhaps one of the most well-known of the genre, Koven says it’s “one of the best of the Blaxploitation flicks.” Starring Ron O’Neal, Carl Lee, Shelia Frazier and featuring an unforgettable score by Curtis Mayfield, Superfly remains “truly breathtaking cinema.”
Willie Dynamite (1974): Eponymous New York pimp with a flair for fashion, played by Roscoe Orman, hopes to make it to the top of the game in the U.S. Cora, played by Diana Sands, is a social worker who wants Willie to change his ways. Colorful, charismatic and filled with timely societal themes, Willie makes for one fun watch with a lot to think about when the credits roll.
Black Shampoo (1976): While this one meanders from the more traditional trope of having its main character as a pimp, drug dealer or criminal, Shampoo’s protagonist Mr. Jonathan (played by John Davis) is a hairdresser. But perhaps one of the most gifted, dangerous hairdressers you will ever meet. Part sex romp (Jonathan does more than cut and curl five ladies within the first half hour alone!), part action, and totally “bonkers,” according to Koven, this underseen gem as shot within two weeks for $50,000, but offers more entertainment than most films who spend that much on stylists.
Black Belt Jones (1974): Called “classic kitsch” by Koven, this was a lighter side of the genre, starring Blaxploitation mainstay Jim Kelly (Three the Hard Way, Golden Needles, Take a Hard Ride, Black Samurai). In fact, Kelly’s “whooo” during his kicks served as inspiration for Black Dynamite’s main character’s similar shouts. Featuring some great martial arts and a bikini-clad kung-fu posse, Jones ensures its audience is never bored.
Coffy (1973): Pam Grier may have made her name as Foxy Brown, and thanks to Quentin Tarantino (a big fan of the genre), Jackie Brown, but she got her start in the genre here and Scream, Blacula, Scream. In Coffy she’s Nurse Coffin who is out for revenge on the drug dealers who got her little sis hooked on smack. “I like it much more than ‘Foxy Brown’ or ‘Friday Foster’” Koven said. “When I do my class on Blaxploitation, this is the film we use.”
See you Thursday, Sept. 15 at The Revival House. Tickets, as always, as $10 and $5 for students and seniors. The show will open at 5 p.m. with legendary musician Bernard Sweetney on the piano and displaying his jazz-infused artwork, as well as food from The Happy Cow and beverages from Mispillion River Brewery.
For more on Dr. Koven and Blaxploitation films, check him out in this 30-minute documentary.
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A view from the crew at The Revival House, where we don't mind popcorn on the seats, sticky floors, and all the things that make going to the movies an event.
