What is actually meant when somebody speaks of an “exploitation” film? Who or what is being exploited, and in what way? For example, if a movie is called a teenage exploitation or black exploitation flick, what is being said about the movie?
Is it that the setting of the film is likely to draw a good crowd that identifies with the principal characters of the movie (teenagers or blacks), and the audience members are the ones being exploited? Or is it that films of this type tend to have a ready made plot that emanates from the context of the story, so the screenwriters have little work to do? Or is it both? Or neither?
Generally it means that the absence of a big budget or recognizable stars means that to get butts in the seats, a movie has to use (or exploit) some other aspect of itself to be noticed. It could promise lots of T&A (sexploitation!), violence & gore, or try to appeal to a certain demographic, such as a particular ethnic group or age group (teensploitation!). A lot of people have argued that “blaxploitation” has negative connotations, or that it is too broadly used, covering virtually any 1970s movie featuring a predominantly black cast.
Technically, the term isn’t meant to imply the audience is being exploited, but I suppose one could argue that sometimes they ARE being exploited. “Come see this movie! It’s about teenagers! You’re a teenager, ergo you will like this awful, awful piece of tripe.” I guess maybe I’d feel exploited then. But that’s not the original connotation of them term.
Interesting. I always thought it meant indulging or even amplifying base stereotypes for their entertainment value. This being opposed to the traditional role of the “artist,” which is to challenge such notions.
Anyway, I choose to believe that prison is a place where skinny starlets with artificial breasts go to indulge their lesbian fantasies. And of course all female wardens are neo-nazi types who are into bondage.
Good point, GorillaMan. I suppose it goes back the idea that what you take away from a work is largely dependent on what you bring to it in the first place.
The thing about exploitation movies is that they’re not all crap. Sometimes interesting, challenging material made its way into a film that got labeled an exploitation film. Melvin Van Peebles’ *Sweet Sweetback’s Baaaaadaaaaass Song * is often considered the first blaxploitation movie, but it’s not really the same kind of movie as Truck Turner.
Exploitation is simply an old film business term for the marketing of any motion picture. Exploit in the sense of "to make productive use of ", not the negative sense of “to make use of meanly or unjustly for one’s own advantage”. The film marketing pages of the show business trade journal Variety used to have the headline “Exploitation”.
An exploitation film is one with little instrinsic artistic value, but with a subject matter that lends itself to a direct, sensational appeal to a certain type of audience. Its value is mainly in the marketing or exploitation.
Some people refer to “teensploitation” movies as “JD” or “juvenile delinquent” movies. Older ones commonly had subject matter including hot rods, gangs, reform school girls, rock and roll, sex, drug use, beatniks, runaways, and bikers.
The general point of an exploitation film is that they’re usually quick and cheaply made to take advantage of a particular audience.
Teen exploitation films were big in the 50s, especially with the drive-in boom. Producers put out cheap product to appeal to teenagers. These included teen dramas, but also a lot of cheap monster movies like The Horror of Party Beach or The Giant Gila Monster.
Sweet Sweetback’s Baaaaadaaaaass Song pretty much created the Blaxpoitation film genre. It made a ton of money (when Hollywood thought it would flop badly), and led to a boom of films with Black actors with Attitude.
A different type of exploitation film aimed at Black audiences were produced many years earlier, designed to be played in segregated movie houses. They were successful enough to make a profit for the producer, who shot them on a shoestring. Since they were not produced in Hollywood, details on them are sketchy, and it’s hard to find titles, but one example are the films of actor Herb Jeffries, who started by playing a Black sheriff in Harlem on the Prairie and sequels.
Another type of exploitation film were those that were basically circus freak shows. (I’m not counting Freaks, which is a truly great film.) There’s the well-know Terror of Tiny Town, and Little Cigars, both exploiting little people.
There are also the “documentaries”: Kwaheri, about Africa; andMondo Cane (best known today for its theme song, “More”).
The most recent manifestation of an exploitation film (though they weren’t called that) were the slasher films of the 80s.
Note that there are some good films that were made as exploitation films (I’m particularly partial to Cotton Comes to Harlem, but due to the low budgets, they were rare.
But that’s not the original connotation of them term.