Shaft (1971)

                “Who’s the black private dick who’s a sex machine to all the chicks?...Shaft!”  The opening lyric of Gordon Parks’ Shaft certainly sets the viewer up with high expectations for the film’s hero.  This film, the second in a string of popular blaxploitation films from the early 70’s, allowed African Americans of the time to see themselves in a new light.  Prior to the release of Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, it was rare for one to see a black actor in a prominent role.  As Apollo Movie Guide’s review states, it was “an era when portrayals of blacks regularly consisted of servants and sidekicks”, adhering to the “mammy”, “coon and “Uncle Tom” stereotypes that been prevalent in the past.  Shaft, then, is revolutionary, not only for film itself, but also among its blaxploitative peers.  Blaxploitation places blacks in the primary roles of a film, if not the majority of roles, but it still generally provides a negative portrayal of its protagonists.  In most such films, the protagonists are drug dealers, gang bangers, and pimps.  While Shaft also has such a portrayal in Bumpy Jonas, the gangster who hires Private Investigator John Shaft to retrieve his kidnapped daughter, Shaft is the main character and is notably on the right side of the law, among his many other attributes.

                One of the first things that the viewer learns about Shaft is that he is savvy in almost every sense of the word.  Not only does he dress sharply (or what I would assume to be sharply from my limited knowledge of 70’s fashion), but he is friendly with people throughout the city including a man at the newspaper stand, one in the shoe shine parlor, and even a police lieutenant who gets in contact with him in order to ask for help.  His connections and obvious knowledge of his surroundings help the viewer to realize exactly what kind of man he is.  Shortly after the opening scenes, Shaft meets with gangster Bumpy Jonas to discuss a job.  The fact that a person in a position of so much power comes specifically to Shaft further alerts us of his reputation.  Bumpy makes a point of choosing Shaft, and mentions the fact that he is black as a particular qualification.  This again brings to mind one of the themes of the film.  The genre of blaxploitation itself, of course addresses racism, and elements such as this remind the viewer of its prevalence and importance, especially at the time the films were made.  Another such moment in Shaft, as addressed by Baadasssss Cinema, occurs when Shaft attempts to hail a taxi.  The cab stops for him, but pulls forward to accept a white fare instead, leaving Shaft to wait for the next taxi to come by.  According to an interviewee in Baadasssss Cinema, this moment is one which truly helps black audience members to identify with Shaft because they, too, have experienced such discrimination.

                In addition to Shaft’s many professional attributes, he is also an enviable person.  His apparent good looks earn him one bedmate (and probably many more) in addition to the woman who appears to be his steady girlfriend.  His self-exalted sexual prowess further contributes to the interesting character.  In fact, the name “Shaft” itself certainly seems to refer to this.  In addition to this aspect of his machismo, Shaft is tough.  After he is shot in his right shoulder and sprains his wrist on the same side, Shaft continues to use the hand, dialing and using a phone, as if nothing had happened.  The average person, of course, would completely avoid the movement of their arm if that had happened to them, and whether it was an oversight on the part of the film’s staff or not, Shaft pulls through his pain and immediately leaves to continue work on his assignment.  Despite the highly admirable portrayal of Shaft, Elspeth Haughton comments in her review that “Although Parks dispels film conventions of blacks as miscreants, he simultaneously underlines other stereotypes like the sanctimonious cop, flamboyant queer bartender, and stolid suit-wearing Italians.  While Parks was most likely focused on the portrayal of blacks in the film, it is important to recognize that he may have overlooked his own portrayals.  Whether Parks intended to stereotype others in order to further exalt Shaft or not, he somewhat hypocritically succeeds in upholding stereotypes for other minority groups.

                One other possible criticism in Shaft that was noted in the review was the pace.  It seems that Parks spent a bit more time on his initial portrayal of the protagonist than on the development of the plotline.  The beginning of the film moves slowly; the audience is unaware of who exactly the bad guy is for quite some time.  Unlike Sergio Leone’s use of this tactic in Once Upon a Time in the West, Parks is unsuccessful in drawing the viewer into the film by suspense.  It is not until the montage sequence of Shaft’s inquiries into the whereabouts of Ben Buford that the viewer engages in the film.  Once the audience has trudged through all of the introductions, though, the film is action-packed.  From Shaft’s initial meeting with Buford straight through to the end, the film draws the viewer in, keeping them on the edges of their seats, waiting to see what Shaft will do next.  Perhaps the most effective filming technique that Parks uses is his expert utilization of parallel editing at the very end.  The camera cuts back and forth between Shaft, members of Buford’s gang, and the Italian mobsters.  This alerts the audience of what is taking place, as well as making their hearts race with the sheer speed and suspense of the scene.

                “Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about?”  By the end of the film, if any member of the audience had any doubts, they know without question that the answer to this is Shaft.  There is no doubt at all that Shaft is to be looked up to and respected, making this film perhaps the best blaxploitation film for its extremely positive portrayal.  He defies stereotypes and should be looked up to.  Parks brings something new to the theater for black audiences to enjoy and aspire to, something that they never had before this genre came to be.