This statement further highlights both Shaft's sexual prowess and his misogynist actions. Gordon Park's directorial debut of a major entertainment production was set on a course for an appreciation of comparisons. Tom Jones - She's a Lady Theme From 'Shaft' was the #6 song in 1971 in the Pop charts. The Professor says, "Shut your mouth! On the TV show Seinfeld, Shaft is reported to be Elaine's favorite movie. Shop Vinyl and CDs and complete your Isaac Hayes collection. Shaft was a big hit for MGM, earning $13 million at the box office (on a budget of $500,000) and securing a Best Original Song Oscar for Isaac Hayes' now-legendary title song. [3] The song is considered by some to be one of the first disco songs.[4][5]. "[26] Vincent Canby of The New York Times called it "the first good Saturday night movie I've seen in years ... 'Shaft' is not a great film, but it's very entertaining. [11] Critics, however, believed the plot was not altered enough to accommodate the change in racial dynamics. One way that Shaft's blackness was showcased was through his attire. The "Theme from Shaft" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and has appeared on multiple Top 100 lists, including AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs. In the Black Power movement, leaders ardently fought to gain greater presence and control for their people, because even after desegregation, African Americans were still greatly excluded from the economic, political, and cultural systems engrained in white American society. "While he ha[d] a black girlfriend, which would satisfy the expectations of cultural nationalism, he is not above sleeping around and having random sex with attractive white women. 1971 American film directed by Gordon Parks, Calendar in Shaft's office shows January 1971. Their sexist views were felt to be a reaction to the hierarchical power structure already prevalent in society. French musician Malik Adouane recorded an, This page was last edited on 14 February 2021, at 17:22. "Under the devious guise of providing the Black American with a new and positive image of his/her life, these films confer upon the viewer, Black or White, little more than a pretended glamour and sophistication, the empty, repetitive wasteland of ancient Hollywood traditionalism. [11] "When it hit so big I was in severe disbelief ..." he later reflected. 13 hit in the UK Singles Chart in 1985. We're like Batman and Shaft! However, it is probably apocryphal. He sold the movie rights to Shaft by showing the galley proofs to the studio (the novel had not yet been published). "[28] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it "a diverting commercial thriller, inconsequential but slick and casually enjoyable. View the TCMDb entry for Shaft (1971) share video. âTheme from Shaftâ was released September 30, 1971 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as #2 on the Billboard Soul Singles chart. However, the film presented the black nationalists as a group that failed to further the black cause, raised no awareness of the black struggle, and displayed them simply as a hired team of assailants to assist Shaft on his mission. "[12] In one scene, Shaft's girlfriend told him that she loves him, and Shaft memorably responded with "Yeah, I know." "[citation needed]. "Mark Reid, for example, argues that Shaft is a product of the (white) studio imagination and merely a 'black-skinned replica' of the white action hero commonly found in the detective genre."[13]. Shaft replies, "You're gonna have to close it yourself" then hangs up the phone and walks away laughing. Shaft's plan resembles a military commando-style operation. Richard Roundtree was the only person to ever play John Shaft, appearing in all four films and the television series. In the Mystery Science Theater 3000 presentation of Mitchell, Joel and the robots perform a variation of Isaac Hayes' "Shaft" theme during that film's opening credits. The theme song, composed and performed by Isaac Hayes, became a popular hit and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. "[13] From the very beginning of the film, Shaft's sexuality was highlighted as an important characteristic of his persona. Hayes immediately defends himself by replying "I'm talking about Shaft", with the back-up vocalists replying, "We can dig it." Industrial knowledge had it that what would be the first of the Clint Eastwood Dirty Harry productions was slated for a 1971 release. [8] Guitarist Charles Pitts' wah-wah effect was common in 1970s funk; the riff had originally been written for an unfinished Stax song. But the perception is black against white to the general public, with the possibility of an escalation into full-blown race war. At the age of 29, he It was produced at a cost of $1.2 million while earning $10.8 million in its first year of distribution,[12] $7 million in the U.S. Once there, a gunfight ensues during which two Mafia hoods are killed and Shaft takes a bullet in the shoulder. The Shaft soundtrack, a double album with mostly instrumentals, also hit #1 in America, topping the chart on November 20. / You're damn right / Who is the man / That would risk his neck for his brother man? âHot Buttered Soulâ (1969), âThe Isaac Hayes Movementâ (1970) and âBlack Mosesâ (1971)â works that featured exploratory musical outings with songs that often ran for more than 15 minutes. [20] Commenting on the film shortly after its release, New York Times movie critic Vincent Canby accurately predicted the wave of blaxploitation films to follow: "How audiences react, however, has a great deal to do with the