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BLACK HEAT
Produced and Directed by Al Adamson
Written by John D'amato, Sheldon Lee, Budd Donnelly
Edited by Michael Bockman
Director of Photography - Gary GraverKicks Carter - Timothy Brown
Ziggy - Russ Tamblyn
Terry - Jana Bellan
Tony - Geoffrey LandYet again, Sam Sherman goes uncredited on a picture he produced through his own company, Independent-International Pictures, BLACK HEAT, but that doesn't stop him from giving us another of his fascinating commentary tracks which, for my money, are far more impressive than the films they compliment.
As Sherman explains, BLACK HEAT was an experiment in marketing. The goal was to create two movies for the prices of one that could be passed off in the same market under different titles. The only difference would be the first reel. What would be known as BLACK HEAT would be marketed the blaxploitation-friendly inner-city market after GIRLS HOTEL finished up the drive-in market. In certain areas, like Sherman and Adamson originally planned, the two titles wound up playing certain inner-cities with as little as six months between them. As an extra on the disc, the opening GIRLS HOTEL reel is included as a bonus, and it certainly adds the desired seediness required for the drive-in market.
BLACK HEAT focuses more on the crime elements as a black cop named Kicks Carter puts the kibosh on some white guys running drugs and prostitution out of a girls-only hotel in the early 1970's. When not focusing on Carter's efforts to bring the cartel down, the movie follows Terry, a young gambling addict forced to whore off her debts.
Compared to some other Al Adamson pictures, this one contains some of the sleazier elements, even when compared to his erotic fare like THE NAUGHTY STEWARDESSES. The women are beaten, raped, and beaten some more. Like any movie, it's a product of its time. In today's politically correct marketplace, what once came across as anti-establishment and rebellious feels misogynist in its treatment of women. Take the leader of the prostitution ring, a woman, who I'm sure was once seen as a strong-willed woman in a male dominated field, would now be now be the cause of protests from various women's leagues. It reminds me of the current fiasco surround Fox Movies and the Charlie Chan series; Fox recently gave in and pulled the series after various Chinese-American organizations protested stating that the role of Chan is based on racist Asian stereotypes, and that Chan wasn't even portrayed by an Asian. It doesn't matter that Chan portrayed Asians as sharp and shrewd with a strong sense of family values.
But I digress.
BLACK HEAT/GIRLS HOTEL wasn't about making political statements, although Adamson's very liberal views shine through, it was about making a buck. Either version of the movie is as good as any other IIP picture I've seen, and a far cry better than blaxploitation effort MEAN MOTHER, a movie containing my personal favorite Sherman commentary, but neither version measures up to the swinging 70's pastiche of THE NAUGHTY STEWARDESSES.
As is the usual case with titles released to disc by EI Cinema's Retro labels, the transfer is top-notch, looking better than many of MGM's various genre releases from the same time frame. The disc is rounded out with a deleted explicit sex scene and an 3 trailer vaults focusing primarily on the IIP titles. I'm sure fans of urban cinema will enjoy the movie, but anyone interested in movie marketing will love what Sherman has to say, his commentaries are worth the price of the disc alone.