Superfly

Director: Gordon Parks Jr. Gordon Parks Jr.

Overview

"Along with Shaft and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, Superfly was one of the first and most historically important films in the blaxploitation explosion of the early '70s, and this DVD release gives the movie both the respect it deserves and the funk it demands. Superfly has been given a letterboxed transfer to disc in the widescreen aspect ratio of 1.85:1, which has also been enhanced for anamorphic playback on 16 x 9 monitors. The source material is clean and the colors are rich, with the transfer leaving in just enough grain to honor the film's realistic visual style. The original monophonic sound mix has been preserved in Dolby Digital Mono, which accurately reflects the film's original sound, but is also a bit crisper than Superfly's previous VHS incarnations. The original English soundtrack is included, as well as a dubbed French version with subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. The most notable bonus feature is a new documentary on the making of Superfly, which covers how the story made it to the screen as well as its importance and influence in an informative and breezy manner. A profile on leading man Ron O'Neal, produced at the time of the film's initial release, is also included, as well as another featurette with costume designer Nate Adams showing off some vintage threads used in the movie, the original theatrical trailer, and an illuminating audio-only interview with the late Curtis Mayfield in which he discusses composing the film's famous score and how it impacted his life and career. Finally, author and professor Todd Boyd contributes a lively audio commentary track, though he stops to identify Priest's outfits and quotes Mayfield's lyrics a bit more often than necessary. All in all, Superfly has been given a top-shelf release at a mid-line price. Blaxploitation followers will definitely want to check this out."

Product Details

Release Date:	01/13/2004
UPC:	0085392888825
Original Release:	1972
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Home Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:35:00
Sales rank:	14,177

Special Features

Closed Caption;"One Last Deal: A Retrospective" documentary ; Commentary by Dr. Todd Boyd, U.S.C. professor of cinema and television and author of "Am I Black Enough for You: Popular Culture From the 'Hood and Beyond"; "Ron O'Neal on the Making of Super Fly" vintage featurette ; Costume designer Nate Adams goes behind the threads; "Curtis Mayfield on Super Fly" audio-only bonus; Theatrical trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ron O'Neal	Priest
Sheila E. Frazier	Georgia
Charles MacGregor	Fat Freddie
Julius Harris	Scatter
Polly Niles	Cynthia
Yvonne Delaine	Mrs. Freddie
Henry Shapiro	Robbery Victim
K.C.	Pimp
Jim Richardson	Junkie
Make Bray	Junkie
Mike Richards	Deputy Commissioner,Contracted Man
Al Kiggins	Police
Floyd Levine	Police
Cecil Alonzo	Militant
Curtis Mayfield	Composer
Charles McGregor	Fat Freddie
The Curtis Mayfield Experience	The Band
Sig Shore	Deputy Commissioner

Technical Credits

Gordon Parks Jr.	Director
Mike Richards	Producer
Bob Brady	Sound Effects
Harry Lapham	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Part of the 1970s blaxploitation vanguard, Superfly's (1972) gritty authenticity elevates it above its subsequent imitators. Directed by Gordon Parks Jr. -- the son of Shaft (1971) director Gordon Parks -- funded by black businessmen, and shot by a mostly black crew, Superfly was as much a statement against white-dominated Hollywood behind the camera as it was a convincing depiction of a certain segment of black city life. Shooting on-location in New York, Parks energetically evoked the violence and material allure of Youngblood Priest's (Ron O'Neal) drug dealer existence, while the famous still-photo montage of people of all races snorting coke attested to what enabled Priest's "superfly" life. Counterpointing the heroic effects of Priest's flamboyantly clothed charisma and his plot to stick it to the Man, Curtis Mayfield's trailblazing, best-selling soundtrack matched the urban mood while lyrically attesting to the negative effects of drugs. Even so, Superfly became a controversial hit, as African-American critics decried its influence on cocaine use and the glorification of criminals; the filmmakers observed that they were just telling it like it was. Either way, Superfly confirmed the financial as well as rhetorical power of the nascent blaxploitation genre in the wake of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1970) and Shaft (1971).