xv, 275 pages : illustrations (black and white) ; 23 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references, filmography, and index.
Contents
Football Heroes Invade Hollywood -- Black Masculinity on Horseback: From Duel at Diablo to Buck and the Preacher -- Blaxplotation versus Black Liberation: The Nigger Charley trilogy -- Harlem Rides the Range: Nobody Told You There Were Black Cowboys -- Westerns and Westploitation: Brothas and Sistas at the O.K. Corral.
Summary
"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"-- Provided by publisher.