SHAFT
IN AFRICA (1973)Director: John Guillermin
Warner Home Video
SHAFT
IN AFRICA (1973)There's nothing I hate more than a major studio releasing older films on DVD in light of a new, big budget, Hollywood remake. Well, leave it to Warner to quickly foresee a box office hit and release not one but all three "Shaft" films--SHAFT, SHAFT'S BIG SCORE, and SHAFT IN AFRICA--on DVD. This is actually quite generous of Warner and it actually gives us something to discuss here because as you can see, the studio releases very little product appropriate for DVD Drive-In. In other words, like most major studios, Warner has very few fun horror and exploitation films out on DVD.
Personally, I think that SHAFT IN AFRICA is the most interesting of the trio. Gone is that infamous theme by Issac Hayes, and instead we have "Are You Man Enough?," a non-hit for The Four Tops. Before the credits, we visit a young black man thoughtlessly executed by some tough looking French thugs. Cut back to New York, and John Shaft (the great Richard Roundtree), while jogging, gets his hubcaps ripped off by some punks. What do you expect for parking your car in the middle of Central Park?
Not getting any peace, Shaft is pestered by a big dude in a robe who smashes the door down--Herman Munster style--when the private dick won't cooperate. He is abducted, forced to pass a test on surviving in the desert, and is hired to stop an illegal slavery ring in Africa. It seems that young African men are being hired as cheap labor and being brought to Europe under appalling conditions. Shaft gets to romance Vonetta McGee (BLACULA), whose brother was the one that got killed in the opening, and takes off for Africa to show everybody who's the man!
Since the character is now removed form the confines of New York City, the film's scenic, faraway locations really add a new sense of adventure to the series. I think that the film plays sort of like a black James Bond, but much more perverted and violent. Not only does he use a gun, but Shaft also has a big walking stick-complete with hidden camera-that he uses to beat the shit out of people. The main villain is the French-accented Amafi, played by that well-known British character actor, Frank Finlay (THE DEADLY BEES, THE THREE and FOUR MUSKETEERS). Finlay is excellent as usual, but has little to do but make phone calls and enjoy being serviced by his girl (Euro starlet Neda Arneric) in the back seat of his fancy car.
The lovely Arneric plays a silly nymphomaniac character. "I'd give ten years of my life if I could do that, to be able to see the world only in sexual terms," Finlay says to her as she climaxes while observing muscular Africans working in the hot sun. She gets her wish to make love to Shaft but is stabbed with a tossed knife that was meant for him (more shades of James Bond). Finlay gets his as well in the bloody climax, when Shaft drives up to his chateau in a violent rage, freeing the slaves, and whacking down anybody that stands in his way.
The DVD presents the film widescreen and full frame as well. Having suffered through the full frame version on TV and video enough times already, I savored seeing the film in its correct Panavision ratio, and Warner has done a very nice job with the transfer. The colors look great, the image is sharp, and the source material is in excellent shape. There is an additional French language track, as well as three trailers (one for each SHAFT entry), and a Roundtree bio/filmography. Warner has kept the best extras limited to the first SHAFT disc, and that's good enough. At a low retail price, this DVD is a great buy any way that you look at it.
Since Warner jumped on the blaxploitation craze with their SHAFT discs, perhaps we'll see the DVD release of stuff like SUPERFLY, BLACK SAMSON, COME BACK CHARLESTON BLUE, BLACK BELT JONES, CLEOPATRA JONES AND THE CASINO OF GOLD, etc. Then again, wake up George, this is Warner we're talking about! (George R. Reis)