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 It begins with the birth of Blaxploitation in 1971 with Sweet Sweetbacks BaadAsssss Song. Its director, Melvin Van Peebles, wanted to make a socially conscious movie about the ghetto and portray the black man in a way that had never been seen before; independent, empowered, and revolutionary. Nowadays, critics and the intelligentsia look back at the movie as a milestone for black cinema because the crowds rushed in to view a stinging, socially relevant film. Sweetback's auteur disagrees. Melvin knew that he could gain an audience because of its X rating and graphic sexual content, and once he had them there, then hammer them with his message. And that message was so loud it can still be heard today.
 Flash forward to 1972 with Shaft, a movie intended for an all-white cast, but was retooled at the last minute to capitalize on the burgeoning "Black Hollywood." Once Shaft exploded onto the screen, the flood gates opened for the rest. Some of the highlights of the genre are Dolemite, Coffy, The Mack, SuperFly, and Black Caesar. Despite the popularity and (most importantly) profit margins of these movies, by 1976 Blaxploitation was beginning to flounder. Studio executives started seeing greater numbers of blacks at mainstream movies and decided that it was no longer necessary to cater specifically to that audience. Although the craze slowly withered away, thinly veiled Blaxploitation movies are still being made today.
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: DVD available
: Soundtrack available
