The picture marked the first feature film directed by Gordon Parks, Jr. (19341979), the son of Gordon Parks, Sr., who directed the 1971 picture Shaft (see above), one of the first major blaxploitation films. Priest spends the rest of the film dancing among a trio of forces who are out to put the screws on him: the cartel, led by the always lively actor Esai Morales; the thugs of Snow Patrol; and a pair of corrupt white officers, played by Brian F. Durkin and Jennifer Morrison, who shake him down for a million dollars. Their argument is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Scatter who reveals that the real head of the operation is Deputy Commissioner Reardon, who is trying to kill him for quitting. Why do you think Hollywood often seems to prefer putting out remakes of old movies rather than releasing something new? Which isnt to say that the film lacks for racial consciousness. Homeboy Cosmopolitan. In Search of Africa, 252. In addition, the picture marked the first screenplay written by Philip Fenty. [1] It dropped to $3.4 million in its second weekend, finishing eighth, and after being pulled from 1,064 theaters in its third week made $1.3 million, finishing 12th. Super Fly also marked the first effort as a motion picture producer for Shore (19192006), . On a couple levels, you know Scatter is Priests mentor in the drug game and also his teacher in martial arts and jujitsu. [5] The film made $1.2 million on its first day,[9] $938,583 on its second and $1.8 million on its third. The article also reported that the distribution arm of Shores company, Plaza Pictures, would distribute Super Fly, but in mid-Apr 1972, Var reported that neither Plaza company would be involved with the film. Scatter is captured by the corrupt policemen, who give him a fatal overdose of drugs. Superfly (2018 film), a remake of the 1972 blaxploitation film Superfly (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the 2018 film "Super Fly" (Giant Panda song), a 2005 single by Giant Panda "Superfly", a song by 4 Non Blondes on their only album Bigger, Better, Faster, More! Understand the basics of the Matplotlib plotting package. Super Fly (1972) Movie Review | Common Sense Media But in this films 21st-century Atlanta, The Man never really manifests. | Yet all the threats and double-crosses are, in a word, standard. Rapper Future produced alongside Joel Silver, as well as writing the film's original songs. As Mayfields Pusherman plays, Priests drugs are seen hitting Birmingham, Ala.; Nashville; Miami; and Houston. To engineer that score, he screws over his mentor, Scatter (Michael Kenneth Williams), the veteran dealer who discovered him on the streets. Writing Credits Phillip Fenty . As reported by Filmfacts, as well as other contemporary news items and reviews, Super Fly was the first black-oriented film to be financed entirely by blacks (in this case, a group of businessmen from the Harlem community) as well as the first to use an all-black and/or Puerto Rican technical crew. In mid-Apr 1972, Var noted that, because of the black-oriented nature of the screenplay, Fenty and Parks, Jr. directly approached the Harlem community for financial backing, which they obtained from a consortium of businessmen, lawyers, dentists et al. The films pressbook adds that the consortium of eighteen investors included pimps, madams and drug dealers. In a Sep 1972 Var article, Parks, Jr. specifically thanked his father, director Gordon Parks, Sr., and two black dentists, Ed Allen and Connie [Cornelius] Jenkins, for financing the production. The mainspring of the action is a shooting. Release Dates Frequent profanity, including the "N" word . That night, Eddie and Priest approach Scatter, a retired dealer who started Priest in the business. O'Neal reprised his role as Youngblood Priest in the 1973 film Super Fly T.N.T., which he also directed. One day, Priest confronts Fat Freddie, one of his clients, about money that Freddie owes and threatens to force Freddies wife into prostitution unless he robs a competitor. That night, Priest enjoys a romantic bath with his girl friend Georgia, although she disapproves of his drug usage. And then when you get closer, obviously its them. Essential drama about violent chapter in U.S. history. That mythology helped to fuel the rise of hip-hop, and now, of course, it is everywhere. Diawara, Manthia. This Superfly has original songs by the hip-hop artist Future, whos also a producer of the film. Theyre led by the roly-poly, hard-as-rusty-nails Q (Big Bank Black), the closest thing this movie has to an authentic hoodlum, but its when Priest is attacked by Qs hothead-sociopath protg, Juju (Kaalan KR Walker), that he realizes the time has come for him to take the money and run. In the movie, that underworld comes to the surface of society mainly in the form of media representations (such as television-news accounts)which are themselves part of the story, and part of the sleek glow with which Director X endows his film. Militant: Dig it, dope peddler. He needs one big score to do it. The Harlem community backed Super Fly financially, and a number of black businesses helped with the production costs. The way that the media depict and distort police violence is embedded in the film, in a scene showing a news report that follows a monstrous incident, as is the power of media to amplify misdeeds and ruin careers at a single stroke. He has a now-iconic charisma, "cool" in the classic sense of the word. Special Nodes - Poser Super Fly (1972 film) Quotes. There's brief female nudity (breasts and buttocks) and one extended sex scene in a bath tub; characters moan with pleasure as the camera moves in slow motion up and down their bodies. A standard definition DVD was released by Warner Brothers on January 14, 2004the day its star, Ron O'Neal, died after battling cancer. Production began in December 2017, with Future announcing the project and confirming Director X as director. Charles