Pam Grier Grindhouse Triple Feature: BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA, FOXY BROWN, THE BIG BIRD CAGE

Last Friday I spent most of the day sitting in the darkness watching Pam Grier kick ass and take names in three of her classic action films from the 1970's.  How strange it was to be sitting in Lincoln Center watching films that four decades earlier would have been playing 23 blocks south on 42nd Street. I doubt very highly that back in 1973 that either Pam Grier thought she's be honored with a retrospective of her work, nor would Lincoln Center have imagined it would have been holding one.

BLACK MAMA WHITE MAMA (1973)
Eddie Romero directed women in prison film is, as is often said, a female version of the Defiant Ones set in the jungle. the plot has white revolutionary revolutionary Karen Brent chained to black gangster's girl Lee Daniels in a jungle prison. Brent needs to get out so she can get her friends some guns, while Daniels needs to get out to get the money she stole from her "boyfriend" so she can leave the country. When an attempt to break the pair out goes wrong, the girls do get away but they are chained together with police the police and the bad guys after them.

Sleazy grindhouse fair plays more like it was an early film in the jungle prison film cycle rather than the last one (at least as far as Grier was concerned). An ever escalating film that goes from prison film, to escape drama to road comedy (the girls end up dressed as nuns), to buddy film, to straight on action film with a teary ending. Its a low budget B movie that gives it's audience exactly what it came for, T&A and lots of violence.

I had a blast, and as with all of the films reviewed here, it was a very different experience seeing them projected on a BIG screen as opposed to seeing them on TV. It's also very different seeing the films with an audience who was really there for the films and willing to go along with the films flaws.

FOXY BROWN (1974)
The film which gave the Lincoln Center series its name, has Grier as Foxy looking to get revenge on Miss Katherine and Steve after they kill her boyfriend a government agent who had tried and failed to bring the pair down (they bribed the grand jury).

Solid grindhouse action film is best taken on it's own terms. Yes, I love the film, but the film is so silly at times, it drifts into camp (Katherine's lustful glances), that it's clear that everyone was in on the joke.  Silliness or not the film is a violent sexy film where Grier asserts herself as a no nonsense, take no prisoners kind of woman. Its a performance and a role that very much helped put Grier into the pantheon of iconic actresses. (Think about it, if Grier had walked away from acting after her run of 1970's exploitation films we'd still be talking about her today simply because she changed how women were perceived)

Its a minor classic.

THE BIG BIRD CAGE (1972)
Pam Grier and Sid Haig, perfect together...

Let me try and explain this simply- an actress (Anitra Ford) is tossed in prison after being carried off by revolutionaries Sid Haig and Pam Grier. While in prison Ford suffers torture and humiliation while trying to talk her way out. Meanwhile figuring the best way to spread the revolution would be to get some women involved, Sid and Pam set in motion to break out the prisoners. While the warden goes crazy an escape is planned.

This is a silly film.  It starts over the top and just keeps going with weird twist upon sleazy twist upon WTF were they thinking twist. It's violent and "sexy" (well it has naked chicks) and just aims for the lowest common denominator...and yet it some how manages to rise above it all and turn into something gloriously loopy.

Seeing the film projected for the first time (They used Jack Hill's personal print which is a longer than release version) was a blast. This was the film where I first noticed Pam Grier (I'm guessing it was a re-release which promoted her being in it) so it was nice to finally get to see the movie my parents wouldn't let me see in the movies in the movies (I have seen the film several times on TV, cable and DVD).

Its a minor classic film that rightly helped Grier become the person she is today.

After the film Pam Grier came out and did a brief Q&A. It was supposed to be longer but they didn't take into account the longer running time. Chocko recorded it and part one is here and part two is here.

