Serpent noir

Made one year before ILSA, SHE-WOLF OF THE SS, BLACKSNAKE could have easily been called SUSAN, SHE-WOLF OF THE PLANTATION and it probably inspired the producers behind the Nazi sexploitation epics to go ahead with their more infamous films because the stories are identical: a gorgeous, horny, head strong (but stupid) blonde woman degrades and kills many people under her control, whom all hate her and want her dead. Sounds familiar? Director Russ Meyer and David Friedman, the producer behind the ILSA flicks, are good friends and they started their careers together. So, obviously, there's a connection there. Looking at BLACKSNAKE, I can't help but think that Russ Meyer wanted to move on and do something else than his typical busty women epics because XXX movies were all the rage during the mid 1970s, and Russ Meyer films, though filled with nudity and kinkiness and violence, were never even close to real porn. His films started to look positively quaint next to DEEP THROAT and other hard-core porno blockbusters. Meyer knew he couldn't compete with such films and BLACKSNAKE is sorta the end result of such a quandary in his career. He obviously wanted to branch out into different uncharted territory. But BLACKSNAKE bombed at the B.O. and Meyer quickly returned to making VIXEN type of films that, even if they still weren't pornographic, they were most definitely more over-the-top than any of his previous films.

It's no wonder BLACKSNAKE was a B.O. failure. It's just terrible. Trash-o-rama. Jaw-droppingly bad. It's a quasi-campy take on slavery, if you can imagine that. The end result is jarring. One minute, we're in typical Meyer territory: exuberant, playful and silly, and then the next minute, super serious meditation on slavery and violence. Huh? It just doesn't work. The slavery/racism aspect is woefully mishandled and veers this movie in the true exploitation category. But BLACKSNAKE is not as sleazy as ILSA SHE WOLF OF THE SS and those kind of films, so I imagine fans of the latter were disappointed by it, which would explain the almost lack of interest in this movie from either exploitation fans or Russ Meyer fans. Meyer blames the failure of BLACKSNAKE because, and I quote, "It didn't have enough breasts in it." Well, I'm sorry Russ, but the film is just bad, breast or no breasts. But he's right though about the low breast quota. Except for Anouska and the maid, the film's cast is male. Meyer replaces his usual bevy of buxom babes with throng of hunks with massive pecs, in the form of anonymous black actors playing the slaves and the big David (Darth Vader) Prowse. And with Anouska's right hand man around, who is portrayed as a ruthless but clever gay man who enjoys the power he has over the men, one can only wonder what Meyer was really trying to create here.

BLACKSNAKE stars David Warbeck, who is lusted after by Anouska and her right hand man. Poor David. He looks totally befuddled by the whole experience. He did seem to have fun making the movie but you can clearly see that, at times, he has no idea what's going on. And then there's Anouska Hempel. She's a beautiful woman...for the 1970s, not the 1870s. With her makeup and hair, she looks like a typical 1970s Brit pin-up babe than a turn of the century dominatrix. And her wardrobe is hilarious. At one time, she actually unzips her leather boots! I didn't know they had zippers in those days. But the character she plays is, in itself, really degrading (no pun intended). She's nothing but a cipher to the object of lust and scorn of every men (and that woman) on the island. For example, one night, when David and Anouska are getting it on, her annoying slave driver walks in the room, knocks David unconscious and tries to rape her, groping her savagely. The next day, the slave driver is still working for Anouska and the two act as if nothing had happened. It's totally ludicrous. Under any circumstance, had her character been a real person, Anouska would have whipped the slave driver senseless and kicked his butt off the island. Or even killed him. But the fact that the woman keeps him on her plantation after he tried to rape her is stretching the flimsy story and characters' credulity to the max.

Ridiculous details like this, and the thoroughly startling blaxploitation angle makes BLACKSNAKE a strangely unpleasant but watchable movie. Watchable in the train wreck variety. I just couldn't help but watch the film for the utter baseless aspects of it all (the excellent cinematography sorta makes it easier to watch). So, this being an exploitation film, I guess it succeeded in doing what it was supposed to do. But BLACKSNAKE is mainly for Russ Meyer completists.

