Foxy Brown (film)
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| Foxy Brown | |
|---|---|
 Movie Poster for Foxy Brown |
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| Directed by | Jack Hill |
| Produced by | Buzz Feitshans |
| Written by | Jack Hill |
| Starring | Pam Grier Antonio Fargas Peter Brown Terry Carter |
| Music by | Willie Hutch |
| Cinematography | Brick Marquard |
| Editing by | Chuck McClelland |
| Distributed by | AIP |
| Release date(s) | April 1974 |
| Running time | 94 min |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Foxy Brown is a blaxploitation film from 1974, written and directed by Jack Hill. Its stars Pam Grier as the title character, described by one character as "a whole lot of woman" who showcases unrelenting sexiness while battling the villains.
According to director Jack Hill this was originally intended to be a sequel to his Coffy (1973), also starring Pam Grier, and in fact the working title of the film was "Burn, Coffy, Burn!". However, American-International Pictures decided at the last minute it didn't want to do a sequel, even though "Coffy" was a huge hit. That's why it's never said exactly what kind of job Foxy Brown has--"Coffy" was a nurse and since this was no longer to be a sequel, they couldn't give Foxy Brown that job and didn't have time to rewrite the script to establish just what kind of job she had.
The film's songs were written and performed by Willie Hutch, and a soundtrack album was released on Motown Records in 1975.
[edit] Plot
Foxy Brown, a sexy African American woman, seeks revenge when her government-agent boyfriend is shot down by The Man, vowing revenge on the pushers and pimps that have ruled her community. She links her boyfriend's murderers to a "modeling agency" run by the campy villains of Steve Elias (Peter Brown) and Miss Katherine (Kathryn Loder). Foxy decides to pose as a prostitute to infiltrate the company, and helps save a fellow African American woman from a life of drugs and sexual internment. This leads Foxy to a variety of revenge-themed setpieces -often violent and sexual- that range from the cremation of sexual-slavemasters to the castration and presentation of a foe's genitals.
[edit] Influence
Foxy Brown is one of the most influential blaxploitation films; Pam Grier's character often considered the female archetype of the genre. The film has directly influenced or been mentioned in many other films, including, but not limited to:
- Girl 6 (1996)
- Jackie Brown (1997)
- Urban Legend (1998)
- Urban Legends: Final Cut (2000)
- Bones (2001)
- Undercover Brother (2002)
- Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
- House of the Dead (2003)
It is often noted by film historians as one of the first blaxploitation films to provide a portrayal of a strong and independent woman; until Pam Grier, women often existed exclusively to support their men for a small part of the film.
Additionally, Foxy Brown and the preceding film Coffy are unique for their establishment of pushers and pimps as villains. Before these films, the blaxploitation genre often housed empathy for the social positions of such individuals.