kind of movies that do get made, and having watched the extraordinary receptions given to both Sweet Sweetback and Shaft I'm led to wonder if, perhaps, the existence of what seems to be a large, hungry, black movie audienceâan audience whose experiences and interests are treated mostly in token fashion by TVâmight not be one of the more healthy and exciting developments on the current movie scene." Melvin Van Peebles claimed that the success of his film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song caused Shaft to be changed from a "white movie" into a "black one". Can you dig it? In an analysis of Shaft, Stanly Corkin stated, "Further, the reception of the idea of blackness also becomes various, defined by any number of subject positions, and again, those cannot be fixed to any particular racially defined place of origin." Arnold, Gary (June 30, 1971). "Then when it won an Academy Award â it won Best Song, but the album was also nominated for Best Soundtrack â I was in a state of shock. Shaft initially had two sequels called Shaft's Big Score! "[29], Other critics like Clayton Riley mainly found fault in the films' failure to "deal with Black life in serious terms,"[19] writing that "Sam Spade is all right for the field hands because the White folks don't want to carry that weight any more. alone. The rescue plan is successful. This story has been told several times by director Melvin Van Peebles. The opening sixteenth-note hi-hat ride pattern, played by Willie Hall, was drawn from a break on Otis Redding's "Try a Little Tenderness", a Stax record on which Hayes had played. 1971.Shaft.720p Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.6.3. plus-circle Add Review. Also, after a white woman slept with Shaft, she told him, "You're pretty good in the sack, but you're pretty shitty afterwards. "[13], After production, in an effort to entice a large black audience to see the film, MGM hired UniWorld, a black advertising firm, who "popularized Shaft by using the rhetoric of black power. The list on this page is for all #1 hit Pop singles for 1971 using proprietary methods. Yes, as the song would say âShaft is a bad motherâ¦â The movie was an affirmation of black masculinity and provided an African American hero when both were in short supply in a racist American society. In the episode "Fists of Furry" of Eek! MGM put their full faith behind Parks, long before the unexpected underground success of Sweetback, and it paid off in being one of the few MGM films to turn a profit in 1971. This Month. "Instead of laying out a series of lengthy, chilled-out raps and jams, the episodic nature of a movie structure obliged him to focus on shorter instrumentals, featuring laid-back, jazz-infused riffs and solos. [46] In August 2017, it was revealed that Richard Roundtree and Samuel L. Jackson would reprise their roles from previous films, and Jessie T. Usher portraying the son of John Shaft II (Jackson). This emphasis on the male effort to improve black life was accompanied by sexist beliefs by many leading activists. [12] "The Shaft theme became so popular that it was heard everywhere, from nightclubs to halftime at football games." I remembered a guitar line I had in a tune I'd never used, got it off the shelf and had our guitarist play it exactly the same, but with a wah-wah. The inclusion of a group so strongly identified with the Black Power movement was clearly an effort to appeal to black audience members. At the beginning of the film, Shaft was approached by two police officers seeking information. Nominee Oscar: Best Music, Original Dramatic Score Isaac Hayes: Golden Globes, USA 1972 Winner Golden Globe: Best Original Score - Motion Picture Isaac Hayes: Nominee Hayes recorded the rhythm parts on the theme first, scored the entire rest of the film, then returned to the theme song. Songs On Screen Shaft (1971) Introduction and comments following Shaft, 1971, with TCM s Dave Karger and guest Chris Isaak. "[30] Riley also harshly stated, "Mediocre is the only word to describe the work of Gordon Parks, the director of this nonsense, inept is the kindest thing to say about the performances of Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, a Black private eye on the prowl for kicks in the Big Apple underworld. See. Other well-known passages include "You're damn right!" In the Simpsons episode One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish, Bart and Lisa sing Isaac Hayes' theme song to the film at a karaoke bar.[48]. [4] The Shaft soundtrack album, recorded by Isaac Hayes, was also a success, winning a Grammy Award for Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture and a second Grammy that he shared with Johnny Allen for Best Instrumental Arrangement. Showing all 26 items. "[27] In a review for The Monthly Film Bulletin, Nigel Andrews called it "in the main a highly workmanlike and enjoyable thriller. A noticeable quality of Roundtree's character was his commanding presence and the control that he displayed in almost every situation he faced throughout the film. At the police station, Shaft lies to Lt. Androzzi and the detective assigned to the second gangster's death, by saying that the man was in an "accident". [21] According to Variety by 1976 it earned $7.656 million in theatrical rentals. Shaft was adapted from Ernest Tidyman's novels by Tidyman and screenwriter John D. F. Black. [8], In 1972, Hayes performed "Theme from Shaft" as part of the Academy Awards ceremony in his signature chain mail vest, but accepted the Academy Award for Best Original Song later that night wearing a tuxedo. The