One of the most influential and popular sub-genres of the 1970’s was Blaxploitation. This sub-genre of film spanned across many different genres. Blaxploitation films dominated such genres as action with films such as Shaft (1971) and Foxy Brown (1974). Blaxploitation thrilled audiences with horror films such as Blacula (1972) and Blackenstein (1973). The genre made audiences laugh hysterically with such films as Uptown Saturday Night (1974) and Dolemite (1975). Since Blaxploitation spans across many genres what can be or cannot be considered Blaxploitation? The films Black Caesar (1973) and Car Wash (1976) are two prime examples of what is and is not Blaxploitation. To define Blaxploitation is quite difficult. It is mostly difficult because …show more content…
The target audience of the film just like the film discussed prior, is for an African American audience. This is shown through its casting. The film casts a predominantly African American cast, with successful actors such as Richard Pryor, Ivan Dixon, Franklyn Ajaye, and Bill Duke, all of whom would be instantly recognizable to an African American audience of the time. These actors would have been one of the main attractions as to why African Americans would want to view this film in theaters. The other main attraction was the soundtrack performed by the group Rose Royce. Even though the soundtrack for the film was their first album, it was good enough to draw the attention of the African American community making the single “Car Wash” number one on the 1977 hot 100 charts and number one on the R&B charts. (Billboard.com). The film also targets themes that would be prevalent to the African American community, such as “Abdullah”’s militant views or being able to relate to any of the characters aspirations such as being a singer, like “Floyd” and “Lloyd” or a superhero type figure like “T.C.”. Even though these elements that the film possess are all a part of the criteria for a Blaxploitation film, it is missing the exploitive part of the genre. There are no exploitative scenes of sexual intercourse, nudity, or graphic violence within the film. There is some use of profanity used by characters briefly and a scene where two characters are smoking marijuana but nothing that would warrant the film a rating above PG-13 if released today. This is what sets apart a film like Car Wash (1976) from a film such as Black Caesar (1973), the exploitation factor of
The setup of the film really allowed the viewer to imagine the social issues such as racism, homophobia and AIDS that African-American gay men were facing at
Though not a specified film genre within the list of twenty-three, violence can be seen within each and everyone. It can be seen within the very first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962), to the escalation of the 1970s within the hands of Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, just to...
The film Cadillac Records is a biopic that retells the story of a few major R&B artists during the 1950s and 1960s. The film mainly focuses on the characters Muddy Waters and the Leonard Chess. The film later includes other famous artists such as Chuck Berry, Etta James, and Little Walter. It also briefly shows Mick Jagger, from The Rolling Stones near the end of the film, and occasionally Howlin Wolf and Hubert Sumlin make an appearance.
The sub genre “Hood Movies” was first introduced in American movies where most of the movies exposed problems with/by/from black protagonists. The movies from this genre are mostly debunkers portraying problems like drug abuse, racial discrimination with blacks, gang rapes, street gangs, hip hop music, Maras, shattered familial problems, illegal immigration, poverty and etc. Most of the films from this genre, typically have a very similar story line like “An urban Black youth facing problems either with poverty or immediate danger in the neighborhood.” This quality present in any movie depicts Hood Films.
Racist characteristics in films and stories are something that can be perceived in this generation, but was something that was normal and expected in the 1930’s. Sexuality and raciness were items that made films a commodity in the 30’s and King Kong uses both of these to attract a wide audience. These qualities are also a factor as to why King Kong remains a classic throughout the generations.
In the classical Western and Noir films, narrative is driven by the action of a male protagonist towards a clearly defined, relatable goal. Any lack of motivation or action on the part of the protagonist problematizes the classical association between masculinity and action. Due to inherent genre expectations, this crisis of action is equivalent to a crisis of masculinity. Because these genres are structured around male action, the crises of action and masculinity impose a crisis of genre. In the absence of traditional narrative elements and character tropes, these films can only identify as members of their genres through saturation with otherwise empty genre symbols. The equivalency between the crises of genre and masculinity frames this symbol saturation as a sort of compensatory masculine posturing.
Barry, , Keith, and Grant, ed. Film Genre Reader III. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press,
... and negative associations within the genre. Even with the obvious differences, both styles have borrowed concepts from the other, enriching each of their popularity in cinema.
