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With an ever burgeoning urban black audience forming a potentially lucrative niche in cinema, the 'Blaxploitation' genre (portmanteau of "black" and "exploitation") found its greatest expansion in the early 70's supporting and expressing African-American culture after consensus departed the turbulent 60's era of civil rights. There are wonderfully expressive titles like “Black Sisters Revenge", "She Devils in Chains", "Black Devil Doll From Hell" or the homage-related "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka".

It was common to tweak previous genres, like horror, by adjusting the narrative and replacing
characters by featuring black leads spawning titles like Blackenstein, Blacula and Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde. The crossovers extended to mostly crime-thrillers with outlaws and hustlers plus empowered protagonists often played by Melvin Van Peebles, retired football great Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree (Shaft), and Fred "The Hammer" Williamson. Notable was the casting for strong female characters portrayed by, genre-defining, Pam Grier (Coffy, Foxy Brown, Friday Foster), Teresa Graves (Get Christie Love!), Playboy Playmate Jeanne Bell (T.N.T. Jackson), Tamara Dobson (titular character of Cleopatra Jones and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold) who were often overcoming "The Man" in the guise of an oppressive system.

Blaxploitation can be fairy broad frequently crossing-over and embracing other genres such as prison films (Jamaa Fanaka's Penitentiary trilogy, The Big Bird Cage, Women in Cages etc.), westerns (Boss, Kid Vengeance, Adiós Amigo), martial arts (Black Belt Jones, Bamboo Gods and Iron Men, Soul Brothers of Kung Fu, Black Samurai), sexploitation (Black Hooker, Passion Plantation, Black Emanuelle 2, Black Lolita), even extending to Nazisploitation (The Black Gestapo) and a few musicals (The Breakin' films, and Sparkle).

 

Music is less definable but can usually feature disco cuts, soul, funk and jazz soundtracks sometimes with Caribbean influences. Notable numbers can be heard by James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye as well as rhythmic instrumentals with deep bass chords.

 

Fans appreciate the infused revisited Blaxploitation conventions in the modern work of, champions of the genre like, Quentin Tarrantino and recently in 2018's, unfortunately panned, Proud Mary.

 

Quite a few of the more grassroots Blaxploitation films have either uncontested rights or have slipped into the Public Domain with multiple production companies releasing on poor quality DVDs. On the positive, I was pleased to see that Warner Archive have released quite a few in their usual decent SD transfers; The Grasshopper, The Hit Man, Melinda, The Slams, Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold, The Split, and ...tick... tick... tick...

 

There are quite a few Blaxploitation Blu-rays released with Vinegar Syndrome, Arrow, Code Red and Olive taking the lead in supporting the genre in HD.

 

Blaxploitation is one of the more collectable cycles with plenty of cult favorites residing in many fan's digital collections. We've listed almost 200 below as well as a recommended documentary; Baadasssss Cinema - A Bold Look at 70's Blaxploitation Films (found in our Documentary Section HERE.) We've also added a Book Section and some desirable Posters and will update this page as necessary, jive turkey.

 'Blaxploitation' on Blu-ray:

Across 110th Street

(1972)

Action Jackson

(1988)

Amazing Grace

(1974)

Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

(1974)

Black Caesar

(1973)

Boss

(1975)

  

 

Breakin'

(1984)

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo

(1985)

Black Dynamite

(2009)

The Black Gestapo

(1975)

Black Mama, White Mama

(1973)

Blackenstein

(1973)

 

 

  

 

Blacula (1972) Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Blacula (1972) Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Brotherhood of Death

(1976)

The Candy Tangerine Man

(1975)

Car Wash

(1975)

Coffy

(1973)

  

 

Coffy

(1973)

Cooley High (1975)

Coonskin

(1975)

Cornbread, Earl and Me

(1975)

Cotton Comes to Harlem

(1970)

Death Journey

(1976)

 

 

Disco Godfather (1979)

Dolemite

(1975)

Drum

(1976)

Emma Mae aka Black Sister Revenge

(1976)

Five on the Black Hand Side

(1973)

For Love of Ivy

(1968)

  

  

 

Foxy Brown

(1974)

Foxy Brown

(1974)

Friday Foster (1975)

Friday Foster (1975)

Ganja & Hess

(1973)

Ganja & Hess

(1973)

 

Hammer

(1972)

The Harder They Come

(1972)

Heavy Traffic

(1973)

Hell Up in Harlem

(1973)

Hit!

