Shaft (1971). Photofest.
(Gordon Parks, US 1971, 100 min., 35mm)
Already an established photographer, musician, and writer, Gordon Parks turned to filmmaking in the late 1960s. He first adapted his own semi-autobiographical novel The Learning Tree for the screen, taking the reins as director. His next film changed the landscape of cinema. Looking to cash in on the detective genre that was popular at the time, and with a little James Bond thrown in for good measure, Parks wanted to make a crowd-pleasing action film with a Black man as its hero. Shaft (Richard Roundtree) is a New York City private detective drawn into a kidnapping case by Harlem gangster Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn). Shaft takes the case but is wary of police involvement and ultimately gets involved in a turf war that requires him to take action. Parks’s photographic eye captures the city without adornment while Isaac Hayes’s unforgettable score propels the on-screen action, resulting in Hayes becoming the first Black composer to receive an Academy Award. Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger all about? You’re damn right.