Lasting from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, the peak of the “blaxploitation” genre is often credited with the rise of mass African-American involvement in cinema; this is usually one of its few positively received characteristics. Often characterized by violence, stereotypical characters and low production values, blaxploitation suffered at the hands of civic-minded organizations (“blaxploitation” itself was coined by NAACP president Junius Griffin). However, it proved to be the first notable entry of African-Americans into the film industry, helped popularize the soul and funk genres of music, and filled the dire need for African-American entertainment at the time.
I intend to defend blaxploitation from both the latter point and the former. While undoubtedly improving the opportunities for people of color in the 1960s, the African-American Civil Rights movement peaked and shifted to dormancy without any measurable effect on the day-to-day lives of African Americans. I believe that the stagnation of the African-American Civil Rights movement writ large and the rise of the blaxploitation genre are, given its content, not unrelated; frustrated with achieving success through posterity by legal means, many African-Americans looked to onscreen heroes who, by virtue or vice, made their own way and forged success for themselves. In addition, I believe my research shows that social justice—while on the backburner in favor of violence and money—is not entirely discarded within the genre; indeed, the blend of personal advancement and community action are a theme of several of the genre’s better films.
I believe that my research and analysis as a scholar will be aided by creative expression. To that end, I intend to write a full-length, industry-standard screenplay, featuring situations and characters common to the genre, with particular attention paid to the drive toward social justice and its relation to “by any means necessary” violence.
