Back in the day, the ideal Black Woman for me would have possessed the face of Tamara Dobson and the form of Azzi Johari. Anyone who has ever seen Ms. Dobson on the covers of JET, EBONY or ESSENCE magazine will know what I'm talking about. Even as a model for these publications, she generated tremendous charisma and spiritual sensitivity. Those looking for a lady to assume the role of The Black Madonna or The Mother of the Universe would find this Amazon more than willing and able to fill such shoes. Azzi Johari, whom Sammy Davis Junior had a 'thing' for, could have easily qualified for a role as a Black Delilah. Just one glance at her would convince you that she could sap the strength of Samson without ever even cutting his hair. Likewise, with her comely figure alluringly nested in the center of PLAYBOY magazine, you could imagine what a challenge it would be to overcome pornography.
All of us who loved Tamara for the way she captivated our imaginations, were rooting for her to one day appear on the Silver Screen. When she finally did in a movie of her own, we watched her kick a whole lot of tail just like we knew she would. John Shaft might have seen himself as a black version of Sam Spade, but Tamara Dobson as Cleopatra Jones was a whole other order of being entirely. You don't even see her at first, making her way with Queenly gait, flanked between an honor guard of Military personnel. But even in this opening scene, you can feel her presence before you lay eyes on her. She seems to descend to Earth like one of the Orishas, a spirit intermediating in the affairs of men. The feminine swagger tells you should you be looking for a future Madame President, seek no further. Now, no matter what comes afterward, we're jumping into the cut with Cleopatra and going all the way.
What does follow is a mix of James Bond heroics mixed with the camp of the BATMAN television series. But Cleopatra Jones misses nary a step down the runway of Life or breaks a nail. Attired in a series of beautiful costumes, she seems to swoop down and alight into a scene rather than enter from stage right or stage left. The humorous thing to note is how she appears to be arriving from a much better movie. The character she plays might be better suited for an episode of Star Wars or a prequel of the LORD OF THE RINGS. But blaxploitation will not live to see the dawn of that day.
All the characters in the narrative are attractive and intriguing even when they are not that likable. Their interactions with Queen Cleopatra, thanks to the screenplay of Max Julien and Sheldon Keller, proves to be witty and engaging fun. We get to see Brenda Sykes at the start of her career as Tiffany, the singer girlfriend of the incomparable Antonio Fargas as Doodlebug. Doodlebug is the scheming henchman of the main villain of the story, the Drug Empress Mommy, as played with screeching gusto by Shelly Winters. Bernie Casey is Cleopatra's main squeeze and is cold as ice. He only heats up in a love scene with her, but otherwise shows he has her back. Albert Popwell and Caro Kenyatta as the brothers Matthew and Melvin Johnson trade one-liners as though they were playing tennis. We also get to see Esther Rolle from the television series 'GOOD TIMES', in a feel good cameo that demonstrates how the Lady Jones has close ties with every segment of the Black community.
Director Jack Starrett keeps the action popping' and fast paced. Writers Max Julien and Sheldon Keller pretty much soft pedal the messages between the chop socky and the car chases. Shelley Winters is just trying to help out, but is so over-the-top as the Drug Queen Mommy, it feels like she searching for The Penguin and The Joker in the next episode of the TV series BATMAN. That's an interesting thing about this film. Cleopatra Jones is a female action hero, but I find myself comparing her to Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, or Adam West more than Lynda Carter, Lucy Lawless or Gal Gadot.
I guess that's what happens when you're six foot two inches of bad Mamma Jamma...
There should have been at least a half a dozen of these adventures for Cleopatra Jones, as the first two films were hits with the public and at the box office. But it is fair to say that the regal dignity of a Tamara Dobson might have been too far ahead of its time. After all, there may be only so many roles available for a visiting Orisha navigating between the narrative conventions of James Bond, Batman and Dirty Harry for a safe way through the Middle Passage back home...
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