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Black Caesar
- 188 statements
- 36 feature instances
- 7 referencing feature instances
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Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_1'); })Black Caesar is a 1973 blaxploitation film written and directed by Larry Cohen, starring former NFL linebacker Fred Williamson as a small-time mobster who builds his way up as the kingpin of a criminal empire in New York City.Tommy Gibbs (Williamson) shines shoes on the streets of Harlem, and begins moonlighting as a mob runner to make ends meet. After one of his jobs, Tommy is severely beaten and crippled by a racist police captain, and sent to prison for assault. Tommy uses his stay to learn about the criminal underworld in New York, and promptly sets out to usurp control by leveraging a section of Harlem from The Mafia. Gibbs then spends the next several years building up an extensive criminal empire and becoming a local hero in the process. Eventually, however, Gibbs backstabs his Mafia contacts and alienates his friends and family, leading to an all-out war between his empire and the reigning kingpins of the city. At the end of the film, Tommy is shot in broad daylight by a Mafia thug, and makes his way back to his old homestead in the Harlem slums, whereupon he is attacked and presumably killed by a gang of local boys, completing his fall from grace...Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_2'); })...however, the wild popularity of the original film resulted in a sequel, Hell Up In Harlem, being filmed and released the same year. Rewriting the ending of the first film, Harlem replays events from a slightly different perspective. Tommy is rescued and brought to a hospital by his remaining loyal allies after his beating at the abandoned apartment complex. Incapacitated (but still holding onto a key piece of evidence that implicates the Mafia heads in New York), Tommy transfers control of his empire to his father, who attempts to negotiate for his son's safety with the evil New York District Attorney Diangelo. After Diangelo's thugs try to kill him, Mr. Gibbs takes on the role of "Big Papa" while his son recuperates in Los Angeles. When Big Papa and Tommy's ex-girlfriend (and mother of his children) Helen are murdered, he must come back to reclaim his empire (and his son, who was born in the previous film) and kill his turncoat lieutenant, Zach, and Diangelo.Advertisement:propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('tvtropes_mobile_ad_3'); })Black Caesar was a hit with audiences when it was released in 1973, and was lauded for its gritty portrayal of the city and morally grey protagonist. The film also jumpstarted lead actor Fred Williamson's career, which resulted in his having to shoot Harlem on weekends while filming another movie during weekdays. The original film also benefitted from having James Brown compose the hit soundtrack. In an infamous case, Brown wrote the soundtrack for Harlem entirely on spec (without pay), but it was rejected by American International Pictures. Brown later released his rejected soundtrack as The Payback, which proved to be a critical and commercial hit.Not to be confused with "The Black Caesar". | |
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| Black Caesar / int_1237828f | type |
Anyone Can Die | |
| Black Caesar / int_1237828f | comment |
Anyone Can Die: Mr. Gibbs, Helen and Tommy's childhood friend Rufus in Harlem. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_12dd5755 | type |
Pursued Protagonist | |
| Black Caesar / int_12dd5755 | comment |
Pursued Protagonist: The opening of Harlem. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_19ebe383 | type |
Never Trust a Trailer | |
| Black Caesar / int_19ebe383 | comment |
Never Trust a Trailer: Despite the title, there really isn't any "Hell up in Harlem". The first half of the film mostly revolves around Tommy recuperating in Los Angeles while his father, a peripheral character in the first movie, becomes a main character in his own right (largely by taking control without much bloodshed). More than half of the action scenes take place outside New York. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_280333d4 | type |
Hollywood Heart Attack | |
| Black Caesar / int_280333d4 | comment |
Hollywood Heart Attack: Mr. Gibbs in Harlem, who overexerts himself during a struggle and clutches his chest briefly before falling down dead. | |
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We Have to Get the Bullet Out! | |
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We Have to Get the Bullet Out!: Seen in Harlem, as Tommy's henchmen transfer him to a nearby hospital and, holding a doctor hostage, force him to remove the bullets from Tommy's abdomen (while the latter is still conscious, no less). | |
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Hollywood Healing | |
| Black Caesar / int_329a19a0 | comment |
Hollywood Healing: In the sequel, Hell Up In Harlem, Tommy is wheeled into a hospital room, where a doctor is ordered to remove the bullet lodged in his stomach (when Tommy was shot in the previous film) at gunpoint. The operation consists of Tommy mildly wincing while the doctor works on him, and he's no worse the wear (he can still think clearly and speak to his forces) while being wheeled out. Tommy died in the first movie, but when the film was initially released, this ending was cut out of the film by the studio, thus making the sequel possible. When the movie was released on video, they restored Cohen's intended ending. As a result, Tommy's appearance in Hell Up In Harlem doesn't make a whole lot of sense. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_33c2b1e2 | type |
