Description
African American westerns have a rich cinematic history and visual culture. Mia Mask examines the African American western hero within the larger context of film history by considering how Black westerns evolved and approached wide-ranging goals. Woody Strode’s 1950s transformation from football star to actor was the harbinger of hard-edged western heroes later played by Jim Brown and Fred Williamson. Sidney Poitier’s Buck and the Preacher provided a narrative helmed by a groundbreaking African American director and offered unconventionally rich roles for women. Mask moves from these discussions to consider blaxploitation westerns and an analysis of Jeff Kanew’s hard-to-find 1972 documentary about an all-Black rodeo. The book addresses how these movies set the stage for modern-day westploitation films like Django Unchained.
A first-of-its kind survey, Black Rodeo illuminates the figure of the Black cowboy while examining the intersection of African American film history and the western.
Product details
- Publisher : University of Illinois Press
- Language : English
- Paperback : 296 pages
- ISBN-10 : 025208697X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0252086977
- Item Weight : 1.05 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #625,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #48 in Documentary Movies
- #2,855 in African American Demographic Studies (Books)
- #4,831 in Performing Arts (Books)
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