Shaft

With his 1971 film Shaft, Gordon Parks introduces us to a new kind of hero. Richard Roundtree’s character is not unlike Eastwood’s revisionist western characters, a somewhat morally ambiguous figure that seems to cater to no one else’s desires or expectations, including the audience’s. Parks establishes Shaft’s character right from the start as we see him walking through the busy streets of New York City. One of the first images we see of John Shaft, and the first time we hear him speak, he yells at a taxi driver, flipping him off for confronting him about crossing the street, making it clear that although we’ve been forced to connect and recognize him as our protagonist, this man is far from the typical hero.

Shaft is considered by many to be one of the first Blaxploitation films. At least from my understanding, Shaft includes many elements of the unique genre. The film is set in the city and primarily focuses on African Americans, many of them with criminal backgrounds. Shaft is also overtly stereotypical. John Shaft is seen as being this extremely sexual figure who could not possibly be a better lover presumably because he is a powerful black man. Although he cheats on his girlfriend, women can’t help but be with him simply because of the sex. After picking up a woman at the bar and spending the night with her, he comes home the next day and completely disregards her, telling the woman that he has business to take care of. The woman replies, “You're really great in the sack, but you’re pretty shitty afterwards.” His attitude towards her and the fact that he has no qualms about doing this with another woman shows that Shaft is only out for himself, not something we would expect from our protagonist let alone hero.

While the film does contain many elements of the Blaxploitation genre, Shaft does something more than just focus on and poke fun at African American culture. Shaft is far from being a film like Petey Wheatstraw: The Devil’s Son In Law, another Blaxploitation film that was shown to us last year. Petey Wheatstraw is completely ridiculous, containing crude humor with its main plot being about a man who makes a deal with the devil in order to remain living and avenge his death. Shaft on the other hand is a believable and engaging narrative and while the film stereotypes John Shaft, this is not what makes the character memorable. In order for Shaft to have remained so popular and iconic, there has to be something about him that goes beyond simple stereotypes. For if this is all we saw of him, he would be like every other Blaxploitation character, the majority of which very few people have ever heard of.

To me, what sets this film apart from being just another ridiculous example of Blaxploitation cinema is not necessarily in the character at all but the way the narrative unfolds (This by the way could very easily be due to the fact that this was a Hollywood film made with a larger budget). As the film progresses, while Shaft is somewhat over the top, we see that he often finds himself in realistic situations that comment on American society as much as they establish character. At one point Shaft attempts to get into a cab when all of a sudden the driver pulls away to pick up a white man, showing that our dominant protagonist is still affected by racism and intolerance. In another scene, during one of the most heartfelt moments of the film (if there are any), Shaft sees a young boy standing outside on the sidewalk late at night. After speaking with the boy he gives him some money and tells him to go get something to eat. This not only shows us a particular side of John Shaft that one might not necessarily expect but also comments on poverty and the harsh lifestyle that many poor young children have to experience.

Along with addressing these particular issues, Shaft also explores this idea of masculinity and strength.

It was mentioned in class that one of the most interesting parts of the film was when Shaft speaks with Lieutenant Vic Ambrozzi in his office. At the end of their conversation, Vic holds a black pen up to Shaft’s skin claiming, “You ain’t so black.” Shaft replies by holding up a white mug saying, “And you ain’t so white.” I find this one of the most memorable parts of the film as well not only because of its clever dialogue but because it seems to be commenting on something more than what both characters realize or at least overtly recognize. This moment points out the absurdity of the labels each race puts on the other. And with the film clearly taking place in an intolerant world, the closeness of these two characters and their willingness, although not overwhelming, to work with one another, is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the film.