A leitmotif is a repeated melodic phrase in music that is used to represent a character in movies. Isaac Hayes incorporated a hip urban leitmotif within his Oscar winning song, “Theme from Shaft”. By doing so, he created one of the greatest theme songs in the history of cinema. The song is easily the most memorable part of Gordon Parks’ blaxploitation trend-setting film Shaft.
In 1971, the African-American presence in Hollywood cinema was limited at best, as the blaxploitation genre played a crucial and significant part in the development of advancing this presence. Shaft was a major character and movie in this development. Shaft is John Shaft, a private detective living and working in Harlem who refuses to take orders from anyone. Neither the white police force nor the black mobsters held sway over him. He is the ultimate male macho hero, and the movie instills a very distinct African-American style into his wardrobe, which consists of leather coats, turtle-neck sweaters and black shiny shoes. At the time, this style did not really depict how the African-American community actually dressed. However, it did not take long for people to start emulating the look. The appearance emphasized black power through male power and masculinity. Women are shamelessly shown to be marginalized as objects of conquest for this black super-man.
Taking on the role of John Shaft was the former ebony model, and part time actor, Richard Rountree. Roundtree was built like a football player and has striking good looks. He was also very effective as the fearless, constantly angry hero. Scene after scene, he is shown looking from above at the authorities. Whether it is the white police, the Italian Mafia or black gangsters, Shaft is afraid of no one. Another taboo broken in the movie is Shaft’s one-night stand with a white woman, whom he discards without effort after having sex with her. Shaft is an equal-opportunity chauvinist, and the movie gave impetus to the white male fear of the powerful sexual black man.
Another exciting element found in the movie is the dirty, cruel viewpoint it has on New York City. Pre-dating Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” and “Taxi Driver”, the movie is not given enough credit for the influence it has had on subsequent urban thrillers and dramas. Parks was an award-winning photographer and himself a successful African-American. He knew how to portray the grittiness of the city so that it relates to the story and social commentary that were important to him.
Glimpses of Porn films and whore houses are depicted in the passing scenery while Shaft struts through the busy sleazy landscape that is uptown New York. At one point, Parks gives homage to Schlesinger’s “Midnight Cowboy”, as a taxi almost runs over Shaft and he, like Cowboy’s Ratzo Rizzo, responds to the cab in anger. Every time Shaft struts through the city, the Shaft theme song is playing in the background, adding to the coolness of his persona. The theme song has become one of cinema’s most recognizable pieces of music. Even people who have never seen the movie identify with the coolness of the character through the theme song.
What the movie does not have is a compelling story. Shaft is hired by the local black gangster to find the gangster’s kidnapped daughter, who was snatched by the Italian Mafia from Jersey. The police are trying to blackmail Shaft into being an informant with threats of charging him with the death of a hired killer that he threw out of his office window. Making use of an old friend who is a leader of a black revolutionary group patterned after the Black Panthers, Shaft goes after the Mafia. The black gangster is played with icy charm by Moses Gunn and is a character that was most likely based on the real-life gangster Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson or “Frank Lucas”, of American Gangster fame. The Italian mob reminded me of the Sopranos, and it is possible that it is this movie, and not The Godfather, that was the true inspiration for the award-winning TV show.
While the characterization, acting and music score stand out in the movie, the script and plot are pretty run of the mill, without any real twists or surprises. In addition, Parks does not know how to film action scenes. The action scenes have no rhythm and are paced very badly. The suspense is also not very effective, as the straightforward style used in scenes like the attack on the Italian-held hotel takes away any excitement. The movie seems to drag between moments and while it is fun seeing Shaft strut the street to his cool theme song, it happens too often for my liking. I was quite bored during large portions of the movie.
Gordon Parks” “Shaft” is a superb example of the use of music to add feel and excitement to action characters, and an important film in the advancement of the influence of black themes in Hollywood. It is just a shame that its story and plot do not do justice to its historical significance.
1001 Movies before you die 