Claudine (1974)

This is one of my favorite movies. Very black, but in the seventies, which is aesthetic, but not blaxploitation. Or wait, is it? Well probably most black movies are blaxploitation. We're not there yet in terms of having movies with black people in it without exploiting them, and we sure weren't there in 1974 when Claudine dropped. But at least there aren't any pimps in this movie, or Antonio Fargas. Don't get me wrong, I'm into that Black Power porn parody mess, but I prefer a movie like Claudine, that kitchen sinky sort of slice of life shit. It's easier to stomach, and less shitty lol. 

So yeah this is a bit blaxploity. Because Claudine is like a welfare mommy. But I feel the exploitative nature is kind of...mmmm diluted by Diahann? Really, the whole cast, who is sooo good. But especially Diahann, who is classy as shit. I don't know Diahann like that, she could be a ratchet mess, but she comes across as very with class, and I live for a classy broad. Especially a classy black broad. It's just...my ultimate aesthetic. It's my favorite thing. Boùgie, if you will. I mean, real bougie. Not some fake, I have thirteen Coach bags and some earrings not from Tiffany in a Tiffany box bougie. Real, I sleep on cotton sheets with such a high thread count they feel like silk but they aren't silk because silk is tacky which I know because I have class, and which you don't know, because you are trash bougie. That kind. Love it.

So I live for this classy broad playing, I guess, trash. Well, not really. But welfare moms are perceived as trash, I think, by the majority. And then also I know it's problematic of me to be like I LOVE THIS CLASSY RICH WOMAN PLAYING THIS POOR, GARBAGE WOMAN. As if an actual welfare mother would ever have the chance to star in a fucking movie that depicted her actual life, but I digress. 

Diahann really makes Claudine sympathetic, and beautiful and rude and warm and charismatic. It's not some one-note gutterbutt mess where she's just bitching about being poor and black. It's a very well-rounded performance with some added White Diamonds panache which I feel is needed for this kind of stereotypical role. To kind of...change the image of the welfare mom. Though I think some people will argue how we need to not care about trying to make stereotypes about black people look softer or better or more palatable or whatever. But I disagree because a lot of stereotypes are ugly and I don't like ugly. I like pretty, and making things nicer. Though I do like some rough ass, Mo'Nique in Precious type of shit from time to time, I prefer the Claudines. 

How am I feeling about the lightskint garbageman lover boy played by James Earl Jones? This is the first movie I saw where...James wasn't like old. Or doing the voice of Mufasa. The first time I watched this I was like...okay James can maybe get it? I mean, no. But maybe?? :/

I like that Roop is just some regular nigga. He kind of has stereotypical ideas. I feel it would've been real easy to slide a coon up into the slot of the male love interest, or a hotep, which is pretty much the same shit. But Roop is just some nigga who slings garbage tryna make a living, who needs him the love of a good woman lol. It's completely problematic that he doesn't see his kids, but that's real. At least while he's there with Claudine he's kind of looking out for hers? Let's ignore his like ex-wifeys or whatever who are like UMMMMM?? They're off-screen so it doesn't matter :/

Roop is mad problematic tho because he just dipped?? Lol um let's ignore that, because honestly this whole movie is problematic. Like Claudine tearing her daughter's ass up because she found out she was pregnant? Um, well, no offense Claudine, but if you were watching your kids maybe they wouldn't have their loose asses all out in these streetz like that? Like no shade, but you deserve to be beat for being a hypocrite? Like how many kids do you have? What are you - 36 or some shit in the movie with an eighteen year old?? *sips tea* 

But again, real.

Let's talk about Claudine's zesty, black panther son, Charles. Doing the most the whole movie. You know what? I wish this shit was a TV show. Not now lol. They would completely destroy this shit trying too hard. Let fucking Lee Daniels' wannabe house nigga ass develop it or some shit, No. NO. NO. But I wish this had been done as a series back in the seventies. A lot of shows about black family life I see from the seventies, look...like something I don't want to see lol. Just, no. Like Good Times? Hell...hell no lol. Just no. But if Claudine had been a series I'dda lapped that shit up. This some good shit you could really stretch out. But at least it exists in movie form, which is great, so watch it.