What It Is... What It Was!; The Black Film Explosion of the '70s in Words and Pictures [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

by Andres Chavez (Author), Denise Chavez (Author), Gerald Martinez (Author) "The art also reflected social change and the influence of civil rights and the Black Power Movement..." (more)
Key Phrases: term blaxploitation, exploitation movies, exploitation films, Pam Grier, New York, Fred Williamson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Ever since 1970s black activists coined the derogatory label blaxploitation to describe the likes of Sweet Sweetback's BaadAsssss Song, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, and Mandingomovies full of snappy street patter, outrageous pimp suits, and comic-book-style action--debate has raged over whether they are valid popular artwork or just demeaning. Most of the actors, writers, and directors interviewed for this book--'70s veterans like Melvin Van Peebles, Pam Grier, and Fred Williamson as well as current stars Ice-T, Samuel L. Jackson, and Keenan Ivory Wayans--disagree with the label. Their remarks are copiously accompanied by publicity posters for the controversial films. The garish graphics are intended to be the volume's main attraction, according to the introduction, and dating from a time when their kind of thing was still painted rather than assembled from photographs, they're pretty nifty, all right. But the text, especially the contributions of the stars of the blaxploitation genre, makes this a special bit of film history. Mike Tribby

Product Description
From "Superfly" to "Shaft", from "Foxy Brown" to "Cleopatra Jones", this book offers a vivid pictorial and oral history of the best and most intriguing movies to emerge from a singularly American genre: African-American cinema of the 1970s. Full color.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Miramax Books; 1st edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786883774
• ISBN-13: 978-0786883776
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #557,395 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book ever on Black Cinema., January 4, 1999

By A Customer

Finally, at last, thank God! This book is way overdue. This is also the first book ever to cover the artwork of Blaxploitation films. The contents are amazing and you'll be shocked (as I was) by how many films of this films there were. There are 200 posters in this book alone and there are even more not covered here. This book is also great for Graphic Designers in any field. It is designed beautifully and the poster art (from the collections of Ron Finly, Mathieu Bitton and Quentin Tarantino, who published the book) is great inspiration. You'll also read great stories about the films from interviews with Pam "Coffy" Grier, Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Melvin "Sweetback" Van Peebles, William "Blacula" Marshall, Samuel L. Jackson and many more. Basically, this is the best book I've seen this year and the best I've ever seen on the genre. For the price, you can't not get it! Enjoy and tell a friend as more books like these need to come out.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YOU BETTER GET THIS BOOK...!, March 15, 2002

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

Great book about the 70's black movies. I thought I seen them all but this book talked about movies I did'nt know about but would like to see, if I could just find all the videos! The art work alone is worth the price of the book! If you plan or get invited to a 70's party use this book as a guide to get that true afropicking,bellbottom,platform shoe wearing look.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Is Great!, July 30, 2004

By	J. Williams "Big Black Daddy" (Los Angeles,Cailf. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If You don't know about all the '70s films,this book will let you know.I was blown away with this book it's a must have for all black film fans!