Best Served Cold | |
| Black Caesar / int_33c2b1e2 | comment |
Best Served Cold: Jack Mckinney cripples Tommy in 1955. In 1965, Tommy blackmails Mckinney into protecting his criminal syndicate, with both making clear that they will kill the other when they've outlived their usefulness. Tommy finally takes his revenge on Mckinney and beats him to death in 1972, 17 years after their fateful first encounter. | |
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InformationBroker | |
| Black Caesar / int_48cadce0 | comment |
Information Broker: Tommy is this at the start of the original film. | |
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Gory Discretion Shot | |
| Black Caesar / int_49f20c6a | comment |
Gory Discretion Shot: The ear-cutting scene. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_4de1a4f7 | type |
Improvised Weapon | |
| Black Caesar / int_4de1a4f7 | comment |
Improvised Weapon: A beach umbrella in the sequel. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_4e3d253b | type |
Downer Ending | |
| Black Caesar / int_4e3d253b | comment |
Downer Ending: The original film ends with Tommy severely injured (and presumably dead) after he's beaten by a gang of kids outside his old home. This was later retconned in the sequel to ensure that Tommy survived. | |
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Pixellation | |
| Black Caesar / int_5d6710a | comment |
Pixellation: Occurs unintentionally during one scene in Harlem. As Tommy climbs up the ladder onto a billboard to assassinate a target, the camera zooms in from a very far range (several blocks down a street) into him as he climbs. As the camera comes in, it becomes notably pixellated, an effect that is further exaggerated when seen on high-definition video. | |
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Hospital Gurney Scene | |
| Black Caesar / int_7897f4af | comment |
Hospital Gurney Scene: Played with in the sequel - Tommy is wheeled into and out of the hospital by his crew while lying on a gurney. | |
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Lonely at the Top | |
| Black Caesar / int_7f8fd503 | comment |
Lonely at the Top: By the end of Caesar, Tommy has alienated everyone who was ever close to him, and winds up bleeding out in a ruined apartment complex. | |
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What Happened to the Mouse? | |
| Black Caesar / int_863fa679 | comment |
What Happened to the Mouse?: Tommy's daughter, who was brought to the Gibbs household by Big Papa. Tommy disappears with his son at the end of Harlem, and never mentions her again. | |
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Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil | |
| Black Caesar / int_8a817c2a | comment |
Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: For most of the first act, the narrative sides with Tommy, making his accomplishments look awesome, and he comes across as a charismatic Anti-Hero. This comes to a screeching halt after his rape of Helen shortly after their marriage - one which she didn't even want. From this point forward, Tommy is shown as a sociopathic monster far worse than the antagonists he offed throughout the first act. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
| Black Caesar / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: Jack Mckinney, a corrupt police officer who goes on to become captain of the Harlem precinct, is the main antagonist of the first film and Tommy's nemesis, after having crippled him as a teenager. | |
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Gambit Roulette | |
| Black Caesar / int_987be393 | comment |
Gambit Roulette: Tommy's plan in the first film hinges on many different factors, including his knowledge of the criminal underworld, his ability to score a meeting with the local Mafia heads, and a significant amount of patience and planning. Naturally, it all goes off without a hitch. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_a7850fbf | type |
Only Known by Their Nickname | |
| Black Caesar / int_a7850fbf | comment |
Only Known by Their Nickname: Tommy's father becomes known as "Big Papa", who rules the Harlem crime scene with an iron fist. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_ad1db87c | type |
Oh, Crap! | |
| Black Caesar / int_ad1db87c | comment |
Oh, Crap!: In the sequel, the Mafia leaders on the Caribbean island once they realize that Tommy and his gang of assault troops (and several of the maids who were apparently trusted staff members) are massacring everyone on the island. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_ad9fbc1e | type |
Pyrrhic Victory | |
| Black Caesar / int_ad9fbc1e | comment |
Pyrrhic Victory: It takes 17 years, but at the end of the film, Tommy finally takes revenge on and kills the racist cop who crippled him in his youth. All it cost him was the destruction of his marriage, the respect of his mother, any chance of a relationship with his father, the death of his best friend, the descent of his other best friend into narcissistic religious insanity, and his life. | |