theme was released as a single (shortened and edited from the longer album version) two months after the movie's soundtrack by Stax Records' Enterprise label. In the creation of Shaft, there was a significant African-American presence, with director Parks, editor Hugh A. Robertson, and musical composer Isaac Hayes playing crucial roles. Audio commentary track for, Isaac Hayes winning an Oscar® for "Shaft", The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1971, "The Greatest Songs Ever! Shaft was depicted as a character that had achieved a high level of personal freedom, confidence, and control in his life, which was exciting for African American viewers. MGM was struggling financially during the making of this film, so making a profitable film was a necessity. Shaft is walking across the street and a car almost hits him and he flips off the driver. "Theme from Shaft" went to number two on the Billboard Soul Singles chart (behind "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" by Marvin Gaye) and to number one on the Billboard Hot 100in the United States in Nove⦠Since different representations of race appeal to different people, the film's white creators fabricated its representation of blackness in order to appeal to African American and white audiences alike. Shaft greatly impacted future blaxploitation films which "crudely tried to emulate the success of Shaft and Sweetback, repeated, filled in, or exaggerated the ingredients of the Blaxploitation formula, which usually consisted of a pimp, gangster, or their baleful female counterparts, violently acting out a revenge or retribution motif against corrupt whites in the romanticized confines of the ghetto or inner city. Comment below with facts and trivia about the song and we may include it in our song facts! ", to which the elevator operator replies, "I'm just talkin' 'bout the shaft! As the others get away in the remaining cabs, Shaft walks to a phone booth to call Vic. "[12], The film was one of only three profitable movies that year for MGM, grossing what Time magazine called an "astonishing" $13 million on a budget of $500,000. [11], In February 2015, TheWrap reported that Shaft would be rebooted by New Line Cinema with John Davis producing the new film. Shaft Lyrics: Shaft / Who's the black private dick / That's a sex machine to all the chicks? In Good Eats, Alton Brown performs a parody of the film's theme song about puff pastry. Shaft pretends to be a bartender and calls the police to have the mobsters arrested. "[24] Gene Siskel awarded two stars out of four and wrote that the film "offers little more than a rousing opening fight and a chance to see Roundtree glower while he models some fancy leather outfits. Police Lt. Vic Androzzi meets Shaft and unsuccessfully tries to get information from him on the two gangsters. In Desperate Housewives, Richard Roundtree appears as a private detective. Shaft later goes to the police station to set a meeting to find where Bumpy's daughter is being held captive. The core rhythm for the tune, the springboard for the whole soundtrack, we'd cut in under two hours."[9]. A prime example of the blaxploitation genre,[5][6][7][8][9] it was selected in 2000 for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.". Jump to: Director ... after the success of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971), the film was rewritten and recast as a blaxploitation movie. The song was considered very racy for its time. Listen to trailer music, OST, original score, and the full list of popular songs in the film. (1971) "Theme from Shaft" (1971) Isaac Hayes first recorded the song for his 1971 album Black Moses. Jesse Jackson and the Stax staff dedicated the win to the black community at an Operation PUSH rally. Vic begs Shaft to explain what's going on, although Vic already knows Bumpy is looking for Shaft. [37], The film's score was also selected as a possible candidate for AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores. The name of his agency, seen on a newspaper ad, is "Hafts", an anagram for Shaft. Released as a single on September 30, 1971, "Theme from Shaft" rocketed up the charts, slamming into #1 on the Hot 100 for the week of November 20, 1971. In this scene, Shaft was parting ways with two white officers and one asks him, "Where are you going?" He also shows Shaft some pictures of two of the Mafia men who just arrived in New York. [13] "Equally important, Riley points out that the narratives about, and images of, blacks in these new films are no more than thematic templates reworked with black casts and updated stereotypes that reconfirm white expectations of blacks and serve to repress and delay the awakening of any real political consciousness."[12]. Shaft tells Ben to round up his men and meet him at the hotel where Marcy has been taken, to prepare to get her back. For the song "Theme from Shaft". It was filmed in Harlem, Greenwich Village, and Times Square within the Manhattan borough of New York City. Good Job keeping this video from being taken down. [50], In the Futurama movie Bender's Game, the elevator operator opens the door and says, "Maintenance shaft service!" The weakness of 'Shaft,' I suspect, is that Parks is not very eager to inhabit that world along with his hero. The song was also well received by adult audiences, reaching number six on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. Shaft was described as a legendary "sex machine", and this dominance over females was presented as an instrument of power. A lot of lighter moments. Shaft's economic independence was a crucial part