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Holistic Guidance - Shaft (1971)
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $4.49
Your Save: $ 10.46 ( 70% )
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Starring: Victor Arnold (II), Dominic Barto, Sherri Brewer, Drew Bundini Brown, Charles Cioffi
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780792839965
Format: Color
ISBN: 079283996X
Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: MGM (Video & DVD)
Release Date: 1999-01-05
Running Time: 98
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Theatrical Release Date: 1971-07-02
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Editorial Reviews:
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Gordon Parks (The Learning Tree) directed this 1971 detective story about John Shaft (Richard Roundtree), an African American private eye who has a rocky relationship with cops, an even rockier one with Harlem gangsters, and a healthy sex life. The script finds Shaft tracking down the kidnapped daughter of a black mobster, but the pleasure of the film is the sum of its attitude, Roundtree's uncompromising performance, and the thrilling, Oscar-winning score by Isaac Hayes. Parks seems fond of certain detective genre clichés (e.g., the hero walking into his low-rent office and finding a hood waiting to talk with him), but he and Roundtree make those moments their own. Shaft had a couple of sequels and a follow-up television series, but none had the impact this movie did. --Tom Keogh
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: SHAFT
Comment: They say this cat Shaft is a BAD MOTHER........I can dig it, and you will to....
Customer Rating:
Summary: Cool Music
Comment: Shaft DVD
As far as I know Shaft broke new ground as a movie starring a black man in 1971. Shaft was the perfect example of a rogue cop, taking orders from no one and tracking down the crooks no matter where they hid in the city.
Recommended for fans of Richard Roundtree and quality jazz.
Gunner February, 2008
Customer Rating:
Summary: Be There or Be Square
Comment: ...Nothing is more funky then this Groovy film, which has been said to be the beginning of the blaxploitation genre. John Shaft is the man, and no one knows but his woman, as he tries to find the truth behind things, and mind you as whitey always tries to bring him down. Now, if I were you, I'd stay the soul-loving person you are, and stay away from the Jive Turkey re-make in 2000. Which although holds a wonderful characterization of the last man on Earth who you can still call "COOL"; Samuel L. Jackson, but, it still plays only as a mind-bender compared to the first film. In short, Shaft is like a James Bond movie, only with a cool character who is more human. The only thing bad about Shaft, is that IT IS dated.
Customer Rating:
Summary: We can dig it
Comment: Though it holds up surprisingly well over thirty years later, "Shaft" isn't so much worth watching for its quality as for its historical importance. African-Americans were just barely starting to get the respect they deserved, and mild-mannered, "respectable" blacks like Sidney Poitier had begun appearing in films like "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and, with a little harder edge, in "In the Heat of the Night." Then, in 1971, "Shaft" bursts on the scene. Its protagonist is a street-smart black detective who doesn't take any crap, and frankly doesn't care what any white boys think of him. The film is shot as though being black was normal, a viewpoint many found hard to grasp back then. Considering what it was flinging at audiences, it's surprising "Shaft" didn't cause more of an outroar.
Instead, "Shaft" was a hit with audiences of all colors. The "Theme from Shaft," highlighting Isaac Hayes' funky soundtrack, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Richard Roundtree's clever, wisecracking loner detective recalled the likes of Philip Marlowe and Sam Slade and soon joined them in the annals of cinema. After all, Shaft was one bad motha(shut your mouth): tough, charismatic, and a big hit with the ladies. The director was Gordon Parks, fresh off his success with "The Learning Tree," where he had become the first African-American to direct a major studio feature. Parks fluctuated between in-your-face action and gritty street scenes, with the pacing of an old mystery film. He wasn't afraid to show conflict between blacks and whites, but he did so with a sensibility that ensured little offensiveness.
"Shaft" is a well-made movie. The most impressive scene may be the shoot 'em up finish. Refreshingly, and true to the film's attitude, there's no "clean-up" or "sorting it all out" after the climax - Shaft takes out the bad guys, does his job, and the movie's over, baby. Audiences took to Shaft enough to bring him back, though, for two sequels and a TV series, as well as a remake at the start of the 21st century. Most importantly, "Shaft" created its own genre: "blaxpoitation," hard-hitting thrillers with a ghetto setting and a mean black hero. The blaxpoitation phenomenon had died down by the end of the 70s, but all these years later, "Shaft" is still right on.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Shaft was a little limp
Comment: I purchased this DVD because I love Gordon Parks' work and had not seen the film. I don't know how it faired when it came out but by todays standards it left a lot to be desired. I believe it was one of the first films with a black director. Considering all the wonderful things the man has done, I guess he is entitled to do something that wasn't great. Be sure to see Learning Tree and read his books.
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