FIlms directed by Gordon Parks Jr.. The pioneering filmmaker started as a musician and photographer (working on sets like The Godfather and his father's The Learning Tree) before directing the landmark 1972 blaxploitation classic Super Fly.
@theblackdynamite.bsky.social
Curtis Mayfield ""Do Do Wap Is Strong in Here." Released in 1977 on Curtom Records for the prison-set drama film Short Eyes, which Mayfield also acted in and scored.
The 1978 drama Youngbloodstars Bryan O'Dell as Michael ("Youngblood"), a teenager drawn to a local street gang called the Kingsmen set in Los Angeles. The film has been recognized as an important narrative blueprint for later 90s coming-of-age cinema.
For many 70s blaxploitation films, the records end up having a much longer life than the films themselves. The Black Fist soundtrack developed a massive underground following among DJs and crate diggers for its gritty mix of late 70s funk instrumentals & raw soul vocal tracks .
The pool hall was more than a place to shoot a game. It was a neighborhood crossroads where hustlers, heroes, and informants traded information, settled scores, and tested their reputations. 1. Trouble Man
“The term is pimp, but I don’t use it. I’m a professional gentleman of leisure. And I make more money than the president.” —Silky
The 1982 action film One Down, Two to Go serves as a real-life Mount Rushmoreof blaxploitation uniting four heavyweights on screen: Fred Williamson who wrote and directed the film, Jim Brown, Jim Kelly and Richard Roundtree.
Good looks, a wink and a smile. 😎 Michael Jai White is BLACK DYNAMITE.
For over 50 years, the photographer Kwame Brathwaite captured African-American beauty and fashion, giving visual power to black power.
Released during a peak period of action-heavy and violent Blaxploitation films, 1972's Black Girl focused instead on an intimate, multi-generational domestic drama exploring the emotional weight, poverty, jealousy, and broken dreams within a Black family.
The 1970s marked the "Golden Age of Pimps," a period when street-level procurers transitioned from underground criminals into hyper-visible cultural icons, fashion trendsetters, and anti-hero archetypes in American media.
In a staggering display of acting range, leading man Roscoe Orman filmed his role as the aggressive, flashy Willie Dynamite just months before debuting as the beloved, mild-mannered "Gordon Robinson" on Sesame Street
Teresa Graves schools private eye Fred Williamson on bisexuality in 1974's Black Eye, a neo-noir action film set in contemporary Los Angeles. Directed by Jack Arnold. Adapted screenplay by Mark Haggard from the 1971 Jeff Sacks novel "Murder on the Wild Side."
Leon St. James for Anaconda Malt Liquor, the only malt liquor to be approved by the United States government.
Pam Grier, Janee Michelle, and William H Marshall star in Scream Blacula Scream (1973), the sequel to the 1972 film Blacula. 📽️: via @vintageic0ns_
Your Halloween watchlist just got a lot cooler 🎃 From Sugar Hill to Blacula to Blackenstein to Abby, the ’70s gave us monsters with afros, attitude, and incredible poster art. Which one are you putting on tonight?
The Mack (1973) is a blaxploitation crime drama. Shot on location in Oakland using real community members & actual pimps, the film follows Goldie (Max Julien) who strives to become Oakland's ultimate pimp, a narrative inspired by the city's infamous real-life pimp, Frank Ward.
"You sure know how to handle your women, daddy." Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975) pimp scene, directed by Jamaa Fanaka.
Black Dynamite Issue #3: BLACK DON'T NEVER BACK DOWN! Black Dynamite is a man on a mission once again and this time he's going to Tibet to even the score.
Dr. Black, Mr. Hyde (1976), directed by William Crain, is a 1970s Blaxploitation horror film that reimagines Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novel.
The Beast Must Die is a 1974 British horror and mystery film starring Calvin Lockhart, Marlene Clark and Peter Cushing.
BLACK DYNAMITE is the greatest African-American action star of the 1970s. When his only brother is killed by The Man, it's up to him to find justice.
J.D.'s Revenge (1976) is a cult-classic thrillerwith Glynn Turman possessed by a vengeful 1940s gangster.
Welcome Home, Brother Charles (also released as Soul Vengeance) is a 1975 independent blaxploitation film directed by Jamaa Fanaka as a UCLA student project shot on location in Watts and South Central Los Angeles with community members.
Yoruba magic rumbles with Christianity in this independent supernatural drama and horror film starring Marlene Clark.
Mapressa Dawn, best remembered for starring in Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro). Facing stereotypical roles and racial discrimination in the US, she moved to Europe where her success broke racial barriers, paving the way for generations of Black actresses in international film.
Tina Turner's role in the Birtish musical drama Tommy was originally built around casting Mick Jagger or David Bowie for the role. Turner originally turned it down due to its dark nature, but director Ken Russell felt her explosive stage energy and persona fit perfectly.
Blackenstein is a 1973 low-budget blaxploitation horror film directed by William A. Levey and loosely inspired by Mary Shelley's classic 1818 novel Frankenstein.