Also called "Ploitation". Those are really some of the most bizarre movies that have ever existed on tapes. So if you're offended just remember those are not real, it's all fiction :)In simple words:
Most exploitation films are pulp, kitschy films often made by total amateurs, low budget and most importantly - The usually feature a controversial, repulsive and immoral subjects like sex, violence or torture.
The whole genre is divided into dozen mini sub-genre and their names alone can make a sane person wonder "WTF is this?" One of the most famous movie directors - Quentin Tarantino is a well known exploitation fan and he's admitting that most of his ideas came from watching those films. I bet you saw or heard about his latest movies like "Inglorious Basterds" or "Death Proof" those are simply exploitation films only made mainstream by a well known director.
Ok i you ready for some of the subgenres ? I know i'm not :) For example there are:
Brucesplotation- Is a cultural phenomenon mostly seen in the 1970s after the untimely death of actor Bruce Lee in 1973. Movie makers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan hired a great number of Bruce Lee look-alike actors to star in many cheap knock-off martial arts movies to cash in on his success after his death. There are films like "Clones of Bruce Lee", "Bruce lee fights from the Grave" etc.
Bruce look alikes in movie "Clones of Bruce Lee" They all wear the trademark Bruce glasses :)Blacksplotation - Those films were made for black audience and usually fatured a ghetto setting often within a stereotypically African American urban milieu. The most famous one is SHAFT which you probably know. This is the thing with ploitation movies, most of them are total crap with a high Riffing value - just to watch with you friends with a beer in your hand and laugh your ass off. But some of them are really good and became classics.
Rape and revenge - Ok those films follow a classic three act structure. First a girl is raped and left for dead. Second she miraculously survives and third - she kill of her rapers. It's always like that. The most known of those is "I spit on your Grave" which is often mentioned and parodied for example one of the rape scenes in Southpark cartoon was the one from this movie. Not a pleasy subject but those are just movies.
Sexploitation - those films are just like a softcore porn. The most famous director to made those is of ourse a brilliant photographer Russ Meyer who perfected the so called "frog perspective"shot :) Simply to make better pictures of woman's breasts. His classic films include hits like:"Kill Pussy cat Kill" and "Supervixens". Both of those movies are cult and are scheduled to be remake in 2010.
Nazisploitation - Yea... basicly those are just movies that happen to include Nazis torturing people...Yea I can imagine a look on your face :) Those are just extreme to the max. I haven't seen a lot of them apart from the famous ILSA - She Wolf of the SS classic.
Stoner Films - Ok something lither now :) That's interesting because this sub genre of ploitation is the youngest one. There's a lot of today's Stoner films. Those movies are simply about one thing - marijuana. You must have seen at least one of those silly american comedies which main plot is that a certain duo must get high and...that's it . That's your idea for the movie :) There's really a ton of those . I don't know which one is scarier - The amount of stoner films or Nazisploitation flicks :)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------OkI'll end here I hope that a simple knowledge of that there exist a whole bunch of bastards brothers of "Citizen Kane" known as Exploitation movies is at least interesting for you. Remember that films are fun, simply fun and entertainment. What I find most amusing in those is the cheeseness, the Riffability - we talked about it earlier. The cheese factor, the simple fun of watching ridicules things.
And to prove my words I leave you with three funny Riffs of three exploitation films. Don't worry those are not bloody or anything, just funny.
Here's a review of a Italian Knock-off a film Predator. By the king of knock- off's Bruno Mattei.
The guy basicly made Italian versions of American films.
http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/2009/09/06/robowar-review/
Yor hunter From the Future
http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/2008/07/06/yor-movie-review/
And Clones of Bruce lee Riffed by the same guy
http://www.spoonyexperiment.com/category/movie-reviews/clones-of-bruce-lee-movie-reviews/
I have never heard about such genres. I even never heard about movie titles you mentioned (ofcourse i know Bruce Lee, but not that remakes).
ReplyDeleteMaybe the reason is, that those movies are not scary :)
So basicly would it be correct to say that "Ploitation" movies dive into some particular idea and use it to its limits? Abuse even?
ReplyDeleteI kind of noticed at least two trends here in your description. Either Ploitation movie bases on referring to some very popular character, (I could call it plagiarism I guess)or referes to some sort of ideal or way of behaviour as a whole.
I suppose that in both cases though it uses the idea to its limits? I guess that even name of this genre implies that its about exploiting something one way or another?
I guess only Rape and Revenge movies not entirely fit to my way of thinking but come to think of it they also exploit certain idea or about exploiting people.
To be honest I dont really like things like that, it always make me think that someone is too lazy to come up with his/her own idea.
Perhaps its too harsh opinion and in some cases undeserved but still, thats the first thing that comes to my mind when I read about such movies.
To be honest I am a big fan of Tarantino films, but I was never aware that you can fit all of them in one genre :)
ReplyDeleteI think that the main goal of the titles you presented in this part is to shock and entertain. And to be completely honest most of those movies, that you mentioned get that job done quite well :)