Operating under the firm belief that his brother has been murdered by his evil wife, "Sir Charles Walker" (David Warbeck) decides to travel to the Caribbean Island which "Lady Susan Walker" (Anouska Hempel) has turned into a slave plantation. However, since he needs proof before he can press charges he assumes the new name of "Ronald Sopwith" and goes there under the pretense of being her new bookkeeper. When he gets there he is horrified to discover how cruel the slaves are being treated by not only her but also her Irish foreman "Joxer Tierney" (Percy Herbert) and the man in charge of her security, "Captain Raymond Daladier" (Bernard Boston). He also learns that when they are not whipping the slaves their main occupation seems to be in satisfying their carnal desires. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie I will just say that this picture wasn't too bad as far as "blaxploitation" films go. A couple of criticisms I have concerned the longest intro I have seen in quite a while, a very weak ending synopsis and the lack of substance concerning the character development which caused all of them to seem rather one-dimensional. That being the case, this is certainly not the best film in the genre and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly below average.

'Black Snake' marked Russ Meyer's return to self-financed independent movies after short contract with 20th Century Fox which spawned two films. 'Black Snake' was also Meyers only experiment in Blaxploitation subgenre and it served, as the author himself said, his statement film about racial bigotry. But returning into independent film territory didn't mean return into top form. 'Black Snake' stays far behind from Meyer's best works. The film is not unwatchable as Meyer's energetic directing style and dynamic editing helps to carry the movie along with vigorous pace.

Shot in location of Barbados 'Black Snake' tells a story that takes place in 1835 at the time of colonial slavery. Charles Walker (David Warbeck) travels to San Cristobal Island to search his missing brother Jonathan. Posing as a bookkeeper, Charles arrives at Blackmoor Plantation ruled by disgustingly cruel and ruthless mistress Lady Susan (Anouska Hempel) who loves to torture men (white and black). Small clues are starting to point that Lady Susan who was briefly married to Jonathan might have killed the man.

Gorgeously photographed trashy period film about slavery that definitely offers some thrills to the fans of director and the genre.

I had to watch this film because the plot was so outrageous and the film lived up to expectations. In fact it makes for quite uncomfortable viewing at times. Unlike other Meyer films, the sexual antics are down to a minimum. Some of the scenes of violence are unnecessarily gratuitous and offensive. The plot is chaotic and some of the acting and lines are dreadful.

The film is a strange combination of sado-masochistic fantasy combined with a window of the brutality and immorality of the slavery and fails on all counts. It's as though Meyer was trying to make up for the sexploitation/ blackploitation by having a higher moral message. Meyer knows we feel a bit guilty about getting turned on by the blatant dominatrix connotations of the early scene showing Lady Susan wielding a whip in a provocative outfit. He then tries to steer back to the righteous path by turning it into a film about the triumph of good over evil. However, because they cancel each other out, you end up with nothing.

Because it so bad in so many ways, it is actually worth watching if you appreciate the art of making an awful film in the worst possible taste. Perhaps, because it is so bad, we almost let Meyer get away with the unacceptable.

I recently watched Black Snake (1973) on Facebook. The storyline takes place on a slave plantation in the Caribbean during the 1830s, at the height of the spice trade. An uprising is inevitable, but the organizers face resistance from other slaves, must infiltrate the recently weakened plantation leadership by any means necessary, and execute their plan flawlessly if they hope to escape.

This picture is directed by Russ Meyer (Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!) and stars Tura Satana (The Astro-Zombies), Susan Bernard (The Killing Kind), Stuart Lancaster (Edward Scissorhands), and Haji (Motorpsycho).

The film is uneven but fun to watch unfold. The costumes, settings, and sets do a great job of pulling you into the era, while the background music fits the genre perfectly. The cast delivers solid performances, and the leading ladies are stunning. There are only one to two topless scenes-less than I expected-and a few rough sequences, including an intense whipping scene. The corpse effects are handled well, and the ending delivers a spot-on message.

In conclusion, Black Snake is a unique period piece that isn't great, but has just enough substance to hold your attention. I would score it a 5.5/10.