Shaft

Gordon Parks (director)
Ernest Tidyman (novel, screenwriter)
John D.F. Black (screenwriter)
Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi (starring)

Beverly Hills, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM], 1971. Vintage reference photograph of director Gordon Parks on the set of the 1971 film. Stamp and mimeo snipe of Sun Magazine and The Salt Lake Tribune on the verso, along with a printed label noting use by "Celebrity Cookbook," dated June 20, 1971.

Based on the 1970 novel by Ernest Tidyman. One of the best and most enduring films of the early 1970s, and no surprise, with director/photographer/cinematographer extraordinaire Gordon Parks at the helm, an Oscar-winning soundtrack by Isaac Hayes, and a magnetic performance by Richard Roundtree. This film, and Melvin Van Peebles' "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" (1971), set the standard for what would become "blaxploitation," a genre highly stylized, violent, and (most importantly) funky. Followed by "Shaft's Big Score!" (1972) and "Shaft in Africa" (1973).

Shot on location in New York.

8 x 10 inches. Near Fine.

National Film Registry. Grant US. Spicer US Neo-Noir.
Howard, Blaxploitation Cinema, p. 7, 10-11, 13, 23, 28, 38, 46, 48, 72, 188.


[Book #154512]