(W) Odie Henderson
In 1971, two films grabbed the movie business, shook it up, and launched a genre that would help define the decade. Melvin Van Peebles's
, an independently produced film about a male prostitute who beats up cops and gets away, and Gordon Parks's
, a studio-financed film with a killer soundtrack, were huge hits, making millions of dollars.
upended cultural expectations by having its Black rebel win in the end, and
saved MGM from bankruptcy. The Blaxploitation era was born. Written by film critic Odie Henderson,
is a spirited history of a genre and the movies that he grew up watching, which he loves without irony (but with plenty of self-awareness and humor). The time is right for a reappraisal, understanding these films in the context of the time, and exploring their lasting influence.
In Shops: Jan 31, 2024