Pam Grier at Lincoln Center in image and video

In lieu of a review, today I thought I'd just post some pictures of Pam Grier at Lincoln Center. The first pictures are from the Q&A that followed The Big Bird Cage. The full  Q&A was shot by Chocko and can be found here: Part 1 and Part 2 (You can't get better since he was sitting right in front Ms Grier)

Chocko went to several of the screenings which I did not attend and recorded their Q&A's. Here is the one for Greased Lightning which was moderated by John Wildman who is head of PR for the Film Society. John worked with Ms Grier during the Jackie Brown press tour and knows what questions to ask.... Part One is here and Part Two is here

Lastly a few pictures from the Conversation with Pam Grier that was held yesterday at Lincoln Center. No one was allowed to record the talk but photos were allowed.(I was told the talk would be available for viewing soon). To say that the talk was a blast is an understatement. Ms Grier spoke the entire time about auditioning for Fort Apache The Bronx, how she got started, put a horse in a Jag, and Fellini & fried chicken. It was only an hour but she could have gone on, and we in the audience would have listened, for many more. (Apologies if the picture quality isn't great, my camera did not like the lighting in the amphitheater at all which is why there aren't more pictures.)

Waiting for Ms Grier to arrive

Lady takes the stage

Staggering to the Fort Apache audition

Hey it was a long way from the hotel to the theater...

Thanks to Chocko for the video, MrC for reminding me what was mentioned and Mondocurry for not killing me at breakfast so I could make the talk yesterday afternoon. (And thanks to Mondo's I-Pod for one hell of a game of hide and seek)

Reviews will return tomorrow with a look at the Pam Grier Grindhouse Triple Feature that started off the whole series.

Chocko meets Pam Grier

A full report of the first three Pam Grier films at Lincoln Centers Pam Grier Tribute is coming, as well as video and more pictures of the Q&A's  (I have to resize them)  but for now I just want to share ever elusive Chocko making an almost unheard of on camera appearance at the Big Bird Cage Q&A when he asked Pam Grier to sign his copy of her book,

If you're a fan you want to go. Some screenings are sold out so check the website for details. (Might I suggest going to see Greased Lightning tomorrow night, John Wildman is hosting the Q&A and he's someone who's worked with Ms Grier before so it should be interesting)

Pam Grier is coming to Lincoln Center for FOXY THE COMPLETE PAM GRIER

Pam Grier as Foxy Brown

We Interupt our Chinese New Year Celebration for the one the only Pam Grier....


The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces
FOXY, THE COMPLETE PAM GRIER
March 15-17

In-person at THE BIG BIRD CAGE; COFFY; GREASED LIGHTNING; JACKIE BROWN; SHEBA, BABY and SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM

New York, NY, February 12, 2013 - The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced details today for the upcoming film series, Foxy, The Complete Pam Grier (March 15-17). Screening at the Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65th Street) and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center (144 West 65th Street), and highlighted by the attendance of Grier at several screenings, the film series includes such fan favorites and notable classics as THE BIG BIRD CAGE (1972), COFFY (1973), ESCAPE FROM LA (1996), FOXY BROWN (1974), and GREASED LIGHTNING (1977), as well as JACKIE BROWN (1997) featuring her Golden Globe and SAG Award nominated performance in the title role.

Programing Associate Josh Strauss said, “An icon and fiercely spirited screen presence who was the feminine face of urban cinema in the 70s, Pam Grier inspired that genre’s mainstream success. She has continued to serve as a muse and inspiration for many filmmakers since, culminating in her critically lauded turn in Quentin Tarantino’s classic noir, JACKIE BROWN. It will be a thrill to offer a comprehensive look at her work as well as have Pam herself, at Film Society to talk about and reflect upon many of those films and her experiences making them."

Born on May 26, 1949 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Pam Grier was spotted by an agent at a beauty contest in Colorado Springs, who invited her to come to Hollywood and try her hand at acting. She subsequently moved to Los Angeles and began taking acting classes while she worked as a switchboard operator for American International Pictures. Soon after, she had made it onto the big screen in BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970) and BIG DOLL HOUSE (1971).

Following appearances in HIT MAN (1972) and BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA (1973), Grier gained notice in Jack Hill’s COFFY (1973) as the title character, “the baddest one-chick hit-squad that ever hit town”. The next year, she cemented her status as the undisputed queen of urban cinema as the high-class prostitute out for revenge in Hill’s FOXY BROWN (1974).