(1973)

The Human Tornado aka "Dolemite 2"

(1976)

  

  

  

 

I Escaped from Devil's Island (1973)

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

(1988)

I'm Gonna Git You Sucka

(1988)

J. D.'s Revenge

(1976)

Jackie Brown (1997)

Joe Bullet

(1973)

  

  

 

Joshua 

(1976)

Lady Cocoa

(1975)

The Last Dragon

(1985)

Lord Shango

(1975)

Mandingo

(1975)

Mandingo

(1975)

  

  

 

Mean Johnny Barrows

(1976)

Mr. Mean 

(1977)

Original Gangstas

(1996)

Penitentiary

(1979)

Penitentiary II 

(1982)

Petey Wheatstraw

(1977)

   

 

Poor Pretty Eddie

(1975)

Proud Mary

(2018)

Shaft

(1971)

Sheba Baby

(1975)

Slaughter

(1972)

Sparkle

(1976)

   

   

  

  

  

 

Sugar Hill

(1974)

Super Fly  

(1972)

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song 

(1971)

They Call Me Mister Tibbs!

(1970)

The Thing with Two Heads

(1972)

Top of the Heap

(1972)

  

  

  

 

Trouble Man

(1972)

Truck Turner 

(1974)

Welcome Home, Brother Charles (a.k.a. Soul Vengeance) (1975)

Willie Dynamite 

(1975)

  

 


 

and DVD:

 

Aaron Loves Angela

(1975)

Abar, the First Black Superman a.k.a. In Your Face

(1977)

Abby

(1974)

Adiós Amigo

(1976)

Amazing Grace

(1974)

Baadasssss!

(2003)

Bad Black & Beautiful

(1977)

 

Bamboo Gods and Iron Men

(1974)

The Baron

(1977)

Black Belt Jones

(1974)

Black Belt Jones II - The Tattoo Connection

(1978)

Black Devil Doll

(2007)

Black Devil Doll From Hell

(1984)

Black Emanuelle a.k.a. Passion Plantation a.k.a. White Emmanuelle (1975)

 

Black Emanuelle 2 (1976)

Black Eye

(1974)

Black Fist

(1976)

The Black Gestapo

(1975)

Black Girl aka Black Girl... Your Girl

(1972)

The Black Godfather

(1974)

Black Gunn

(1972)

 

Black Hooker a.k.a. Black Mama a.k.a. Street Sisters

(1974)

The Black Klansman (1966)

Black Like Me

(1964)

Black Lolita

(1975)

Black Sampson

(1974)

Black Samurai

(1977)

Black Shampoo

(1976)

 

The Black Six

(1974)

Black Snake

(1973)

Body and Soul

(1981)

Bone

(1973)

Brother From Another Planet

(1984)

Brother John

(1971)

Brotherhood of Death

(1976)

 

Buck and the Preacher

(1972)

Bucktown

(1975)

Bustin' Loose

(1981)

Cleopatra Jones

(1973)

Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold

(1975)

Come Back, Charleston Blue

(1972)

Cool Breeze

(1972)

 

Crack House

(1989)

Death Dimension a.k.a. Black Eliminator

(1978)

Death Journey

(1976)

Death of a Snowman aka Soul Patrol

(1978)

Deliver Us From Evil a.k.a. Joey

(1977)

Detroit 9000

(1973)

Diamonds (1975)

 

Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde

(1976)

Don't Play Us Cheap

(1975)

Dynamite Brothers

(1974)

Ebony, Ivory & Jade

(1976)

The Education of Sonny Carson

(1974)

Fighting Mad a.k.a. Death Force

(1978)

The Final Comedown (1972)

 

Get Christie Love!