McGregor, who plays Fat Freddie, was released from prison before the film's production. With such a big score, they will be able to retire comfortably and find other employment, although Eddie protests that crime is the only option left to them by The Man. Priest is determined, however, and that night, approaches Scatter, a retired dealer who started Priest in the business. One day, Priest confronts Fat Freddie, one of his clients, about money that Freddie owes and threatens to force Freddies wife into prostitution unless he robs a competitor. In mid-Apr 1972, Var reported that the films low-key, successful location shooting in Harlem was due to its being a non-union effort, thus the lack of production publicity and ease of using all-black technicians. The article added that after raising the required funds, the filmmakers agreed to their backers request that as many blacks as possible [be employed] in front and behind the camera, although the financiers agreed to allow white producer Shore oversee the project. Roy Innis, the leader of CORE, also proposed that a black review board should pre-edit African-American-oriented films before they were theatrically released and that profits from the pictures be turned over to black-dominated communities to advance educational opportunities. The Man so trenchantly invoked by Mayfield was incarnated in the earlier film by a white police superintendent who wants Priest as his puppet. Priest, so-called because the tip of the cross he wears is fasioned in the shape of a spoon, with which he frequently samples his wares, yearns to leave the life and go straight, despite the money he makes. thecredits-expanded-wt. AFI champions progress in visual storytelling to empower storytellers, inspire story lovers and further the limitless power of the moving image. AFI|Catalog - Super Fly He is murdered after being forced to reveal information about Priest to Mason. He lacks Parkss canny compositional wit, his sense of the dramatic power of practical attention to time and space. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free. Filming took place from January to mid-April 1972 in New York City. [10] The filmmakers maintain that it was their desire to show the negative and empty aspects of the drug subculture. It was also noted that Mayfield had accused the Academy of a racial bias, although he was declining to file suit because the title song from Super Fly had been considered for the Oscar balloting. You really shouldn'tve f***ed with my money, Freddy. Superfly Character Intro - Scatter | See Michael Kenneth Williams as Adalberto threatens Priest, telling him that he can never get out of the game. Georgia pleads with Priest to quit immediately, as she does not care if they are poor, but Priest maintains he must get the money, because his criminal record will make it difficult for him to find a job. Both enraged and scared, Priest conducts a meeting with two white men, then confronts Eddie. The first name of actress and former model Sheila Frazier, who made her debut in Super Fly, is spelled Sheila in the opening cast credits and Shiela in the ending credits. Film Review: 'Superfly' - Variety The hot-tempered Eddie threatens Scatter, demanding that he reveal his source if he will not supply them, but Scatter disarms Eddie and holds him at gunpoint. [7], The film was released on digital and iTunes on August 28, 2018 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Superfly - Necessary Violence: Adalberto Gonzalez (Esai Morales) kills Scatter (Michael Kenneth Williams) after he realizes that he's been stealing from him. With such a big score, they will be able to retire comfortably and find other employment, although Eddie protests that crime is the only option left to them by The Man. Priest is determined, however, and that night, approaches Scatter, a retired dealer who started Priest in the business. HR news items add the following information about the production: Warner >>, James M. Cain's novel Double Indemnity was serialized in Liberty magazine. Youngblood Priest (Ron O'Neal), an African-American cocaine dealer, enjoys a luxurious lifestyle in Harlem. How Do I Protect My Young Child from Cyberbullying? [10][11], On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 51% based on 102 reviews, and an average rating of 5.3/10. Writing Credits Alex Tse . Priest explains that as a child, he thought he wanted all the trappings of success and wealth, including a lover like her, but now wants a simpler life and will be ending their relationship. 58 views, 1 likes, 0 loves, 1 comments, 0 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Superfly: See Michael Kenneth Williams as Scatter when #SUPERFLY arrives At Cinemas September 14 On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 93% based on 27 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. The National Catholic Office gave the film a C, or condemned, rating, stating: This kind of black liberation serves only to deceive the brothers and play upon the fears of black audiences. Many African-American groups and critics targeted the film, asserting that it glorified drug usage, violence, obtaining wealth through crime and sexual stereotypes about black men. Both depict a criminal with peaceful dreams, who took to crime in lieu of the kind of legal business from which circumstances excluded him. One day, Priest confronts Fat Freddie, one of his dealers, about money that Freddie owes and threatens to force Freddie's wife into prostitution unless he robs a competitor. As in the earlier film, Priest also faces corrupt police officers who are in on the drug trade. Mean Free Path: The mean distance that light travels in the surface before it scatters. But its also less true than it once was. Applied post-scattering, so textures applied to this input will remain sharp. Yes, Scream VI Marketing Is Behind the Creepy Ghostface Sightings Causing Scares Across the U.S. David Oyelowo, Taylor Sheridan's 'Bass Reeves' Series at Paramount+ Casts King Richard Star Demi Singleton (EXCLUSIVE), Star Trek: Discovery to End With Season 5, Paramount+ Pushes Premiere to 2024. If I quit now, then I took all this chance for nothing and I go back to being nothing. Manthiahas Diawara suggested that the film's glorification of drug dealers served to subtly critique the civil rights movement's failure to provide better economic opportunities for black America and that the portrayal of a black community controlled by drug dealers serves to highlight that the initiatives of the civil rights movement were far from fully accomplished. Yet its timeliness appears, instantly, merely symbolic, as daily news reports surpass the movies horrors faster than it can pile them on. Nearly every character in the film, with the notable exception of his "main squeeze," tries to dissuade Priest from quitting; their chief argument being that dealing and snorting are the best he ever could achieve in life. The songs "Freddie's Dead" and the title song both shot up the Pop Top Ten chart in late 1972, with each single selling over a million copies. Eddie: You're gunna give all this up? When he finds out from his partner Eddie (Carl Lee) that they have $300,000, Priest proposes that they take that money to buy 30 kilos of the best cocaine money can buy, sell it, and end up with a million dollars. Theres a bit of old school dandy to Scatter but at the same time hes into martial arts, so I wanted to combine those two worlds, Messam explains. [The soundtrack album did feature the lyrics written for the song by Mayfield.] Both movies tell the story of Youngblood Priest, a coke dealer looking to make one last big score and then get out. [4] The film was financed by two directors: Gordon Parks, who had directed the 1971 film Shaft and Sig Shore, who produced Super Fly, and played Deputy Commissioner Riordan, or "The Man" in the film. What the F*CK are you gunna do except hustle? But his supplier and mentor, Scatter (Michael Kenneth Williams), refuses to increase Priests supply, so Priest takes matters into his own hands and attempts to deal directly with Adalberto Gonzalez (Esai Morales), the head of a Mexican drug carteland, in so doing, he enters a labyrinth of menace. Cynthia is killed, and Priest and Georgia set fire to the mansion. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. Their stuff isnt even carried in the U.S. but its really well made, very slim and lean. The Snow Patrol members leave while Priest gives the victim money and directs them to the trauma center. This film, directed by Director X from a script by Alex Tse, is a remake of the 1972 picture directed by Gordon Parks Jr. (whose father had made Shaft a year before). You aint that good., The close call and its concurrent threat of a gang war compel Priest to take stock. MORE TRAILERS AND CLIPS (30) 2:26 0 Superfly (Trailer 2) 1:00 0 Superfly: Director X (Vignette) 0:14 0 Superfly: Character Piece-Scatter 1:01 0 Superfly: Priest (Vignette) 0:56 0 Superfly: Everyone Loves A Hustle 0:53 0 Trevor actually has been doing capoeira for maybe 10 years, so hes really excited and really capable to do these kinds of things. After Super Flys release, Filmfacts reported that the picture turned out to be the most commercially successful black film to dateas well as the most controversial. Reviews of the picture were mixed, with some critics praising its authenticity and others decrying it as exploitive and poorly made. One of the groups formed specifically to fight the film and other similar exploitations films, according to a Sep 1972 Var article, called itself Blacks Against Narcotics. Theres another crucial difference between the two films, a difference that marks virtually every encounter, every scene, every moment: firepower. Mason threatens to expose Priest's dealing if he does not work with her. She very classic with a bit of glam, dressing in fur coats and elegant, sexy pantsuits. Superfly (1972) Cast and Crew - Cast Photos and Info | Fandango And you really ain't got the stomach for that. To me that movie felt like an accurate portrayal of Harlem during that period. (screenplay by) Cast (in credits order) complete, awaiting verification Produced by Music by Curtis Mayfield Cinematography by James Signorelli . They seem to have come straight out of other movies. Keep up with The Credits for the latest in film, television, and streaming. Ad Choices, Nancy Reviewed: A Complex, Untapped Story of a Womans Desperate Hoax, The Tale, Reviewed: A Filmmakers Daring Excavation of Her Own Memories of Sexual Abuse. "Superfly", a song on The O.C. Eddie argues that crime is the only option left to them by "The Man." We also have the scene at a strip club where Georgias wearing a micro mini, but when shes in her gallery with the mayor, there needs to be a feeling of strength there: I am the owner of this gallery and not just a club girl. The money rolls in, and soon a couple of corrupt white cops are making aggressive requests to dip their beaks. The New Yorker may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Eddie threatens Scatter, demanding that he reveal his source if he will not supply them, but Scatter holds him at gunpoint. Priest demands his half of their profits from Eddie. Trevor Jackson Re-invents the Sleek Priest, The original Priest, played by Ron ONeal, famously sported leisure suits and floor-length overcoats, but Trevor Jacksons version of the drug dealer favors a less flamboyant style drawn from AllSaints, Burberry and German designer Phillip Plein. Like his father, Parks, Jr. was also a well-known still photographer. Scatter wont give him a bigger cut of drugs to sell, so Priest, accompanied by his scampish partner, Eddie (played by the scene-stealing Jason Mitchell, whos like Tracy Morgans amoral little brother), goes right over his head by driving down to Mexico and connecting with the cartel thats the source of their product.