Film scholars around the world agree that all genres of film are part of the “genre cycle”. This cycle contains four different stages that a specific genre goes through. These stages are: primitive, classic, revisionist, and parody. Each stage that the genre goes through brings something different to that genre’s meaning and what the audience expects. I believe that looking at the horror genre will be the most beneficial since it has clearly gone through each stage.
Despite the film Daughters of the Dust coming out in 1991, its influence in Hollywood is still felt today. Most recently, it was restored at the Film Forum in 2016, as well as featured in Beyoncé’s 2015 music video Lemonade. This film not only influenced Hollywood, but also African American women's representation in Hollywood’s narratives. This is due to the exploration of an African American family, through the African American female’s perspective. The film’s female-centric narration is revolutionary due to its distance from the Hollywood clichés that often follow African American women. By having these marginalized voices hold the dominant position in a motion picture, it assisted in challenging Hollywood’s norms, as well as lead to the
Williams, Linda. "Film Bodies: Genre, Gender and Excess." Braudy and Cohen (1991 / 2004): 727-41. Print.
I watched this movie because it was directed by Tyler Perry. I thought the movie was about women and their struggles to overcome them. Not much of that thinking has changed except now, with critical attitudes like the intrinsic and feminist literary theory analysis, the text has a broader meaning. For colored girls does not mean for black women only, it means for all women with beauty and different shades as they rise and take power.
Later one, two young African Americans males leaving a diner walking passed a white couple and the woman clutches the man’s arm and move closer. So, Some of the diversity dimensions that I found were related more to characteristics such as age, gender, race, religion, education, income, language within the movie and portrayed the social class discrimination, as well as gender discrimination. Throughout the film, there were some racial lines of tension between all races and against each other such as White on Persian, White on Black, Black on Black, White on Hispanic, Hispanic on Asian, Asian on Black, and White on Asian, Persian on Hispanic.
Of all the 1980’s films, that can be described as “Eighties Teen Movies” (Thorburn, 1998) or “High School Movies” (Messner, 1998), those written and (with the exception of “Pretty In Pink” (1986) and “Some Kind of Wonderful”(1987)) directed by John Hughes were often seen to define the genre, even leading to the tag “John Hughes rites de passage movies” as a genre definition used in 1990s popular culture (such as in “Wayne’s World 2” (1994 dir. Stephen Surjik)). This term refers to the half dozen films made between 1984 and 1987; chronologically, “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club” (1985), “Weird Science” (1985), “Ferris Bueller's Day Off” (1986), “Pretty In Pink” (1986) and “Some Kind Of Wonderful” (1987) (the latter two being directed by Howard Deutch). For the purpose of this study, “Weird Science” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” shall be excluded; “Weird Science” since, unlike the other films, it is grounded in science fiction rather than reality and “Some Kind of Wonderful” as its characters are fractionally older and have lost the “innocence” key to the previous movies: as Bernstein states “the youthful naivete was missing and the diamond earring motif [a significant gift within the film] was no substitute” (Bernstein, 1997, p.89). Bernstein suggests that the decadent 1980s were like the 1950s, “an AIDS-free adventure playground with the promise of prosperity around every corner … our last age of innocence” (Bernstein, 1997, p.1). The films were very much a product of the time in terms of their production (“suddenly adolescent spending power dictated that Hollywood direct all its energies to fleshing out the fantasies of our friend, Mr. Dumb Horny 14 Year Old” Bernstein, 1997, p.4), their repetition (with the growth of video cassette recorders, cable and satellite with time to fill, and also the likes of MTV promoting the film’s soundtracks) and their ideologies.
In recent times, such stereotyped categorizations of films are becoming inapplicable. ‘Blockbusters’ with celebrity-studded casts may have plots in which characters explore the depths of the human psyche, or avant-garde film techniques. Titles like ‘American Beauty’ (1999), ‘Fight Club’ (1999) and ‘Kill Bill 2’ (2004) come readily into mind. Hollywood perhaps could be gradually losing its stigma as a money-hungry machine churning out predictable, unintelligent flicks for mass consumption. While whether this image of Hollywood is justified remains open to debate, earlier films in the 60’s and 70’s like ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ (1967) and ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976) already revealed signs of depth and avant-garde film techniques. These films were successful as not only did they appeal to the mass audience, but they managed to communicate alternate messages to select groups who understood subtleties within them.