{"product_id":"black-caesars-and-foxy-cleopatras-a-history-of-blaxploitation-cinema-9781419758416","title":"Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema","description":"\u003cb\u003eThe definitive account of Blaxploitation cinema--the freewheeling, often shameless, and wildly influential genre--from a distinctive voice in film history and criticism\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In 1971, two films grabbed the movie business, shook it up, and launched a genre that would help define the decade. Melvin Van Peebles's \u003ci\u003eSweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song\u003c\/i\u003e, an independently produced film about a male sex worker who beats up cops and gets away, and Gordon Parks's \u003ci\u003eShaft\u003c\/i\u003e, a studio-financed film with a killer soundtrack, were huge hits, making millions of dollars. \u003ci\u003eSweetback \u003c\/i\u003eupended cultural expectations by having its Black rebel win in the end, and \u003ci\u003eShaft\u003c\/i\u003e saved MGM from bankruptcy. Not for the last time did Hollywood discover that Black people went to movies too. The Blaxploitation era was born. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Written by film critic Odie Henderson, \u003ci\u003eBlack Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras\u003c\/i\u003e is a spirited history of a genre and the movies that he grew up watching, which he loves without irony (but with plenty of self-awareness and humor). Blaxploitation was a major trend, but it was never simple. The films mixed self-empowerment with exploitation, base stereotypes with essential representation that spoke to the lives and fantasies of Black viewers. The time is right for a reappraisal, understanding these films in the context of the time, and exploring their lasting influence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOdie \"Odienator\" Henderson\u003c\/b\u003e is the chief film critic of the \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe \u003c\/i\u003eand runs the blogs \u003ci\u003eBig Media Vandalism and Tales of Odienary Madness\u003c\/i\u003e. A lover of film noir, musicals, Blaxploitation, bad art, and good trash, Henderson was previously a contributing writer at RogerEbert.com from 2011 to 2022. He has written for \u003ci\u003eSlant Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e's The House Next Door blog since 2006. His work has also appeared in \u003ci\u003eThe Village Voice\u003c\/i\u003e, Vulture, \u003ci\u003eCineaste Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, MovieMezzanine, Movies Without Pity, Salon, and The Criterion Collection. He recently finished a long career in IT. He lives in northern New Jersey. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Abrams Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50599118176530,"sku":"9781419758416","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_13cd6ca1-e9c0-4166-8fbf-438c69ddb7c3.jpg?v=1732196986","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/black-caesars-and-foxy-cleopatras-a-history-of-blaxploitation-cinema-9781419758416","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}