Review of Black Joy

Introduction

I guess, in a way, you might claim that `Black Joy` was the first (and possibly last) British Blaxploitation movie. It has a really cool 1970`s soul - reggae soundtrack, and a plot that could be seen as a less high octane paralell with a movie like `Across 110th Street` with its narrative featuring the struggles of a recent immigrant trying to make good.

But this film is pure Brit - from the grainy stock to the period location shots of Brixton`s Coldharbour Lane.
Though I hadn`t requested this disc from Reviewer Towers, by some curious divination it made its way to me in any case, and I was very pleased it did. I`d spent a great deal of time in the hood in `79 when a friend got a flat on the other end of that long street, in Camberwell. Though this film was made some two years prior to that it was quite a thrill to see the period footage of an area that is almost unrecognisable as the Brixton of today.

From the outset this film set itself apart from the cheesy output of a failing British Film Industry of the time with a great screenplay and a superb cast well able to bring this subtle tale to fruition. This cast included some of the best TV actors of the time; Norman Beaton, Trevor Thomas, Floella Benjamin, Paul Medford, Dawn Hope and Oscar James.

Based on a play (`Dark Days and Light Nights` by Jamal Ali), `Black Joy` is a somewhat ironic title in that there is little joy for a native Guaynan youth, the grandly named Benjamin Ignatius Samuel Jones (Trevor Thomas) when he arrives in London with high expectations. Greeted by suspicious customs officers at Heathrow, who explore more of his personal details than any human should put up with, he makes his way to an address given to him by a relative back home. As he makes his way into Brixton at the fag-end of the seventies, it`s clear that this isn`t going to be the big life improvement he had hoped for. Teaming up with a small jamaican child who offers to help him find the place recommended, his luck takes a turn for the worst when the streetwise urchin relieves him of much of his money.

He soon meets up with a Caribbean chancer Dave (Norman Beaton) who is sheer dynamite as a fast-talking work-shy trickster with a big toothy smile.
Despite being taken advantage of again and again, Jones soon awakens from the naïve `country bwoy` attitudes of his religious upbringing, and learns how to fight his corner. In a sense, this is what the movies about - man`s incredible adaptability. Despite being a film set against deprivation, it actually has a very positive undercurrent in keeping with the general vibes of Brixton at the time.

Whilst they`re unlikely friends, Dave and Jones end up sharing a flat together and Dave ends up taking the innocent Jones on a rites of passage to seedy Soho, as well as a trip to the seaside that results in a short-lived romance.

Of course there will be those who find the trite stereotyping of the key characters disturbing, but personally I think the merits far outweigh the critique - and in the end, this film is not only entertaining, but is a lesson in, well, `joy`. Because despite an impossible run of bad luck, there`s still plenty of joy to be found for those prepared to make the effort.

Video

In truth, this is a less than perfect print with distinct signs of wear and tear throughout. But this is a movie that would have attracted a relatively small audience on its release, and potentially an even smaller audience now so I don`t think we should gripe too much. It`s a wonderful thing that companies like Fremantle do - releasing these long-lost treasures despite there being a very limited market for them. To expect the big budget clean-up on them is unrealistic, and I for one would rather have access to the movies in found condition than not at all. The actual transfer is fine with no signs of degenerative digital artefacting.

Audio

The music that sits at the back of the soundtrack is sheer magic - ranging from reggae greats and seventies soul. Genrally the sound is pretty good, especially given that so much was location shot with little or no post-dubbing.

Features

Just a trailer to help convince your partner or flat-mates that this is a film worth watching.

Conclusion

Every now and then the voracious programme of DVD re-releases will unearth a hidden gem that passed you by on release and has been little spoken about since. `Black Joy` is such a movie - particularly satisfying for anyone who will enjoy seeing so many Brixton exteriors from 1977.

The movie itself is a good adaptation of a little known play with some magical performances from an excellent cast. Norman Beaton is the stand-out here - a ball of comical energy with a smile so wide that he gets away with just about everything.

The film itself suffers a little from being a budget production - with wideshots lingering for a little longer than maybe a Director with a bigger budget might have liked. But the high drama, mixed with liberal doses of great humour and wonderful period music make this a real pleasure. Recommended.