Book of Numbers (film)

There is a distinct difference between the two main characters and how they approach racism, interactions with whites and activism. Blueboy is from the older generation who works within inherent prejudices and discrimination to manipulate and evade confrontation, but also to succeed. When Dave argues that Blueboy's courtroom behavior made the white people think they were fools, Blueboy states in the film, "Son, what they think don't matter. Don't you know having the crackers' respect don't mean we ain't one bit less nigger to them?!" However, Dave, who is young and proud, argues that they should fight and stand up for their dignity in the face of racism. "And you call being reduced to nothing 'foolin em'? Crackers ain't that crazy. Now I can see fighting them and losing 'em, but what you done ... ?!" The relationship between the two main characters are that of father and son, as Blueboy explains, "Dave, do you think I'm proud of what I done? You think I've been proud all my life of having to bow my head and 'Tom.' Just so as I could survive. Son, I did what I done today for you. For you youngins. 'Cause you youngins got to carry on the good fight. Me? My kind, we're finished. But you can't do it behind bars."[1] Blueboy's intention is to tactically avoid imprisonment by using the ignorance of the white judge and pretend to be a bumbling black stereotype. This method is echoed in other films, such as Blazing Saddles (1974). Donald Bogle writes, "The latter presented audiences with a new-style coon: a coon with a double consciousness. Here in this uneven but wildly energetic spoof on Westerns, Cleavon Little plays a black man who shows up in a white (and hostile) Old West community. As the town's new sheriff, he knows the only way he'll survive is by playing the role of a dumb black nigger; he does precisely that and is able not only to survive but to triumph too."[8] Conversely, in Book of Numbers, Dave is proud of creating a business independent of any white interference, and is willing to fight to maintain their success. By the end of the film, after Blueboy's death, Dave decides he will mimic Blueboy's tactics to manipulate the oppressive, racist system and attempt to evade conviction.

One theme of the film is the use of illegal or criminal activity for the black characters to achieve financial independence in a white-dominated Depression Era southern community. The two characters, Dave and Blueboy, transition from positions of servitude as professional waiters, to positions of leadership and influence as controllers of the numbers racket. This success and wealth quickly spreads to their numerous employees and can be seen visually through costume and set changes. When they first arrive in town, they meet with several black men, all dressed in shabby clothing and overalls. After enlisting them to help with their enterprise, everyone can be seen wearing fine suits and hats in later scenes, and they can afford to purchase a large home with numerous recreation rooms. A principal statement of the source material for the film is that black people were not afforded enough economic opportunities to truly achieve the American Dream, and thus in order for there to be black wealth, there had to be crime.[9] But the director's objective for the film was not to glorify crime, rather to show a part of the community that offered financial hope and independence.[10]

Playwright and professor of literature at Emerson College, Jabari Asim, writes, "Dave, a young man with a nose for cash, and Blueboy, a 'born professional if ever there was one,' have few legitimate avenues open to them. It is this lamentable absence of opportunity that makes numbers banking 'the only business in America that was open to every enterprising Negro.' Their success – and the creativity and intelligence they must utilize to attain it – make the pair prototypical 'race men,' figures in black whose rise invigorates the community that bears witness to their climb. To many of the scrambling regulars of the Block, Blueboy and Dave are antiheroes in the best possible sense, doing for self and kind without appearing to bow and scrape before 'the Man.'"[2]

Similar to other blaxploitation films, there is also the presence of the mafia. The rival gang that tries to muscle in on the protagonists' community is run by a white mafia boss, Luis Antoine, who has hired a black lieutenant, Gaines. In the first scene with Antoine, he is in a naked in a bathtub giving orders to Gaines, who is standing in a suit. The positioning and costuming of this scene indicate the racial power structure between the two villains.

Additionally, there is a corrupt white police force that robs from black characters with impunity. In an early scene, Blip Blip (C. L. Williams) is pulled over by a white cop for speeding, only to accept a bribe but demand everything in his wallet. When the police raid the salon, they take all the cash for themselves, leaving only a graffiti wall as evidence for the courtroom. While the black characters only find true wealth and success through the numbers operation, the white characters profit mainly from robbing the black community.