Top Of The Heap, d. Christopher St. John (1972)
In hindsight, the Blaxploitation era was mixed blessing, not
least because of the somewhat limited opportunities given to black stars and
directors to express themselves outside of a narrow range of crime and action
tropes. Christopher St John*, however, bucked the trend by writing, producing,
directing and starring in Top Of The Heap, proving once and for all that
disjointed and self-indulgent self-discovery art films were not just the
preserve of well-heeled white directors.
St John plays a Washington cop struggling with rage and relationships
and his place in the world as a ‘black pig’. His everyday grind is supplemented
by fantasy sequences in which he plays an astronaut, a political activist, and
a back to basics naturist. It’s a strange film with some unusual sequences but, ultimately, is neither
interesting or compelling enough to make up for a basic lack of point.
* Not his real name.
