MovieChat Forums > Mandingo (1975) Discussion > Take in seriously and I would not laugh....

Take in seriously and I would not laugh. Not blaxplotation!

posted 14 years ago by jbjbcme
2 replies | jump to latest

******Spoilers present******

This film under all circumstances broke the rules of Hollywood. That in itself deserves a medal. It did not betray blacks as animals, but it showed how they were treated like animals. Films like Coffy, Foxy Brown, Penitentiary I-III are exploitation. Even so called humanitarian Norman Lear's Good Times is exploitation. People laughed at that show as well as the 5 films I just mentioned. It made blacks look like buffoons.
Mandingo is in a whole different perspective. The sick norms persisted and when push came to shove, Master Hammond was no ones friend. To see that a white woman will have the nerve to rape a black man is very thought provoking today. But we will never talk about that in society. I wouldn't joke about it either.
To see Mead pre-prepare his own death after Master Hammond believed he was the rapist of the woman is beyond disturbing. I would actually do a full review on this film, but many IMDB reviewers are too politically correct to accept it. I actually will not do any reviews on IMDB anymore since people don't look closely into low budget films. Anything can be exploitation. Jaws and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest which came out the same year I consider exploitation. But don't ever tell anybody else that.
The producers of a film like Cuckoo's Nest (which I do understand is not related to this film), turned that movie into a comedy, which it was not. Just like Lear (Good Times) and Samuel Z Arkoff (Coffy, Sheba-Baby, Abby) made blacks look like funny clowns, Mr. Dino De Laurentiis did not. Uncle Dino, which I call him (brilliant and so underrated), showed the truth in Mandingo. Yet, people, whites and some blacks, have the nerve to laugh at this film and call it trash. It is not by far. Babies were giving away from mothers, white men take away virginity from black women, and yes, and white women gave black boys the dirty edge. It was just as evil as Hitler's Holocaust in the 1940's that is discussed. Oh yes, I know slavery is always discussed. But watch this movie and you won't have to say another word. What movie? The brilliant masterpiece Mandingo that no one wanted to believe it was. Thanks for reading.

[–] john-s-2 14 years ago

I too thought it was Excellent--and would love to read your review of it. Go for it--and let the PC Police Holler.

[–] chongajuly 14 years ago

Surely you would agree that John Amos, who went on to play the adult Kunta Kinte on TV's ROOTS, played a decent, hard working father on GOOD TIMES, who luckily had a sense of humor to lighten the family's burdens (too bad they ruined the show by killing off his character). "Mandingo" received terrible reviews when it came out, but it was a huge financial success. I'm not sure how "Drum" fared at the box office, but it too got bad notices. And then ROOTS came along, so slavery and bigotry became hot topics in the late 70's. I loved "Mandingo" and ROOTS, while "Drum" was filled with such risible dialogue that I laughed quite a bit. "you know I loves big titties!" No doubt Warren Oates had a ball doing that one, and Brenda Sykes, Pam Grier, Rainbeaux Smith, and Fiona Lewis provided more eye candy than the original.