Editing Shaft (1971 film) (section)

== Themes ==
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=== Portrayal of race ===
''Shaft'' played a crucial part in the development of African-American advancement in Hollywood.
In the creation of ''Shaft'', there was a significant African-American presence, with director Parks, editor [[Hugh A. Robertson]], and composer Isaac Hayes playing crucial roles. On the other hand, white men controlled the other important aspects of ''Shaft'''s production. Scenarist and writer Tidyman, writer Black, producer Freeman, and executive producers Silliphant and Lewis<ref name=":2" /> were all white men who heavily influenced the making of ''Shaft''. In an analysis of ''Shaft'', Stanly Corkin stated, "Further, the reception of the idea of blackness also becomes various, defined by any number of subject positions, and again, those cannot be fixed to any particular racially defined place of origin." In other words, the perception of race depends on the viewer and thus differs between individuals. Since different representations of race appeal to different people, the film's white creators fabricated its representation of blackness in order to appeal to African American and white audiences alike.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} MGM was struggling financially during the making of this film, so making a profitable film was a necessity. "Under the devious guise of providing the Black American with a new and positive image of his/her life, these films confer upon the viewer, Black or White, little more than a pretended glamour and sophistication, the empty, repetitive wasteland of ancient Hollywood traditionalism."<ref name=":6">{{cite news |last1=Riley |first1=Clayton |title=Shaft Can Do Everything—I Can Do Nothing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/13/archives/-shaft-can-do-everything-i-can-do-nothing.html |access-date=1 January 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=13 August 1972 |page=D9|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170806201218/https://www.nytimes.com/1972/08/13/archives/-shaft-can-do-everything-i-can-do-nothing.html|archive-date=6 August 2017|url-status=live|url-access=limited}}</ref>

Parks' decision to cast Roundtree rather than a white actor, for whom the role was written, instantly altered the presentation of race in the film.<ref name=":3" /> Critics, however, believed the plot was not altered enough to accommodate the change in racial dynamics. "Mark Reid, for example, argues that Shaft is a product of the (white) studio imagination and merely a 'black-skinned replica' of the white action hero commonly found in the detective genre."<ref name=":4" />

One way that Shaft's blackness was showcased was through his attire. Shaft was "stylistically racialized: [He] wears clothes and affects manners that are associated with being black".<ref name=":1" /> Shaft was known for his elegant garb, as he was frequently draped in leather coats and turtlenecks throughout the film. Although his smooth, classy look evoked a greater interest from viewers, it in no way represented fashion typical of the black community in that era.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

Further, Shaft relies upon a group of militant [[Black nationalism|black nationalists]] in helping him complete his mission to save Bumpy's daughter. The inclusion of a group so strongly identified with the [[Black Power movement]] was clearly an effort to appeal to black audience members.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} However, the film presented the black nationalists as a group that failed to further the black cause, raised no awareness of the black struggle, and displayed them simply as a hired team of assailants to assist Shaft on his mission.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The filming of ''Shaft'' partly in the neighborhood of Harlem also allowed the black viewer to have a deeper connection to this film. The writers portrayed Shaft as a man who clearly had a good relationship with this neighborhood, yet rejected it once he became wealthy, moving to the predominantly white area of Greenwich Village. Traditional black thought in this era was that African Americans who had been prosperous financially should invest in and give back to the communities from which they came. Instead, "the implication is that the wise black (Shaft) will want to sever ties with the people of Harlem and find a place among whites."<ref name=":2" /> This point further indicates the false portrayal of race in ''Shaft'', as a true black action hero of his time period would have been more loyal to his neighborhood.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

The result of this inauthentic portrayal of blackness in early 1970s blaxploitation films like ''Shaft'' had an effect on black audiences viewing them. Instead of the collective nature of the [[Civil Rights Movement]] and Black Power movement in the 1960s, these films helped to usher in a decade of self-indulgence, material gain, and drug consumption.<ref name=":4" /> "Equally important, Riley points out that the narratives about, and images of, blacks in these new films are no more than thematic templates reworked with black casts and updated stereotypes that reconfirm white expectations of blacks and serve to repress and delay the awakening of any real political consciousness."<ref name=":0" />

=== Black power through masculinity ===

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Although ''Shaft'' was a depiction of Blackness by white creators, the movie touched on several themes that reflected the ideals of the Black Power movement. Some of the actions taken by Shaft highlighted the positive aspects of this movement, while others brought out some of its less progressive facets.

A noticeable quality of Roundtree's character was his commanding presence and the control that he displayed in almost every situation he faced throughout the film. In the Black Power movement, leaders ardently fought to gain greater presence and control for their people, because even after [[Desegregation in the United States|desegregation]], African Americans were still greatly excluded from the economic, political, and cultural systems engrained in white American society. Shaft was depicted as a character that had achieved a high level of personal freedom, confidence, and control in his life, which was exciting for African American viewers. At the beginning of the film, Shaft was approached by two police officers seeking information. As the officers were depending upon his information, Shaft dictated the conversation from a position of power. Spatially, he also was much taller than the officers, further boosting his position of control. Shaft's economic independence was a crucial part of his persona. Once bankrolled by Bumpy, Shaft was often seen giving money to others, which showed that he had substantial financial security. He also had a beautiful apartment located in Greenwich Village, where rent would have been expensive. The Black Power movement frequently stressed the importance of upward [[social mobility]].

Another prominent characteristic of this movement was its strong focus on [[masculinity]]. This emphasis on the male effort to improve black life was accompanied by [[Sexism|sexist]] beliefs by many leading activists. Their sexist views were felt to be a reaction to the hierarchical power structure already prevalent in society. Having been subjugated by white people for years, African-American men in turn treated women as beneath them. "Robyn Wiegman argues that the members of the Black Power Movement defined the politics of race within 'a metaphorics of phallic power,' which developed out of male activists' desire to counter cultural articulations of black male inferiority, and that this perspective is readily seen in the writings of influential figures such as [[Malcolm X]], [[Huey P. Newton|Huey Newton]], [[Eldridge Cleaver]], and [[Amiri Baraka]]."<ref name=":4" />

Shaft directly embodied this ideal of extreme black masculinity through displays of [[hypersexuality]] and [[misogyny]]. "Although Shaft lacked power in the racial sphere, by virtue of being a heterosexual male [[Patriarchy|in a patriarchal system]], he still maintains a semblance of power in relation to women."<ref name=":4" /> From the very beginning of the film, Shaft's sexuality was highlighted as an important characteristic of his persona. In this scene, Shaft was parting ways with two white officers and one asks him, "Where are you going?" "To get laid", Shaft replied. Shaft was described as a legendary "sex machine", and this dominance over females was presented as an instrument of power.<ref name=":4" /> Shaft not only has ample sexual relationships with women, but he treats them with little respect. "While he ha[d] a black girlfriend, which would satisfy the expectations of [[cultural nationalism]], he is not above sleeping around and having random sex with attractive white women."<ref name=":0" /> In one scene, Shaft's girlfriend told him that she loves him, and Shaft memorably responded with "Yeah, I know." Also, after a white woman slept with Shaft, she told him, "You're pretty good in the sack, but you're pretty shitty afterwards. You know that?" This statement further highlights both Shaft's sexual prowess and his misogynist actions.