The Legend of Nigger Charley
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| The Legend of Nigger Charley | |
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| Directed by | Martin Goldman |
| Produced by | Larry Spangler |
| Written by | James Warner Bellah (story), Martin Goldman, Larry Spangler |
| Starring | Fred Williamson, D'Urville Martin, Don Pedro Colley, Gertrude Jeannette, Marcia McBroom, Alan Gifford |
| Music by | John Bennings |
| Cinematography | Peter Eco |
| Editing by | Howard Kuperman |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | Mar 17, 1972 |
| Running time | 98 min |
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Legend of Nigger Charley is a 1972 blaxploitation western film directed by Martin Goldman. The story of a trio of escaped slaves, it was released during the hay-day of blaxploitation films.
The film stars Fred Williamson as Nigger Charley. The film is rated PG in the United States. It was followed by one sequel, The Soul of Nigger Charley.
The film was renamed The Legend of Black Charley for broadcast television.[1]
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[edit] Tagline
"Somebody warn the West. Nigger Charley ain't running no more."
[edit] Synopsis
Charley, after undergoing a beating by white men, escapes with two fellow slaves before being sold to a different plantation owner. He is put up for sale after his ailing plantation owner says he can no longer afford him.
They are put down when they try to do every day activities. For instance, when Charley asks a bartender for three beers, he is asked, "Don't you know your place, nigger?" Charley then proceeds to beat down a patron in the bar and forces the bartender to flee.
He then tells his friends, "I ain't never gonna be a slave again for no man ... I ain't taking no shit from no white man again. I'm a free man, and that's the way I'm gonna die."
The former slaves seek freedom as they venture to the western United States. Meanwhile, a gang of white men vow to not let the black men go free, chasing them by horse. Throughout their journey, they are met by villians and get into shoot-outs.
The film ends with Charley and his friend, Toby, surving an intense shootout and then riding off on horseback. When asked by Toby where to go, Charley says, "It don't make no difference where we go, Toby. There's trouble for us everywhere."
[edit] Reception
The Legend of Nigger Charley was one of Paramount's highest grossing movies of 1972. Leading up to its release, a banner in Times Square read, "Nigger Charley Is Coming." [2]
However, the film has since fallen into obscurity, and is currently unavailable officially on DVD. As of January 2007, the film had a 5.5 user rating on the Internet Movie Database, with only 49 votes.
When it was released in 1972, critic Roger Ebert awarded the film two stars out of four, criticizing it for being repetitive and exploitative. However, he did write, "The Legend of Nigger Charley is frustrating partly because of the high level of acting talent in the case.". [3]
New York Times film critic Howard Thompson also gave the film a luke-warm review, calling it "fair." He wrote that the film generally "rambles and dawdles, resolving tensions with conventional shootouts, like any standard Western."[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Internet Movie Database. "The Legend of Nigger Charley". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Briggs, Joe Bob (June 28, 2003). Profoundly Disturbing: Shocking Movies That Changed History. Universe Publishing, 129.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (May 23, 1972). "The Legend of Nigger Charley". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
- ^ Thompson, Howard (May 18, 1972). "The Legend of Nigger Charley". New York Times. Retrieved on January 22, 2007.
