In February, we focus on the early 1970s, an era of American cinema that provided groundbreaking opportunities for leading ladies of color. The success of tough, male-centered action dramas like Super Fly and Shaft led to Hollywood and low-budget studios experimenting with the “blaxploitation” formula and developing projects fronted by equally strong women protagonists, like the title characters played by the vengeful, yet vulnerable Pam Grier in Coffy, and the unflappable, statuesque Tamara Dobson in Cleopatra Jones. More a traditional studio “woman’s picture” than an action/exploitation vehicle, Claudine earned Diahann Carroll an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of a single mother of six who finds love with a sensitive working-class man (James Earl Jones). Carroll was a last minute replacement for the late Diana Sands, who we will remember with an episode of the early 60s TV series East Side/West Side that will screen with Claudine.
FRI., 2/14
6 p.m.
EAST SIDE/WEST SIDE: WHO DO YOU KILL?
USA | 1963 | DCP | 52 min.
Director: Tom Gries:
Cast: George C. Scott, Diana Sands, James Earl Jones
This heartbreaking episode of the underrated, short-lived series East Side/West Side features knockout performances from Sands and Jones as a couple struggling to get by working menial jobs when tragedy strikes their family. “Who Do You Kill?” has been restored in a collaborative effort with the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research.
FRI., 2/14
7 p.m.
CLAUDINE
USA | 1974 | DCP | 92 min.
Director: John Berry
Cast: Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs
Although she was a last-minute replacement for an ailing Diana Sands, Diahann Carroll received an Academy Award nomination for her indelible portrayal of the title character, a working class mother of six who is charmed and romanced by trash collector Roop (the equally memorable James Earl Jones). One of the finest, most entertaining movies of the 1970s, Claudine is further propelled by several terrific Curtis Mayfield songs, performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips.
FRI., 2/21, 7 p.m.
COFFY
USA | 1973 | DCP | 90 min.
Director: Jack Hill
Cast: Pam Grier, Robert Doqui, Allan Arbus
“Coffy” Coffin, a badass nurse-turned-vigilante, uses seduction and shotgun justice to take down the pushers who destroyed her sister’s life. The best of a series of exploitation vehicles for leading lady Pam Grier, Coffy’s cup runneth over with sex and violence, but Grier keeps the mayhem under control with a truly commanding, rousing performance. “One of the most entertaining films ever made” (Quentin Tarantino).
FRI., 2/28, 7 p.m.
CLEOPATRA JONES
USA | 1973 | 35mm | 89 min.
Director: Jack Starrett
Cast: Tamara Dobson, Shelley Winters, Bernie Casey
6′ 2″ and dressed only in eye-catching high-fashion gear, Tamara Dobson is a powerful screen presence as special agent Cleopatra Jones. Cleo struts into action, ordering an airstrike on a Turkish poppy field and igniting a war with L.A. drug queenpin “Mommy” (a delightfully over-the-top Shelley Winters). Back in Los Angeles, Cleopatra unleashes her martial arts fury and Bond-like cool to defend her community and take down the flamboyant villain. A vivid IB Technicolor print from the original release of Cleopatra Jones will be screened.