Boss Nigger
Encyclopedia
Boss Nigger is a 1975 blaxploitation
film directed by Jack Arnold. It stars former football player Fred Williamson
, who both wrote
and co-produced
the film. Boss Nigger is the first film for which Williamson was credited as screenwriter or producer.
Boss Nigger was released in some areas under the title The Boss or The Black Bounty Killer. A DVD release of Boss Nigger, simply titled Boss, was released in 2008.
bounty hunter
s, "Boss Nigger" and Amos (Williamson
and D'Urville Martin
), ride into a small Western
town in pursuit of fugitive
Jed Clayton (William Smith
). When they discover that the town has no sheriff
, "Boss Nigger" takes that position for himself after outsmarting the cowardly white mayor
(R.G. Armstrong).
of The New York Times
described Boss Nigger as "a pleasant surprise if you stumble upon it without warning." Canby characterized Williamson's acting as "an immensely self-assured parody
of the Man With No Name
played by Clint Eastwood
in Sergio Leone's
films
."
Canby concluded his review by highlighting what made Boss Nigger notable among Black Westerns
:
the violent roles he had played in other blaxploitation films. The review noted that Boss Nigger was notable for its "old-fashioned bloodless violence." The film, however, does contain blood as a result of violence.
Writing in 2006, film critic Ryan Diduck described the marketing of Boss Nigger and other blaxploitation films to black audiences as an example of "empowerment
through an overturned representation of long-established agency limitations for black men." Diduck specifically cited the trailer
for Boss Nigger for the manner in which it elicits feelings of black superiority and white hysteria and encourages the audience to identify with the outsider hero
who finds himself at odds with the rules of white America.
Boss Nigger. Smith, who is white, said that he never felt any racial tension, despite the fact that production took place during the height of the Black Power movement
. He went on to describe the making of the film:
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film directed by Jack Arnold. It stars former football player Fred Williamson
Fred Williamson
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s.-Football career:...
, who both wrote
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
and co-produced
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
the film. Boss Nigger is the first film for which Williamson was credited as screenwriter or producer.
Boss Nigger was released in some areas under the title The Boss or The Black Bounty Killer. A DVD release of Boss Nigger, simply titled Boss, was released in 2008.
Plot
Two BlackAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
bounty hunter
Bounty hunter
A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a monetary reward . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include bail enforcement agent and fugitive recovery agent.-Laws in the U.S.:...
s, "Boss Nigger" and Amos (Williamson
Fred Williamson
Fred "The Hammer" Williamson is an American actor, architect, and former professional American football defensive back who played mainly in the American Football League during the 1960s.-Football career:...
and D'Urville Martin
D'Urville Martin
D'Urville Martin was an American actor and director in both film and television. He appeared with regularity in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre of films. He also appeared in the first two pilots of what would become All in the Family as Lionel, the role later played by Mike Evans...
), ride into a small Western
American Old West
The American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
town in pursuit of fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
Jed Clayton (William Smith
William Smith (actor)
William Smith is an American actor who has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions.Smith began his acting career at the age of 8 in 1942...
). When they discover that the town has no sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
, "Boss Nigger" takes that position for himself after outsmarting the cowardly white mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
(R.G. Armstrong).
Initial release
On its initial release, Vincent CanbyVincent Canby
Vincent Canby was an American film critic who became the chief film critic for The New York Times in 1969 and reviewed more than 1000 films during his tenure there.-Life and career:...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described Boss Nigger as "a pleasant surprise if you stumble upon it without warning." Canby characterized Williamson's acting as "an immensely self-assured parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of the Man With No Name
Man with No Name
The man with no name is a stock character in Western films, but the term usually applies specifically to the character played by Clint Eastwood in Sergio Leone's "Dollars Trilogy."...
played by Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
in Sergio Leone's
Sergio Leone
Sergio Leone was an Italian film director, producer and screenwriter most associated with the "Spaghetti Western" genre.Leone's film-making style includes juxtaposing extreme close-up shots with lengthy long shots...
films
Spaghetti Western
Spaghetti Western, also known as Italo-Western, is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western films that emerged in the mid-1960s in the wake of Sergio Leone's unique and much copied film-making style and international box-office success, so named by American critics because most were produced and...
."
Canby concluded his review by highlighting what made Boss Nigger notable among Black Westerns
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
:
Later critics
In its review of Boss Nigger, written in 2007, Time Out suggested that Williamson was parodyingSelf-parody
A self-parody is a parody of oneself or one's own work. As an artist accomplishes it by imitating his or her own characteristics, a self-parody is potentially difficult to distinguish from especially characteristic productions .Sometimes critics use the...
the violent roles he had played in other blaxploitation films. The review noted that Boss Nigger was notable for its "old-fashioned bloodless violence." The film, however, does contain blood as a result of violence.
Writing in 2006, film critic Ryan Diduck described the marketing of Boss Nigger and other blaxploitation films to black audiences as an example of "empowerment
Empowerment
Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities...
through an overturned representation of long-established agency limitations for black men." Diduck specifically cited the trailer
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
for Boss Nigger for the manner in which it elicits feelings of black superiority and white hysteria and encourages the audience to identify with the outsider hero
Romantic hero
The Romantic hero is a literary archetype referring to a character that rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and has the self as the center of his or her own existence. The Romantic hero is often the protagonist in the literary work and there is a primary focus...
who finds himself at odds with the rules of white America.
William Smith on Boss Nigger
In a 1998 interview, Smith spoke of his experience filmingPrincipal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
Boss Nigger. Smith, who is white, said that he never felt any racial tension, despite the fact that production took place during the height of the Black Power movement
Black Power
Black Power is a political slogan and a name for various associated ideologies. It is used in the movement among people of Black African descent throughout the world, though primarily by African Americans in the United States...
. He went on to describe the making of the film: