Shaft wasn't just a debut.It was an announcement. In the same way that moviessuch as Easy...
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Shaft wasn't just a debut.
It was an announcement. In the same way that movies
such as Easy Rider screamed, "This is the '60s," Shaft laid down a count of funk
and urban panache that said this was the 1970s. That a private eye didn't have to look
like he slept in his clothes or hid from view. The newness and audacity
of a camera following a Black man in a leather coat through Manhattan. A private eye, dressed like a combination of a revolutionary
and director Gordon Parks, as the sizzle of the hi-hat
cranked up the audience. The camera wasn't spying on the star. It was staring at him. This combination forever altered
the course of movies, right down to coming from a studio that was long known for delivering product
about an ideal America that framed straight hair and blue eyes
as the standard of beauty. Shaft, "sex machine for all the chicks,"
ain't nobody said that about a brother
It was an announcement. In the same way that movies
such as Easy Rider screamed, "This is the '60s," Shaft laid down a count of funk
and urban panache that said this was the 1970s. That a private eye didn't have to look
like he slept in his clothes or hid from view. The newness and audacity
of a camera following a Black man in a leather coat through Manhattan. A private eye, dressed like a combination of a revolutionary
and director Gordon Parks, as the sizzle of the hi-hat
cranked up the audience. The camera wasn't spying on the star. It was staring at him. This combination forever altered
the course of movies, right down to coming from a studio that was long known for delivering product
about an ideal America that framed straight hair and blue eyes
as the standard of beauty. Shaft, "sex machine for all the chicks,"
ain't nobody said that about a brother
Full Transcript
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:04.795
Shaft wasn't just a debut.
It was an announcement.
00:00:04.878 --> 00:00:07.381
In the same way that movies
such as Easy Rider screamed,
00:00:07.965 --> 00:00:09.991
"This is the '60s,"
00:00:09.999 --> 00:00:13.001
Shaft laid down a count of funk
and urban panache that said
00:00:13.178 --> 00:00:15.999
this was the 1970s.
00:00:15.097 --> 00:00:18.142
That a private eye didn't have to look
like he slept in his clothes
00:00:18.225 --> 00:00:19.081
or hid from view.
00:00:19.893 --> 00:00:23.439
The newness and audacity
of a camera following a Black man
00:00:23.522 --> 00:00:25.983
in a leather coat through Manhattan.
00:00:26.999 --> 00:00:28.485
A private eye, dressed like a combination
00:00:28.569 --> 00:00:31.405
of a revolutionary
and director Gordon Parks,
00:00:31.488 --> 00:00:34.241
as the sizzle of the hi-hat
cranked up the audience.
00:00:34.908 --> 00:00:37.119
The camera wasn't spying on the star.
00:00:37.619 --> 00:00:38.954
It was staring at him.
00:00:40.998 --> 00:00:43.998
This combination forever altered
the course of movies,
00:00:43.167 --> 00:00:45.169
right down to coming from a studio
00:00:45.252 --> 00:00:48.672
that was long known for delivering product
about an ideal America
00:00:48.756 --> 00:00:52.885
that framed straight hair and blue eyes
as the standard of beauty.
00:00:52.968 --> 00:00:56.847
Shaft, "sex machine for all the chicks,"
ain't nobody said that about a brother.
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Movie Summary
Tracks the history of Black cinema, focused mainly on the '70s, with archival and new interviews with many of the key players from the era.
