Screening

About Shaft

Rating:

R R

Year Released:

1971

Genres:

Action/Adventure, Drama

Metadata:

Directed by Gordon Parks

“Hotter than Bond, Cooler than Bullitt.” Private-eye John Shaft (Richard Roundtree) is hired to find a Harlem kingpin’s missing daughter—a search that leads him to the Mafia. Shot on location, the film captures the grittiness of a long-gone New York City. Shaft helped usher in the era of blaxploitation films with its combination of detective story, debonair action hero, and unforgettable dialogue. Featuring Isaac Hayes’ award-winning soundtrack and John Shaft’s signature cool demeanor, Shaft is one of the iconic films of the 1970s. The Library of Congress selected Shaft for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2000. (35mm print courtesy of the Black Film Center/Archive.)