Dolemite (1975)

Let me just start by saying that I don't recommend watching films on YouTube. There are many moral quandaries involved, mainly that you're not paying directly or indirectly to watch and it's not the way they were intended to be viewed. That said, there are some rare gems available on YouTube unavailable in this country and most countries frankly; 'The Man from Hong Kong', a prime bit of Ozzploitation as featured in 'Not Quite Hollywood', the great documentary Aussie B-movies and the movie, i'm talking about today, Dolemite.
Anyone who's seen the video for 'Got Ya Money' by ODB, will instantly recognise scenes from Dolemite, as the video is completely made up of clips from it. Not that it bares explaining, Dolemite is the story of a kung-fu pimp/poet/hustler released from jail to bring down an evil gangster, the infamous Petey Green!
I've always been facinated by Dolemite because I love rap music, black comedians and blaxploitation. Dolemite was a character /persona developed by Rudy Ray Moore, in a similar way to Richard Pryor's Redbone; he was in the same league as Petition and Red Foxx, with less a joke based routine but rap patter-style poetry and sweary couplets about 'his name and fucking up muthah-fuckers being his game'. He was a gangster rapper 20years before the fact and as such, is a beloved hero in rap songs, in the same breath as Tony Montana. Moore even recorded with 2Live Crew, Big Daddy Cane and Snoop.
I don't know why this film appeals to me so much. I guess it's just pure brain candy... there's not much else it could be. It's poorly directed, poorly acted, the boom mic is in so many shots - it should get an on-screen credit... the boom is in this movie more than Judi Dench is in Shakespeare In Love; it's poorly edited, the story goes off on a tangent and doesn't recover, i could go on but I really liked it because there's swearing and fighting and it's easy to watch and all that negative stuff I mentioned before?... well, that just adds a 'rough gem' touch to proceedings; like it was probably made in a week in South LA with non-actors and non-craft craft-people but it's such a silly film, it adds to it.
Watching it now, Black Dynamite steals wholesale from Dolemite except B-D is trying to be funny and is but Dolemite is trying to be an serious action movie and is charismatic and inoffensive enough to get a pass...
So give a hand to a strong black man,
Madder and Badder than White Klan,
No clown or white man could keep him Down with hate or spite
Cos His movie knew how to de-light
Where men would rap and swear and fight
Admittedly women were objected
And stylish direction was rejected
But you could not disrespect or slight
That badman mutherfucker called Dolemite!!!

I watched Dolemite (1975) on YouTube.
My 2011 in Movies will return with Tooth Fairy (2009)...