Shaft

Blaxploitation films entered into the film industry in the 1970's and Shaft was one of those films to change the role of black people in movies. It was one of the first films to have a black man be the main character and also the hero of the film. This film in some way breaks through the stereotypical role of black people while also perpetuating some of them

John Shaft is the perfect example of what Engaging Cinema  calls the Buck. He is a ruthless character who is portrayed as very masculine and powerful. He somewhat breaks the typical barriers because he has both black and white allies. It is as if race does not matter to Shaft but it is a bigger deal that he himself is a strong and influential black man. I saw somewhat of a duality when it comes to Shaft's character. He is the main hero in the film which changes what the typical "hero" was at the time this film was made. While this is happening changing the views, other things about the film are perpetuating some of the stereotypes that already exist. A lot of the men Shaft encounters are black men which stills puts them in the role of the "bad guys". Also, Shaft is a womanizer which puts him in a bad light and aims at the stereotype that black men do not treat their wives right. I was a little confused as to why this movie tried to break barriers when it comes to black stereotypes but at the same time was going along with other ones.

One thing which Glenn Erickson brings up in his review that is interesting is that the writer of this film was actually a white man. Ernest Tidyman wrote the screenplay for this movie and in 1971 this would not have been publicized. During the time the movie came out, people might not have gone to the movie if they found it was written by a white man. The fact that the movie focused on the life of a black man was the draw for a lot of people and so they did not really play up the fact that it was written by Ernest. Something interesting also is that Ernest Tidyman won a NAACP Image Award for this movie and was one of the few white men to do so.

Another idea from the review which is interesting is how this movie was different in the sense that it was a "tell it like it is" kind of film. It really did not hold anything back when it comes to language and the development of the characters. It also did not hide the fact that it was aimed at the African American population. That is risky for a film company because it limits its audience but despite that fact Shaft was a successful movie.