Blaxploitation is Surely Dolemite! Funky Cult Classics Emerge

As the premiere release in a special series of six fully restored “Blaxploitation” cult classics, Dolemite hustles onto a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack, April 26 from Vinegar Syndrome (VS).

Emerging in the U.S. in the early 1970s, Blaxploitation films – the first to regularly feature soundtracks of funk and soul music and primarily African-American casts – were originally made specifically for a Black, urban audience. However, the genre’s appeal soon broadened across racial and ethnic lines. The term was coined by the head of the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP, ex film publicist Junius Griffin.

Dolemite, an outrageously funny and action-packed classic released theatrically in 1975, stars acclaimed, African-American comedian and filmmaker Rudy Ray Moore – who also co-wrote the film and its soundtrack – and was directed by D’Urville Martin, who also stars.   Making its worldwide Blu-ray debut, the film has been fully restored in 2k from a recently discovered, long-lost 35mm negative and is loaded with extras.