Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema: The Spook Who Sat by the Door (1973)

The Spook Who Sat by the Door

Sunday January 19th 2014, Movie night, Can Dialectics Break Bricks Cinema by Jeffrey Babcock. The Spook Who Sat by the Door, 1973, directed by Ivan Dixon, 102 minutes, in English. Door opens at 8pm, film begins at 9pm.

Talking about a volatile film! Someone should have made Obama watch this black-power thriller before he got into office! This cult classic was driven underground immediately after it was made… and the studios have kept the negatives locked in a vault for over 30 years. It is only now, after all these decades, that this seminal black power movie can properly be seen for the first time.

Why all the hassle? This film was obviously too hot for the studios to handle. In the 1970s the Black Power movement in America was a serious threat to the establishment… and then here comes along this movie which depicts the story of a “negro officer” who is enlisted into the CIA to learn their tactics of war, only to return back to Chicago to train a gang of urban “freedom fighters”. Its a searing depiction of black life of the 70s, and it packs one hell of a wallop. I guess its clear that this will be a very rare projection of this forgotten cinematic treasure.

Film night at Joe’s Garage, warm and cozy cinema! Doors open at 8pm, film begins at 9pm, free entrance. You want to play a movie, let us know: joe [at] squat [dot] net