(1974)

Golden Needles

(1974)

Gordon's War

(1973)

The Grasshopper

(1970)

Greased Lightning

(1970)

The Greatest

(1977)

The Guy from Harlem

(1977)

 

Halls of Anger

(1970)

A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich

(1978)

Hit Man

(1972)

Hot Potato

(1976)

If He Hollers, Let Him Go! a.k.a. Dead Right (1968)

Jive Turkey a.k.a. Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes

(1974)

Kid Vengeance a.k.a. Vengeance a.k.a. Take Another Hard Ride

(1977)

 

Kung Fu - Soul Brothers of Kung Fu

(1977)

The Legend of Nigger Charley

(1972)

Let's Do It Again

(1972)

The Mack (1973)

Mean Johnny Barrows

(1976)

Mean Mother

(1974)

Melinda

(1972)

 

The Monkey Hustle

(1976)

The Muthers

(1976)

A Piece of the Action

(1977)

Putney Swope

(1969)

The Return of Superfly

(1990)

Savage Sisters 

(1974)

Shaft in Africa

(1973)

 

Shaft's Big Score

(1972)

The Slams

(1973)

Slaughter's Big Rip-Off

(1973)

The Soul of Nigger Charley

(1973)

The Split 

(1968)

The Spook Who Sat by the Door

(1973)

The Story of a Three-Day Pass

(1968)

 

Super Soul Brother

(1978)

Tales from the QuadeaD Zone

(1987)

...tick... tick... tick...

(1970)

T.N.T. Jackson

(1975)

That Man Bolt

(1973)

Three the Hard Way

(1974)

Together Brothers

(1974)

 

 

Top of the Heap

(1972)

Trick Baby

(1973)

Uptown Saturday Night

(1974)

Velvet Smooth

(1976)

 


Documentaries (on DVD or Amazon Video)

 

Baadasssss Cinema - A Bold Look at 70's Blaxploitation Films

Iceberg Slim: A Portrait of a Pimp

BADA$$ MOTHAF**KAS

Black Hollywood: Blaxploitation and Advancing An Independent Black Cinema

Melvin Van Peebles' Classified X

American Pimp

American Pimp: Raw Outtakes and The Hard Truth


Books

 

Blaxploitation Films

by Mikel J. Koven

Blaxploitation Cinema

by Josiah Howard

Women of Blaxploitation: How the Black Action Film Heroine Changed American Popular Culture

by Yvonne D. Sims

Jack Hill: The Exploitation and Blaxploitation Master, Film by Film
by Calum Waddell

Reflections on Blaxploitation: Actors and Directors Speak

by David Walker (Author), Andrew J. Rausch

Trying to Get Over: African American Directors after Blaxploitation, 1977-1986
by Keith Corson 

Blaxploitation Films of the 1970s: Blackness and Genre

by Novotny Lawrence

 

Kiss My Baaadasssssss!!!: The Blaxploitation Shopping List
by B.B. Frank   

Theme '70: Tackling the Beast They Call Exploitation Cinema
by Mark J. Banville  

Beyond Blaxploitation
by Novotny Lawrence (Editor, Contributor), Gerald R. Butters Jr.

Big Black Book of Blaxploitation Films by Soulemite

The Blaxploitation Encyclopedia

by Freddy J. Anderson Jr. 

The "Blaxploitation" Transformation:: Case Studies of 1970’s Popular Culture and How It Changed Us

by Dr. Matthew C. Stelly 

Blaxploitation Cinema (Pocket Essential series)
by Dr. Mikel J. Koven

 

Baad Bitches and Sassy Supermamas: Black Power Action Films
by Stephane Dunn 

Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song: A Guerilla Filmmaking Manifesto
by Melvin van Peebles

That's Blaxploitation!: Roots of the Baadasssss 'Tude (Rated X by an All-Whyte Jury)

by Darius James

Soul Searching: Black-Themed Cinema from the March on Washington to the Rise of Blaxploitation
by Christopher Sieving

From Sweetback to Django: The Origins, Evolution and Legacy of Blaxploitation Cinema
by Chris Thomas  

What It Is... What It Was!; The Black Film Explosion of the '70s in Words and Pictures
by Gerald Martinez, Denise Chavez and Andres Chavez 

Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films
by Donald Bogle 

 


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