# Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema - Hardcover

by **Odie Henderson** (Author)

**The definitive account of Blaxploitation cinema--the freewheeling, often shameless, and wildly influential genre--from a distinctive voice in film history and criticism**

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 _Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song_, an independently produced film about a male sex worker who beats up cops and gets away, and Gordon Parks's _Shaft_, a studio-financed film with a killer soundtrack, were huge hits, making millions of dollars. _Sweetback_ upended cultural expectations by having its Black rebel win in the end, and _Shaft_ saved MGM from bankruptcy. Not for the last time did Hollywood discover that Black people went to movies too. The Blaxploitation era was born.

Written by film critic Odie Henderson, _Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras_ 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.

### Author Biography

**Odie "Odienator" Henderson** is the chief film critic of the _Boston Globe_ and runs the blogs _Big Media Vandalism and Tales of Odienary Madness_. 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 _Slant Magazine_'s The House Next Door blog since 2006. His work has also appeared in _The Village Voice_, Vulture, _Cineaste Magazine_, MovieMezzanine, Movies Without Pity, Salon, and The Criterion Collection. He recently finished a long career in IT. He lives in northern New Jersey.  

**Number of Pages:** 304

**Dimensions:** 1.2 x 9.1 x 6 IN

**Publication Date:** February 06, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 27.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 27.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema - Hardcover

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