No you're not. It takes me back to my youth. I don't know why RU-vid doesn't put this up on recommended lists for more people unless they're trying to exploit the algorithms.
This opening scence is one big celebration of the daily life of big cities. There is so much to see at street level. Shops, small businesses, signage, busy people, always something going on. It's a celebration of 1970s New York more than anything else.
The genius of director Gordon Parks: first he establishes the towering, dense, channeled landscape; the protagonist then literally emerges from it, cutting across its flows, weaving a path festooned with street-level commerce, the chill winter air charging him with brisk urgency; the steady, purposeful music that steeps us again in the urban, the busy, the layered. Even the American B-movies in the 70s could be masterpieces in realism.
my pride in Gordon Parks goes without saying but I think about him Richard roundtree and Isaac Hayes I call them the three musketeers they started it and it ain't never stop our young Tyler Perry has it going on now the music Don't stop
July 9th: Happy birthday Actor Richard Roundtree, "Shaft" films; "Being Mary Jane" "Chicago Fire" "City Heat." considered to be the 'first Black action here.' Thank you and God bless. Thanks for the upload, sunnyposts. Blessings
Isaac Hayes actually composed and performed this song moments after watching just this intro. He hadn't even written any other music when Gordon Parks informed Ike that he had the job.
The cds good to Mike,ofcourse the theme shaft is on it,Issac hayes created a masterpiece here,got it on amazon for about 10 bucks or so.Oh,thats the name of the cd,shaft,lol.
I 'm the Die hard Fan of Shaft's Music, since 1971, when i saw this Film in Sangeet 70 mm cinema theatre in Secunderabad TS India, its Ever green music like James Bond Theme
Up until 9/11, NYC was all laid back. As a friend of mine who is a lifelong New Yorker born and bred said: "The only difference between 1970's NYC and 1990's NYC was the technology." My friend was born and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens in 1965, same neighborhood as Don Rickles. We call him the Tour Guide, because on any given day you'll find him helping out visitors and tourists, chowing them how to get to where they wanna go. Paul knows every train, every bus, almost every taxi driver in NYC. He's better than Google Maps and more reliable. He grew up with SHAFT.
@@Setebos Damn straight and quiet as it's kept he was the THIRD CHOICE to play this inconic role. Ron O'Neal(SUPERFLY) originally wanted to play this role but he was told that he was too light skinned then Issac Hayes asked for a shot at showing it but he was told no as well.
Fun fact: The version in the film is NOT the same version on the LP. It was rerecorded for the LP in 1971. The Stax Musicians including the legendary Willie Hall and Skip Pitts (RIP) played on this version. Skip said he used a Boomerang Pedal for the riff and initially hated what Isaac had him do as a "riff" but grew to love it like so many of us do before he passed. Check out his part on the Wah-Wah Pedal documentary. He said he used the Vox Wah-Wah Crybaby on the rerecord with the local musicians. Legendary.
epic......................... I just thought about childhood and watching these shows with family and everyone who's now gone man ole man I kinda teared up....
the music the man it was all that Richard roundtree was bad as you can get and Isaac Hayes equal him with that beautiful music I was there I heard it I never forget it it was wonderful
Yep, that's the way Broadway used to be back in the day. Your top movies would be playing right next to the X-Rated films. Think the scam artists are still around, though. Goood-bye!!
Those Black Exploitation Flicks did a great job of creating all kinds of movie making jobs for unemployed black actors and actresses that were heavily discriminated against.
"MGM cut the "Up Yours" and finger to the cab in the second release of the Film among other cuts as not to cause a race war in the theaters! The Studio actually wanted John Shaft to be white in the original script until Gordon Parks came along to helm the picture and casted a newly found actor named Richard Roundtree and the rest is history.
John Vizzusi Originally The late actor Ron O'Neal from the film SUPERFLY wanted to play in SHAFT but he was turned down then Issac Hayes put his hat in the ring but was turned down as well then Richard Roundtree came along.
Now if someone would only post the original Isaac Hayes version! This is the right arrangement, but it is too fast, and doesn't have Isaac's vocals and backup singers.
I grew up with Tidyman's kids. Silliphant later did "The Poseidon Adventure," and his son was assassinated. I was so glad to see Roundtree in "Seven." We can probably get this on DVD at our médiathèque near Paris, France -- I was too young to see this when it came out, and I think my French spouse will love it. Thank you for posting. RIP Isaac Hayes, another personal connection, tragically paralyzed in Prospect Park while I was living there. I miss the USA sometimes. Uprated and shared.
The flick that saved MGM Studios from going into bankruptcy and help start the flow of African-American actors and actresses into more mainstream and prominent roles in movies.
I have not seen the whole film, but this intro.... about 1000 times! I love it.... LOL (Here, in Spain, this film was titled Las noches rojas de Harlem = Red nights of Harlem)
