Sunday, June 17, 2007

The Bad Shepherd

Trailer for The Spook Who Sat By The Door (1973) - a pretty radical-looking bit of Blaxplo, courtesy of a major studio (United Artists) who abruptly yanked it out of the theatres three weeks after its release, not because it was a bomb (there were lines around the block in the inner cities) but allegedly due to FBI pressure that the film would spark race riots. Supressed ever since, it took Tim (WKRP) Reid to arrange the film's recent restoration and release on DVD. Can't wait to track a copy down for myself, because it looks awesome. Music by Herbie Hancock.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think the movie's abrupt yanking from cinemas is a myth. A friend who would know said it bombed at a Boston theater. Simply too talky and dull to catch on with audiences of the time sated with SHAFT'S BIG SCORE and ENTER THE DRAGON.

Jesse said...

Print the legend, I guess.