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Just Between You and Me | |
| Black Caesar / int_b26cc887 | comment |
Just Between You and Me: The final confrontation between Tommy and Diangelo in the sequel. | |
| Black Caesar / int_b26cc887 | featureApplicability |
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Time-Compression Montage | |
| Black Caesar / int_be272a3 | comment |
Time-Compression Montage: Over James Brown's "The Boss" in Caesar, as Tommy takes control of various criminal elements. | |
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Brief Accent Imitation | |
| Black Caesar / int_be6f7ae7 | comment |
Brief Accent Imitation: During his first meeting with Cardoza (a Mafia leader), Tommy orders a bowl of pasta using a perfect Sicilian accent. | |
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Big Applesauce | |
| Black Caesar / int_beb932ca | comment |
Big Applesauce: The original plays it straight, while the sequel subverts this by being set in Los Angeles for part of the film. | |
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| Black Caesar / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
| Black Caesar / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: In Public Enemy's "Burn Hollywood Burn" from Fear of a Black Planet, which is a Take That! towards racist Hollywood movies, Big Daddy Kane is heard saying "Yo, I've got Black Caesar back at the crib", indicating that Larry Cohen's independent film starring Fred Williamson (considered a classic of the Blaxploitation genre) is a more dignified portrayal of black characters, as it doesn't feature its black cast being denigrated to butlers, slaves or "jigaboos". | |
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Roaring Rampage of Revenge | |
| Black Caesar / int_ceec4df5 | comment |
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The ending of Harlem, as Tommy faces off against his turncoat lieutenant, the District Attorney and their associated henchmen. | |
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Badass Longcoat | |
| Black Caesar / int_d01cffbc | comment |
Badass Longcoat: Big Papa's fur coat. | |
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Unusually Uninteresting Sight | |
| Black Caesar / int_d99a228f | comment |
Unusually Uninteresting Sight: In the opening of Harlem, both Tommy and the henchman who shoots him commit serious offenses in broad daylight. The opening sequence ends with Tommy sneaking up behind the henchman - smack-dab in the middle of Times Square - and strangling him to death as people walk by without reacting. | |
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Ear Ache | |
| Black Caesar / int_dc292b90 | comment |
Ear Ache: Tommy kills a Mafia informant and cuts off his ear, then presents it to one of the family heads at a restaurant. | |
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Miscarriage of Justice | |
| Black Caesar / int_ddeaea82 | comment |
Miscarriage of Justice: At the start of Caesar, a young Tommy is recruited as a runner by corrupt cop McKinley. However, when the cop finds less money in the package than he was expecting, he shatters Tommy's leg and then tags him with multiple false charges, ensuring Tommy spends the rest of his childhood in jail. Tommy never forgets this. | |
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Blackface | |
| Black Caesar / int_e796ce97 | comment |
Blackface: Used deliberately in Caesar: Tommy smears shoe polish on the face of the policeman who crippled him when he was younger, and forces him to sing a song before beating him to death with a shoe-shine box. | |
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Dirty Cop | |
| Black Caesar / int_eb251937 | comment |
Dirty Cop | |
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| Black Caesar / int_eb81c601 | type |
Big Damn Heroes | |
| Black Caesar / int_eb81c601 | comment |
Big Damn Heroes: In the sequel, Diangelo takes Tommy's father up to the roof of a skyscraper and gloats at him before leaving his underlings to finish the job. Mr. Gibbs fights back and defeats both henchman before coming face-to-face with another man who has a gun trained on him. Mr. Gibbs looks resigned to death...and then Tommy's lieutenant Zach blows the henchman away from offscreen while a funky musical cue plays. | |
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Chase Fight | |
| Black Caesar / int_f0e21c67 | comment |
Chase Fight: Tommy and Zach in the sequel, as they follow each other on separate airplanes bound from LAX to Laguardia (punctuated with a fight between Tommy and a henchman aboard a plane) and then getting into a fight throughout the terminal. | |
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Black Caesar |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| Black Caesar | hasFeature |
African-American Media / int_7c59a7e2 | |
| Black Caesar | seeAlso |
Black Caesar | |
| Black Caesar | hasFeature |
Blaxploitation / int_7c59a7e2 | |
| Black Caesar | hasFeature |
Brief Accent Imitation / int_7c59a7e2 | |
| Black Caesar | hasFeature |
Hollywood Healing / int_7c59a7e2 | |
| Black Caesar | hasFeature |
Shoe Shine, Mister? / int_7c59a7e2 | |
| Black Caesar | hasFeature |
Looping Lines / int_7c59a7e2 |
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