Why Was Everybody Kung Fu Fighting In The 70s?
Why do Black audiences love kung fu? Perhaps it’s because Black kung fu films reigned in the 1970s – a fusion of Blaxploitation and kung fu where protagonists took justice into their own hands…in style! These films were wildly popular, a welcome response to the anger many people felt against societal injustice. What was happening in the 70s that led to the growth of Black films and the popularity of Hong Kong kung fu flicks? In this episode, we’ll unpack the history of how Black kung fu films became a sensation and why their themes are making a return today.
Resources:
Britannica. Blaxploitation movies.
https://www.britannica.com/art/blaxploitation-movie
Polygon. The exact moment kung fu blew up in America.
https://www.polygon.com/22660909/kung-fu-movies-1970s
Guardian. The return of blaxploitation: why the time is right to bring back Shaft and Foxy Brown
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/11/blaxploitation-shaft-foxy-brown-film
Cambridge University Press. 2002. The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity.
Credits:
Director: Dolly Li
Producer: Tien Nguyen
Consulting Producer: Danielle Bainbridge
Associate Producer: Mia Faske
On-camera appearances by: Danielle Bainbridge, Todd Boyd, Adrian De Leon
Written by: Dolly Li and Tien Nguyen
Voiceover by: Kiana Taylor
Director of Photography: Brain Inocencio
Online Editor & Motion Graphics: Travis Hatfield
Assistant Editor: Josaen Ronquillo
Additional Motion Graphics: Jonathan Gil
Research Assistant: Kiana Taylor
Makeup Artist: Dawn Coleman
Set Designer: Tori Laxalt
Fact-Checker: Yvonne McGreevy
Post-production services & facilities provided by: Flash Cuts
Executive Producer for Flash Cuts: Eurie Chung
Executive Producers for CAAM: Stephen Gong, Donald Young
Supervising Producer for CAAM: Sapana Sakya
Coordinating Producer for CAAM: Czarina Garcia
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
This program is a production of Plum Studios and the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM).
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