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

Darius James (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1995

One of today's most controversial African-American authors presents his hilariously acidic interpretations of 1970's black films like Shaft and Superfly and the hip-hop culture, fashion, and music they inspired. Includes interviews with luminaries such as Melvin Van Peebles and Pam Grier, movie stills and a few filthy comics.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

James's own baadasssss 'tude hasn't backpedaled a bit since he gave the world a hotfoot in his first novel, Negrophobia, four years ago. Now, in step with the pop African American icons of the '70s he celebrates in this crass but wickedly funny survey/memoir, the author struts and jives his way through an energetic hodgepodge of interviews, reminiscences and original fiction. The offerings here range from the essay "The Blackman's Guide to White Women with the Amazing Power of Voodoo" through a high-toned interview with blaxploitation goddess Pam Grier to James's musings on the influence on his life of books by Iceberg Slim, author of Pimp. The numerous sidebars alone, which offer capsule reviews and/or plot summaries of scores of blaxploitation films from Shaft to Cleopatra Jones and The Black Gestapo, make this a classic of psychotronic scholarship. James's 'tude grates at times?for example, his insistence on calling whites "whytes"?but his apparent aim is to provoke more than denigrate, and he incorporates the work of several white artists, most prominently that of cartoonist Ralph Bakshi, into his raucous mix. Given its subject, this eclectic, iconoclastic, profusely illustrated work is just as it should be: a savvy, smirking toss of a black gauntlet at white middle-class values and culture.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Of all the lovably outrefeatures of 1970s America currently being rediscovered, the "blaxploitation" film is one of the most deserving. Featuring funky soundtracks, pimp-suit fashions, and oodles of attitude, such flicks gave audiences fast action within simple plots involving cartoonish characters straight from some 1970s cultural garage sale. James proudly runs through those and other defining characteristics of the sassy film genre, in the process profiling modern black cinema pioneer Melvin Van Peebles; actor Richard Roundtree, portrayer of black superagent John Shaft; underrated actress Tamara Dobson (Cleopatra Jones); and the ultimate godmother, lubricious Pam Grier. Profusely illustrated, engagingly written, James' book would be worth having just as a checklist of the great black films of the funk decade, but it also features analyses of individual films and, among the interviewees, the interesting inclusion of white cartoonist Ralph Bakshi (Coonskin, Fritz the Cat, etc.), who draws a creative connection between his work and both George Herriman's comic strip, Krazy Kat, and the music of John Coltrane. Informative fun for the funky at heart. Mike Tribby

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (November 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312131925
• ISBN-13: 978-0312131920
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #987,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting the Shaft, March 4, 1998

By A Customer

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

Darius James' combination of humor and criticism made this a very enjoyable book to read. I am very intrigued by the genre and have been for years. I liked the interviews with the stars although I still wanted to know more about them. Perhaps a sequel book containing interviews with Max Julien, Ron O'Neal, Tamara Dobson, Jim Kelly (why did these actors drop off the face of the earth?) should be forthcoming. I also would have liked more comprehensive reviews of the movies. Some of the reviews were a bit too flippant. I'm a big Shaft fan and Mr. James was very harsh on all three movies, so I disagreed with him on those (although I hated those Burger King ads with a passion). I guess I've been pretty critical of the book considering that I gave it a "9" but that's only because I wanted more of it. The research that Mr. James did for this book was very extensive and very interesting. I still pick up the book every now and then and glance through it. As the owner of well over 40 blaxploitation films, I am more than just an avid fan of the genre. My friends and family have suggested therapy. All my criticism aside, this book is great fun for anyone (not kids), whether or not you are a movie freak.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book but dont let your mama read it !, March 15, 2002

By 

eva m. lavelle (pittsburgh, pa. United States) - See all my reviews

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

I'm into the whole 70's thing so I get this book thinking it would be good to check out those old movies my friends and I grew up on. So anyway , we're all sitting around reading and looking at the cool pictures when we get to the chapter containing the graphic details of a girl who has sex with a dog and gets the crap beat out of her! Eventough it was obvious the story was fiction ,it was so nasty I thought for a minute I brought a porn magazine! I almost let my mom(a saint) read it before me, I'm so glad I did'nt! It's a good book, just remember to keep it at the bottom of your underwear and sock drawer where the kids won't find it!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good start in studying this genre, but needs to go deeper., August 26, 1998

By A Customer

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

Darius James' "That's Blaxploitation!" gives a decent account of the genre of American film that dominated the Black Box-Office in the 1970's; however, it doesn't reach the depths of what caused the rise of such films. It's humor is raw and raucus, but his obvious personal biases get in the way.