Shaft in Africa

Movie
German title	Shaft in Africa
Original title	Shaft in Africa
Country of production	United States
original language	English
Publishing year	1973
length	108 minutes
Age rating	FSK 16
Rod
Director	John Guillermin
script	Sterling Silliphant
production	Roger Lewis , ; René Dupont
music	Johnny Pate (et al.)
camera	Marcel Grignon
cut	Max Benedict
occupation
	Richard Roundtree : John Shaft; Frank Finlay : Vincent Amafi; Vonetta McGee : Aleme; Neda Arnerić : Jazar; Debebe Eshetu : Wassa; Willie Joha : Oyo; Marne Maitland : Colonel Gonder; Spiros Focás : Sassari; Frank McRae : Oziot; Jacques Herlin : Perreau; Cy Grant : Emir Ramila; Jacques Marin : Inspector Cusset; Nadim Sawalha : Zubair;

Shaft in Africa is a Blaxploitation - cult film of the Shaft series with Richard Roundtree in the lead role from the year 1973 . The characters are based on the "Shaft" novels by Ernest Tidyman .

action

John Shaft makes the acquaintance of an East African emir and his henchmen who overpower and kidnap him. Shortly afterwards, it turns out that it was a test to test Shaft's abilities. John is hired to a gang of European traffickers led by a certain Vincent Amafi ( Frank Finlay ) to put a stop while clarifying the death of the son of the Emir. After receiving a crash course in African languages and cultural studies from Aleme ( Vonetta McGee ), the emir's daughter , he is supposed to fly to Ethiopia in order to be hired by the smugglers there . He falls in love with the emir's daughter. The plan works, and Shaft is on its way to Europe. Since Amafi has a spy in the emir's camp, the smugglers have been warned and tried several times to kill him. Nevertheless, he and a handful of Africans come to Paris as illegal immigrants, where the showdown takes place.

Political Aspects

The film is characterized, among other things, by the fact that it is a touch more brutal and sex-related than its predecessors. The film also highlights the usual aspects of the blaxploitation genre, but at the same time and in particularly the old African cultures out. There are several references to the international black movement. Africa is repeatedly pointed out as the “motherland” of blacks. It is also about the circumcision of female genitals - in the film Aleme is facing a clitoral circumcision, but due to Shaft's influence she consciously decides against the "circumcision" (contrary to her initially very positive attitude towards it). A large part of the film was shot in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa .

German version

In the German translation, certain references to Germany have been deleted; in one of the first scenes, for example, Amafi insists on the "delivery" of 700 blacks to Düsseldorf; in the German version Düsseldorf was replaced by Paris. Overall, many political allusions in the German dubbing were not translated as the German audience of the 1970s apparently lacked the necessary background knowledge in the eyes of the translators to understand them.

error

Shaft starts a stick fight naked, but in one scene he suddenly wears blue sweatpants.
An opponent bites Shaft deep in the hand during a fight, but no more wound can be seen in the rest of the film.

criticism

film-dienst 3/1974: An experienced mix of crime, action and agent thrillers, effectively filled with brutality, sex and sham criticism.

Trivia

Shaft in Africa was the last of the classic Shaft films starring Richard Roundtree . In 2000, Samuel L. Jackson played the eponymous nephew of John Shaft.
Shaft drives a red Alfa Romeo Giulia GT (Bertone) . In all four films, the car is the only European car that Shaft drives.
The Ethiopian script that appears several times in the film is called gə'əz and is only used in Ethiopia and Eritrea .
The theme song Are You Man Enough? is sung by the Four Tops .

More Shaft films

Television series

1973–1974: Shaft (TV series)

Web links

Shaft in Africa in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Shaft in Africa in the Lexicon of International Films