...when film distributors get their hands on someone else's creation, and take a hatchet to it, you get "Black Fist." Even the title was changed. Originally called "Bogard," this was a hard hitting character study of a desperate man who turns to bare knuckle fighting matches to survive in a world that had no use for an uneducated and poor black man. Actor Richard Lawson radiates a certain sex appeal and a strong screen presence as Leroy Fisk, the guy that can't be knocked down by anyone or anything. His fighting skills soon get him noticed by a corrupt, mafia-like syndicate of bad guys, determined to make money off of him, and the harder he tries to break free of them, the tighter their hold on him becomes. The boxing business has always been a shady one, and the fact that bare knuckle street fighting is completely illegal, make the situation even worse. The plot has been described in other reviews, so I will just comment on the quality of this Grindhouse gem, which offers everything you would want from the genre. Violent, gritty, sordid and sexed up movie that has no shortage of action as well as drama. "Black Fist" also has this atmospheric quality that is similar to a film called "Penitentiary," another Grindhouse gem that deals with similar subject matter. But what happened to the original print of this film? "Bogard" played briefly in select theaters in 1975, and almost immediately vanished from the face of the Earth soon after. The few people who were lucky enough to catch it in the theaters, seem to remember the movie fondly. Indeed this is a hard one to forget, even in it's altered form. Several years later the movie resurfaced, only with a new name, and minus a lot of scenes that were both controversial and essential to the plot. There were even some new scenes added that were NOT in the original cut, as apparently the producers were trying to create a product that was more commercial, hoping to make some money off the now vandalized "Bogard." Not surprisingly, It didn't work. So the movie once again receded into obscurity. These days it can be found on very poor quality dvd's from disreputable distributors who are unconcerned with quality and just want to make a dollar. This disgraceful practice has been utilized before, and after "Bogard." Another fantastic art house/blaxploitation masterpiece by the name of "Ganja & Hess," was apparently too "art house" and not enough "blaxploitation" for it's distributors, so the movie was cut and the plot was changed, and, basically ruined because of greed. And in the 90's a film called "54" suffered a similar fate, when the distributors at Miramax thought that film was too sleazy and sordid, not considering the fact that a film about the notorious nightclub 'Studio 54' could be anything other than sleazy and sordid. so they cut half the movie out and forced the director to re -shoot the other half. The reworked film was a complete failure as well. Thankfully movie fans are now getting the opportunity to see these ruined films in their original form, with the advent of Blu Ray technology. And fans of "Bogard" should be thrilled to know that, as of this writing, one such Blu Ray label is working on the restoration of "Bogard." Recently the missing reels have been found and it is only a matter of time before we can see "Bogard" in it's original glory. Apparently the entire subplot that dealt with an interracial relationship was cut out, as that subject was still considered too controversial for audiences of the time. The sex scenes were surprisingly graphic as well, enough to earn the film the 'X' rating. Another scene resembling a modern day "slave auction" was cut, among some other scenes. Anyway this fan will be among the first in line to pick up that Blu Ray whenever it hits the shelves. As the standards of Hollywood continue to decline, and the quality of new releases gets worse with every passing year, I think it will become a trend for people to look to forgotten movies of the past, for their entertainment. This explains the new trend of restoring and releasing forgotten or lost films from decades past. There is a growing interest in movies of the past, and "Bogard" is one film that is due for rediscovery..
