Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide

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FAB Press, 2008 - Performing Arts - 239 pages
Dazzling, highly stylized, excessively violent and brimming with sex, blaxploitation films enjoyed a brief but memorable period in motion picture history. Never before - and never since - have so many African American performers been featured in films, not in bit parts, but in name-above-the-title starring roles.

25 years after they first thrilled audiences the body of films known as blaxploitation are enjoying a renaissance. These pictures continue to captivate film fans, and the entire genre, with its bevy of colourful, utterly-contemporary film characters, irresistible soundtrack albums and catchy film titles, is taking its rightful place among the entertainment industry's most enjoyed, and influential, movies.

Answering the call for a fresh and appreciative look back at a distinctly American motion picture phenomenon, Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide is the first truly comprehensive examination of the genre, its films, its trends and its far-reaching impact, covering every blaxploitation film in detail.

* A comprehensive introduction to the genre.

* Interviews with ten renowned blaxploitation movie directors.

* A complete filmography of the blaxploitation golden age (1970-1980).

* More than 250 movie listings, which include cast and crew credits along with a full synopsis.

* Vintage and contemporary film reviews, critiques and commentary plus taglines, ratings, and extensive cross-referencing.

From inside the book

Contents

About the Book
6
Ten Directors Discuss Their Films
21
AtoZ Blaxploitation Filmography
81
Copyright

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About the author (2008)

Josiah Howard writes on popular culture and is the author of four books. A senior contributor at The Grindhouse Cinema Database and Furious Cinema, Howard also lectures on film and has curated festivals internationally in Brazil, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as well as in the U.S. His writing credits include articles for The American Library of Congress, The New York Times and Reader's Digest. He lives in NYC.

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