Grier solidified her status as a film star throughout the 70s with a string of films including SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM (1973), SHEBA, BABY (1975), BUCKTOWN (1975) with Fred Williamson, FRIDAY FOSTER (1975), and GREASED LIGHTNING (1977) opposite Richard Pryor. The 80s were highlighted by FORT APACHE, THE BRONX (1981) with Paul Newman, the Ray Bradbury classic, SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983), and the Steven Seagal actioner ABOVE THE LAW (1988), as well as regular turns on the television via Michael Mann’s “Crime Story” and “Miami Vice”.

Grier continued to work in both film and television throughout the 90s with memorable appearances in John Carpenter’s ESCAPE FROM LA (1996) and Tim Burton’s MARS ATTACKS (1996). However, it was Quentin Tarantino’s JACKIE BROWN (1997) that offered the actress an opportunity to play a character tailor-made for her unique brand of strength and charisma, resulting in the best critical notices of her career as well as her first Best Actress nominations for both a SAG Award and the Golden Globes. Roles in the thriller IN TOO DEEP (1999) and Jane Campion’s HOLY SMOKE (1999) immediately followed, as well as a reunion with Carpenter on his film GHOSTS OF MARS (2001). Grier became a very familiar sight on television as well, with appearances on several series culminating in a regular stints on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2002-2003) and Showtime’s “The L Word” (2004-2009). On the big screen, Grier has most recently been seen in Tom Hanks’s LARRY CROWNE (2011) and Rza’s THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS (2012).

Tickets will be on sale both at the box office and on www.FilmLinc.com on Thursday, February 28. Tickets are $13 for General Public, $9 for Student/Senior and $8 for Film Society Members. All screenings will take place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, 144 West 65th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam). Visit www.FilmLinc.com for additional information.


Films, Descriptions and Schedule

ABOVE THE LAW (1988) 99min
Director: Andrew Davis
Country: USA
Detective and martial arts pro Nico (Steven Seagal) and his new partner, the soon-to-leave-the-force Delores "Jacks" Jackson (Grier), investigate a Chicago drug ring. They persist even after being told to back off by their superiors, putting themselves and Nico’s family at risk.
March 16 at 4:45pm

THE BIG BIRD CAGE (1972) 88min
Director: Jack Hill
Country: USA
A buxom bad girl named Blossom (Grier) is the rough-and-ready girlfriend of a radical guerrilla leader named Django. But when Django's mercenary friends itch for some female companionship, they devise a plan to liberate the inmates of a local women's prison. With the help of another new inmate, Blossom and Django go up against a tyrannical warden to stage an explosive breakout.
March 15 at 6:00pm

BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA (1973) 87min
Director: Eddie Romero
Country: USA
Modeled after THE DEFIANT ONES and giving birth to the highly successful AIP women-in-film genre, Grier and Margaret Markov play two escapees from a Manila prison. Disguised as nuns, they encounter dangerous situations under the brutal tropical sun. Jonathan Demme co-wrote the script.
March 15 at 2:00pm

BUCKTOWN (1975) 94min
Director: Arthur Marks
Country: USA
Duke (Fred Williamson) and girlfriend Aretha (Grier) travel to Duke’s brother’s funeral. Problems start after they decide to reopen the dead man’s nightclub. Duke calls in his group of strong men to take on the corrupt local police department who are attempting to shake the couple down for money.
March 17 at 2:00pm

Clips and Conversation
Pam Grier will take the stage to discuss her storied career, illustrated by clips from some of her most audacious and unforgettable performances.
**At the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center
March 17 at 4:30pm

COFFY (1973) 91min
Director: Jack Hill
Country: USA
Nurse "Coffy" Coffin (Grier) takes decisive revenge when her younger sister gets hooked on drugs and put in a rehabilitation home—a victim of the drug underworld, mob bosses and chain of violence that exists in her city. Vigilante style, Coffy takes on the LA thugs responsible for her sister’s downfall, posing as an African American bombshell in need of a fix.
March 16 at 9:30pm

