General News

Can You Dig It? SHAFT Screens Midnights This Weekend at The Tivoli

By Tom Stockman | July 17, 2017

SHAFT (1971) screens this Friday and Saturday nights (July 21st and 2nd) at midnight at the Tivoli Theater as part of their ‘Reel Late at the Tivoli’ Midnight series.

“Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks?”

SHAFT was not the first Blaxploitation film but it is the most influential and one of the most memorable. A workaday script was launched into cultural orbit by the charismatic performance of Richard Roundtree and the unforgettable theme song by the late Isaac Hayes. The importance of this movie is not that it was hugely successful (although it was), but that it was among the first produced and performed by a crew and cast that was predominantly black. It proved that there was a significant audience for movies that represented black culture on its own terms and treated the audience with respect. Importantly, SHAFT isn’t a wholly sympathetic character: Through the prism of the 21st Century he could be construed as both misogynist and racist (see his treatment of the female characters and the portrayal of the Italian mobsters) But he is also loyal, brave, resourceful and charming. This complexity is one of the strengths of SHAFT. The sequels (and TV show) lack the energy of the original and suffer from diminishing marginal returns and Roundtree was never as good again. He didn’t need to be, most actors never achieve the level of charisma even once. Nor do they have the chance to create what is a truly iconic role. Samuel L Jackson in the 2000 remake certainly failed to. Now you’ll have the chance to SHAFT on the big screen again when it plays this weekend (July 21st and 22nd) at The Tivoli at midnight as part of their Reel Late at the Tivoli midnight series.