Pénitencier

Following on Fanaka's promising first film "Emma May", with its strong feminist and community themes, this second, more commercially successful feature is a distinct disappointment belonging, as it does, in the entryway to the Museum Of Standard Prison Pics (somewhere between "The Green Mile" and "Papillon") and whose biggest lesson appears to be that what is to be most feared by African Americans about incarceration is bad acting. Solid C.

Surprise, surprise blaxpo fans the movie that started off the penitentiary series is available. No, it's not the one with Mr. T (penitentiary II) or that horrible one with the midget. (penintiary III) This is the one with the original too sweet, half dead and seldom seen. Despite the fact this movie is the epitome of low budget, try to find the boom mike in some scenes.

This remains one of my favorite cult films. The cinemetography is pretty good. The fight between Too sweet and Half dead is particularly interesting. The use of the Wide angle lenses to give the viewer a distorted view. And the way some characters address the camera. Look were not talking Citizen Knae here, but it still is interesting.

That's not what impresses me most about this movie. It's the fact it transends the usual blacksploitation stereotypes. They are still there but also there is also a lot of truth within it's characterizations. Seldom seen character is no caricature he's a real. (He plays too sweet's trainer.) I was amazed at how realistic his portrayal of an institutionalized convict was. We really get to understand him and why he does what he does. Another interesting thing about this movie is the character half dead (Badja Djola) was hilarious. (You want some Mr. goodbar) You might remember him from the dozens of movies she's appeared in afterward (a rage in harlem, mississippi burning and other films) I also liked the fact that this was funny (mostly) but it also contained moments of dead seriousness. If you are any kind of fan of blacksploitation movies, or cult movies in general check this one out. If you can find it.

"Penitentiary" is definitely a superior prison/boxing movie. It has a low budget, but like any good low-budget movie, it turns this into a strength, not a drawback. You don't miss what the money could have afforded. The lack of multiple locations, fancy camera angles and stunt-doubles just brings you closer to the action.

The actors are all superior, as is the direction. Fanaka made creative use of close-ups, slow motion, hand held cameras, and all this while still in film school.

The movie is considered "blaxploitation", though I think that great exploitation sub-genre was pretty much over by '79. The movie does have a predominantly African-American cast, but the usual themes of the sub-genre, such as racism and the cynical exploitation of black people by whites, is not really the focus here. The most powerful white guy in the movie, the warden, is even depicted as a good man in the end.

Of all the performances, aside from Kennedy - who carries the movie - the greatest is probably Floyd Chatman as a lifer who has plenty of wisdom but can't face life on the outside. He looks like a black Colonel Sanders, or perhaps a wise koala bear.

The movie also has a sensitive attitude toward one infamous subject - prison rape, which along with everything else, elevates it above simple "prison movie" or "exploitation flick" status.

I say check it out.

You will never see a more realistic portrayal of life in prison, than in this absolutely brilliant film from 1979. Raw, gritty, seedy, violent and desperate; this is the world that Martel Gordone (Leon Isaac Kennedy) is thrown into when he is caught in "the wrong place at the wrong time." In an environment of violent, and sometimes insane men, and no women, the new inmates must prove themselves quickly, or become someone's "boy." Prison politics are explored realistically in this unbelievably entertaining prison tour-de-force, as we get to know some unforgettable characters; 'Half Dead,' the insane alpha monkey, missing half his teeth and half his mind, with a desire to dominate everyone around him. He is the cellmate of Martel "Too Sweet," who must fend off this human tornado in a jaw dropping, claustrophobic fight to the death in a small prison cell. In order for Too Sweet to survive, he joins the prison boxing club, and meets up with 'Seldom Seen,' a white haired old-timer who, after spending 50 plus years inside, has completely given up on the outside world. 'Seldom' becomes his trainer. Too Sweet also befriends Eugene 'Genie' Lawson, a younger "newbie" whose integrity is also threatened, and who must also prove his strength and worth. This boxing club and this prison is filled with some of the most unforgettable people you will ever see. The character development in "Penitentiary" is so strong, that you will feel like you know these guys personally, to the point where you care about their fates. Director Jamaa Fanaka achieves a perfect balance of jaw dropping action/fight sequences, hilarious comedy, drama that is sincere and realistic, and then adds an element of surreal atmosphere that is hard to describe. There is another great prison film that is considered a genre classic; Jonathon Demme's WIP outing "Caged Heat." Well, "Penitentiary" is the "bastard half-brother" of that movie. It is also one of the finest independent films ever made; this is true, renegade film-making. I cannot recommend it enough, to fans of prison films, cult films, art-house or movies in general.

A man is wrongly imprisoned for murder. While in the penitentiary he gets involved in a boxing competition that the prison hosts.

Penitentiary is a somewhat odd blaxploitation movie. It seems to be a curious mix of realism and ridiculousness. While on the one hand, the idea of a prison boxing competition where the male and female inmates can get together is a very silly idea. But on the other hand, the movie also deals with issues of institutionalisation and the tone overall is often quite sombre. So it's a strange combination. It has to be said though that the best moment is the excellent fight scene between the hero and his psychotic cell mate. It's a pretty ferocious and exciting affair and I suppose just emphasises that Penitentiary is definitely a fight film over and above anything else.

This is definitely a good example of its type. It's certainly not a typical prison drama though that's for sure. It even spawned a couple of sequels that recycled the same idea to ever more ridiculous extents. It's certainly one of the least likely franchises you could imagine.