of his persona. "[41] For example, from the 'Theme from Shaft,' "The instrumental section, played by the Bar Kays and Movement, deploys pulsating bass, stuttering wah-wah guitar, Hayes's own distinctive piano playing, a descending four-note horn motif, ascending flute runs and the now famous Pearl and Dean-style blasts of brass and strings. After tracking down Ben Buford as Bumpy suggested, a shootout ensues; Shaft is told by Androzzi after the shooting that Shaft himself, and not Ben, was the target, and that tensions brewing between the uptown hoods belonging to Bumpy Jonas and the downtown Mafiosi have culminated in a couple of murders. The filming of Shaft partly in the neighborhood of Harlem also allowed the black viewer to have a deeper connection to this film. In 2000, Hayes told National Public Radio that he had only agreed to write and record the Shaft score after the film's producer, Joel Freeman, promised him an audition for the lead role, which was taken by a then-unknown Richard Roundtree. The synthesized keyboard is played by Hayes. "[10], When asked at the 2014 Virginia Film Festival how it felt to be cast as Shaft, Richard Roundtree responded that he had been extremely excited about the part at the time. And the movie was groundbreaking as well. He also had a beautiful apartment located in Greenwich Village, where rent would have been expensive. Some of the actions taken by Shaft highlighted the positive aspects of this movement, while others brought out some of its less progressive facets. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there a second week. [1] The theme was released as a single (shortened and edited from the longer album version) two months after the movie's soundtrack by Stax Records' Enterprise label. [15] In fact, filming of Shaft began in January 1971, several months before the release of Van Peebles' film, with Roundtree already confirmed in the lead role. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shaft_(1971_film)&oldid=1007528149, Films about African-American organized crime, Films that won the Best Original Song Academy Award, United States National Film Registry films, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from January 2020, All articles needing additional references, Articles to be expanded from November 2014, Articles that may contain original research from May 2016, Wikipedia articles with style issues from May 2016, Articles with trivia sections from May 2019, Articles needing more detailed references, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2017, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-LCCN identifiers, Srpskohrvatski / ÑÑпÑкоÑ
ÑваÑÑки, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 February 2021, at 16:30. They tested me by giving me the opening scene â footage of Shaft coming out of the subway â to take away and see how I got on. "Because of the film's positioning securely within the parameters of industry standards, Shaft was generally applauded by the critics both black and white, as being a breakthrough production in terms of expanding black representation in commercial cinema. [38], The character John Shaft was considered a possible candidate for AFI's 100 Yearsâ¦100 Heroes and Villains. The album mostly consists of instrumentals composed by Hayes as score for the film. Shaft is a double album by Isaac Hayes, recorded for Stax Records ' Enterprise label as the soundtrack LP for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 's 1971 blaxploitation film Shaft. Even on the edited single version, the intro lasts for more than one and a half minutes before any vocals are heard. In January 1971,[Note 1] John Shaft, a private detective, is informed that some gangsters are looking for him. List of #1 Pop Singles for 1971. Within two months, it hit No. Shaft hit big screens across the country in the summer of 1971. Shaft was studio produced and had a pretty decent budget of just a bit over a million dollars. Shaft informs Vic as a result of the rescue there will be a huge mess to fix between the uptown crew and the mob in the near future. Shaft was "stylistically racialized: [He] wears clothes and affects manners that are associated with being black". Joel Freeman and executive producers Stirling Silliphant and Roger Lewis produced the film. (Guerrero 1993) Hayes was also nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Original Dramatic Score and for Best Original Song with the 'Theme from Shaft.'. He forces the first gangster into his office where the second gangster is waiting. The website's "Critics Consensus" quotes the movie's opening song: "This is the man that would risk his neck for his brother, man. It held the top spot for two weeks before it was dethroned by Sly & the Family Stone's "Family Affair" on December 3, 1971. Shaft surmises that mobsters are watching his apartment from a local bar. Excellent cast, headed by newcomer Richard Roundtree, may shock some audiences with a heavy dose of candid dialog and situation. Soon following, Frank Sinatra's Tony Rome (1967), The Detective (1968), Lady in Cement (1968) further set the quality. Find all 31 songs in Shaft (1971) Soundtrack, with scene descriptions. 4 in the UK Singles Chart. In general, the film was applauded for its innovation, success, and its lasting effect on the film industry. The screen detective genre in the late 1960s had been dominated by the big movies, big stars. Tidyman was honored by the NAACP for his work on the Shaft movies and books. The earlier sequels were followed by a short-lived 1973â1974 television series titled Shaft on CBS.