Review of Mahogany (1975) by Adrian S — 29 Aug 2015

I guess when this movie was released it was unthinkable that a black woman could become a super model. Iman was just breaking into the runway scene, and Naomi Campbell was still a twinkle in her mother's eye. This movie has the superficial feel of movies of the time, and was probably rejected by critics because it didn't follow the 'Blaxploitation' formula of the day but instead dared to put a black women as the lead for a script written for young white girls and their dreams of being a famous fashion model in Paris and Rome.

True, some of the acting and lines are cringe-worthy, but the fantasy of going to Europe and becoming famous was so infectious that it motivated me to dream of doing the same (and fueled my personal memory-laden hitch-hiking journey throughout Europe in the late 1980s).

This is a fun-filled trip of the funky times of the 70s and complemented the disco movement, bell-bottoms pants, bright fruit colors, Afros, you name it. A comfortable world I visit regularly when I need a feel-good lift. And the ending scene is a great lip-syncing moment to re-enact over and over and over again!!

And 'Mahogany', "you've got my vote!".