ESCAPE FROM LA (1996) 101min
Director: John Carpenter
Country: USA
In the sequel to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, a catastrophic earthquake hits Los Angeles, causing the valley to flood and turning a portion of California from Malibu to Anaheim into an island. Now deemed the city of sin, anyone who does not fit the mold of LA’s outspoken Christian theocrat president are imprisoned on the island for good. After being captured again for another series of crimes, Snake Plisskin (Kurt Russell) embarks on a violent, beat-the-clock escapade. A big screen must-see for John Carpenter fans full of great LA clichés.
March 17 at 8:00pm

FOXY BROWN (1974) 94min
Director: Jack Hill
Country: USA
When her government-agent boyfriend is shot down by members of a drug syndicate, Foxy Brown (Grier) seeks revenge. She links her boyfriend's murderers to a "modeling agency" run by Steve Elias and Miss Katherine. Foxy decides to pose as a prostitute to infiltrate the company, and helps save a fellow black woman from a life of drugs and sexual exploitation.
March 15 at 4:00pm
March 17 at 6:00pm

GREASED LIGHTNING (1977) 96min
Director: Michael Schultz
Country: USA
Loosely based on the life story of Wendell Scott, the first African American stock car racing champ, this seldom seen comedy stars Richard Pryor as Scott, who hones his craft transporting moonshine in the backwoods of Virginia. Grier and Beau Bridges co-star.
March 16 at 7:00pm

JACKIE BROWN (1997) 154min
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Country: USA
Flight Attendant Jackie Brown (Grier) smuggles money from Mexico to the United States for Ordell Robbie, a black market gunrunner, under the A.T.F’s close watch. This rollercoaster ride of twists, turns, comedy, drama, and action is brought to life by a stunning cast that includes Robert Forster, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert DeNiro, Bridget Fonda, and Michael Keaton. Grier was nominated for 15 awards for her performance in this modern classic.
March 15 at 8:15pm

SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM (1973) 96min
Director: Bob Kelljan
Country: USA
Following the wild success of BLACULA, AIP financed the release of this sequel with classically trained actor William Marshall reprising his role as vampire Prince Mamuwalde. Mamuwalde is resurrected by the vengeful son of a dying voodoo queen, angry at being passed over in favor of the queen’s adopted apprentice Lisa Fortier (Grier). The prince recruits Lisa to make him mortal using voodoo magic, but the plan goes awry when her boyfriend’s life is put in jeopardy.
**At the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center
March 15 at 11:59pm

SHEBA, BABY (1975) 90min
Director: William Girdler
Country: USA
In her last role as part of her three-film deal with American International Pictures, Grier’s Sheba returns to her hometown of Louisville, KY to confront thugs who are trying to intimidate her father into dissolving or handing over his family business.
March 17 at 4:00pm


Public Screening Schedule

Screening Venue:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65 Street, between Broadway & Amsterdam (upper level)

Friday, March 15
2:00PM BLACK MAMA, WHITE MAMA (87min)
4:00PM FOXY BROWN (94min)
6:00PM THE BIG BIRD CAGE (88min) *Pam Grier in attendance
8:15PM JACKIE BROWN (154min) *Pam Grier in attendance
11:59PM SCREAM, BLACULA, SCREAM (96min) *Pam Grier in attendance **at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

Saturday, March 16
4:45PM ABOVE THE LAW (99min)
7:00PM GREASED LIGHTNING (96min) *Pam Grier in attendance.
9:30PM COFFY (91min) *Pam Grier in attendance

Sunday, March 17
2:00PM BUCKTOWN (94min)
4:00PM SHEBA, BABY (90min) *Pam Grier in attendance
4:30PM Clips and Conversation *Pam Grier in attendance
** at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center
6:00PM FOXY BROWN (94min)
8:00PM ESCAPE FROM LA (101min)