6.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Gravedigger Jones and Coffin Ed Johnson are two black cops with a reputation for breaking the odd head. Both are annoyed at the success of the Reverend Deke O'Mailey who is selling trips back to Africa to the poor on the installment plan. When his truck is hijacked and a bale of cotton stuffed with money is lost in the chase, Harlem is turned upside down by Gravedigger and Coffin Ed, the Reverend, and the hijackers. Much of the humor is urban black, which was unusual in 1970.
Starring: Godfrey Cambridge, Raymond St. Jacques, Calvin Lockhart, Judy Pace, Redd FoxxCrime | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Ossie Davis (who passed away in 2005) was a respected actor, but little is shared about his brief career as a film director. 1970’s “Cotton Comes to Harlem” was his second movie, but it’s an important feature when it comes to the growth of blacksploitation cinema, helping to define what the decade would eventually offer in defiant, gritty entertainment. It’s also something of a supercop picture, always a delightful subgenre, bringing the exploits of Gravedigger Jones (Godfrey Cambridge) and Coffin Ed Johnson (Raymond St. Jacques) to the big screen, with the pair of no-nonsense cops scouring NYC to locate a missing bale of cotton containing a small fortune and nail a crooked preacher for his considerable crimes.
Color is a highlight of the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. Dealing with an explosive period in costuming choices, hues are bold, with a secure read of primaries, appearing here without overt fade. Skintones are also true. Grain is present, delivering a filmic viewing experience, and detail is strong throughout, providing vivid textures on close-ups and NYC locations, keeping image easily inspected. Print features some troublesome reel changes and speckling, but remains in good condition. Black levels are expressive, sustaining delineation on evening activities.
The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix keeps dialogue exchanges crisp and loud, preserving performer idiosyncrasies with clarity, with only a mild read of hiss competing with the freshness of voices. The group dynamic is also handled satisfactorily, with heightening behavior identified with ease. Scoring is big and defined, and while it supports without steamrolling the human element, it's also able to carry specific moments without drowning out the rest of the mix.
"Cotton Comes to Harlem" is a spirited, edgy romp, juggling violence and laughs with conviction. It has faith in its audience to have fun with wavering tonality, while Davis preserves the NYC atmosphere, dashing around the streets and inside nightclubs and apartment buildings, keeping the visuals as varied as the personalities. It's a strangely hypnotic effort, and for anyone interested in the foundation of blacksploitation, this should be one of your first stops on a long cinematic education.
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