Never-before-seen violence, unsettling and unsatisfying endings and "Blaxploitation" — these are just a few of the traits and trends of the so-called "shadow cinema" of American films during the 1970s. As blockbuster hits like "Star Wars" and "The Godfather" were about to hit the silver screen, movies like "Prime Cut," "Coffy" and "Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia" daringly debuted for audiences eager for something new and ground-breaking. In this encore segment of Under the Radar, author and film critic Charles Taylor and Brandeis University professor and film expert Thomas Doherty discuss this unique era in American filmmaking through the lens of Taylor's book, "Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American '70s."
Guests:
Charles Taylor: Member of the National Society of Film Critics, contributing writer for the New York Times, the New Yorker, Salon and others. Author of"Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American '70s."
Thomas Doherty:Professor of American Studies at Brandeis University, associate editor for the film magazineCineaste and film review editor for the Journal of American History. Author of "Show Trial: Hollywood, HUAC, and the Birth of the Blacklist"
Watch the trailers of some of the films discussed here:
Coffy (1973)
Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
