Screen/Society--Birth of the Cool series--"Shaft" (Blaxploitation classic)
July 10, 2008 7:00pm. Free and open to the public.
Nasher Auditorium, Nasher Museum of Art
Th 7/10 Nasher (7pm) | "Shaft" (Gordon Parks, 1971, USA, English, 100 min, Color, DVD). Following the breakout success of Melvin Van Peebles's "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," Gordon Parks's Shaft would officially launch the historic Blaxploitation movement. Richard Roundtree delivers a legendary performance as the ultra-cool detective, in this groundbreaking film that would spawn two sequels ("Shaft's Big Score!" and "Shaft In Africa") and a big-budget remake in 2000. Based on the novel by Ernest Tidyman, the film stars Richard Roundtree as John Shaft, a debonair, tough-talking private detective, who became a full-fledged American archetype after the film was released. Combining street smarts and sharp wit, Shaft is the quintessential black action hero. After battling against Harlem gang kingpin Bumpy Jonas (Moses Gunn), Shaft decides to help rescue Bumpy's daughter from the Mafia. What follows is an action-packed thrill ride through the rough-and-tumble streets of early 1970s New York City. Featuring one of the most recognizable theme songs in movie history (for which Isaac Hayes' won a Best Song Oscar in 1972), "Shaft" remains the definitive Blaxploitation film. Free and open to the public. --Sponsored by the Nasher Museum of Art and the Film/Video/Digital Program.