Shaft (Original photograph of Gordon Parks on the set of the 1971 film)

Beverly Hills, CA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer [MGM], 1971. Vintage studio still photograph of director Gordon Parks smoking a pipe on the set of the 1971 film. Stamp of Israel Film Archive on the verso.

From the archive of film historian and author Joel Finler.

Based on the 1970 novel by Ernest Tidyman. One of the best and most enduring films of the early 1970s, and no surprise, with director/photographer/cinematographer extraordinaire Gordon Parks at the helm, an Oscar-winning soundtrack by Isaac Hayes, and a magnetic performance by Richard Roundtree. This film, and Melvin Van Peebles' "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" (1971), set the (truncated) standard for what would become "Blaxploitation," a highly stylized, violent, and (most importantly) funky genre. Followed by "Shaft's Big Score!" (1972) and "Shaft in Africa" (1973).

Shot on location in New York.

8 x 10 inches. Very Good plus, with light wear at the corners.

National Film Registry. Grant US. Spicer US Neo-Noir.

Howard, Blaxploitation Cinema, p. 7, 10-11, 13, 23, 28, 38, 46, 48, 72, 188. (Inventory #: 158031)