Dolemite [DVD] [1975]

Rudy Ray Moore, Jerry Jones. An African-American stand-up comedian performs in comedy clubs that are being plagued by gangsters with a talent for karate. 1975/color/88 min/R.

For a movie that is the very definition of low production values, the Xenon Entertainment Group actually saw fit to include some supplemental material on this disc. In recent years the Dolemite films have regained some measure of cult popularity, and star Rudy Ray Moore is regarded as a legend in many circles (he is credited as being the "Godfather of Rap," among other things); therefore, this release makes an attempt to present at least some background material and clean up the film in the process. In addition to a chapter selection screen, you'll find a section entitled "documentary" which is in essence a collection of three clips from the documentary The Legend of Dolemite. These provide background information on Moore as well as the creation of the Dolemite character; they feature interviews with Moore and several prominent members of the hip-hop community who credit Moore as a major influence. The disc also contains a "Trailers" section (featured here are the original Dolemite theatrical trailer, as well as the trailers for The Legend of Dolemite and Shaolin Dolemite). The disc contains a text-based biography of Moore and transcriptions of lyrics from two of his most popular routines, "Shine and the Great Titanic" and "The Signafying [sic] Monkey." Features such as this, while not exactly overwhelming, are proof that the disc's producers have a certain measure of respect for the source material. Especially impressive is the care put into the film's restoration. Even those who remember its theatrical run have never seen it look this good -- virtually all graininess has been removed from the print and the colors are as vibrant as they can be for filmstock originally developed in 1975. The only visual shortcomings are those inherent in the original photography. The sound is a weak 1.0 mono but, again, most of its flaws are due to a poor source recording.