By Richard Harland Smith
Shaft In Africa
Brief Synopsis
Shaft is recruited to go undercover to break up a modern slavery ring where young Africans are lured to Paris to do chain-gang work.
Cast & Crew
Read More
John Guillermin
Director
Richard Roundtree
Shaft
Frank Finlay
Slave Dealer
Vonetta Mcgee
Aleme
Neda Arneric
Jazar
Debebe Eshetu
Wassa
Film Details
Also Known As
Shaft en Africa
MPAA Rating
Genre
Crime
Action
Drama
Sequel
Release Date
Jan
1973
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Distribution Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 52m
Color
Color (Metrocolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Synopsis
Private detective John Shaft travels to Africa after being engaged by diplomat Emir Ramila to infiltrate a slavery ring being run by the cruel Vincent Amafi. Amafi is having Africans kidnapped and sent to Europe as slave laborers, and when Ramila tried to expose him, he killed his son. After Shaft has been tutored so that he can pass as an African, he goes to Ethiopia to allow himself to be kidnapped by Amafi's group. But a traitor in Ramila's organization betrays Shaft's identity. Although he is now in danger, Shaft continues to free slaves while avoiding a series of attempts on his life.
Cast
Richard Roundtree
Shaft
Frank Finlay
Slave Dealer
Vonetta Mcgee
Aleme
Neda Arneric
Jazar
Debebe Eshetu
Wassa
Spiros Focas
Sassari
Jacques Herlin
Perreau
Cy Grant
Emir
Marne Maitland
Colonel Gondar
Jacques Marin
French Inspector
James E Myers
Detective Williams
Thomas Baptiste
Kopo
Crew
Max Benedict
Editor
Miguel Gil
Assistant Director
Marcel Grignon
Director Of Photography
Dennis Lambert
Song ("Are You Man Enough?")
Roger H. Lewis
Producer
Johnny Pate
Music
Miguel Pedregosa
Other
Brian Potter
Song ("Are You Man Enough?")
Stirling Silliphant
Screenwriter
John Stoll
Production Design
Peter Sutton
Sound
Jose Maria Tapiador
Art Direction
Ernest Tidyman
Characters As Source Material
Hal Watkins
Sound
Film Details
Also Known As
Shaft en Africa
MPAA Rating
Genre
Crime
Action
Drama
Sequel
Release Date
Jan
1973
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Distribution Company
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 52m
Color
Color (Metrocolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
2.35 : 1
Articles
Shaft in Africa -
This second sequel to MGM's Shaft (1971) brings back star Richard Roundtree without the backup of director Gordon Parks or screenwriter Ernest Tidyman (author of the 1970 source novel and writer on both the original film and its first sequel, Shaft's Big Score [1972]. Cognizant of the diminishing vogue for "blaxploitation films," Shaft in Africa (1973) hews closer to the still-profitable James Bond franchise by having the eponymous Harlem sleuth sent to expose a modern day African slave trade, at first going undercover in the crowded hull of a slave ship and then dodging assassins' bullets when his cover is blown. (The hero is even given a spycam camouflaged inside a walking stick, delivered by the Q-like Marne Maitland.) Scripted by Stirling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night [1967]) and directed by John Guillermin (whose trendsetting spaghetti western El Condor [1970] had boasted an emancipated and capable black hero in pro footballer turned actor Jim Brown), Shaft in Africa is taut and satisfying, shot on location in France and Ethiopia by veteran cinematographer Marcel Grignon (Is Paris Burning? [1966]), and featuring Vonetta McGee (The Great Silence [1970]) and Frank Finlay (The Three Musketeers [1974]) as Shaft's love interest and main adversary, respectively. Not as successful as the first two Shaft films, Shaft in Africa led to a short-lived CBS-TV series, again starring Roundtree, which ran for seven 70-minute episodes between October 1973 and February 1974.
By Richard Harland Smith
By Richard Harland Smith
Shaft in Africa -
This second sequel to MGM's Shaft (1971) brings back star Richard Roundtree without the backup of director Gordon Parks or screenwriter Ernest Tidyman (author of the 1970 source novel and writer on both the original film and its first sequel, Shaft's Big Score [1972]. Cognizant of the diminishing vogue for "blaxploitation films," Shaft in Africa (1973) hews closer to the still-profitable James Bond franchise by having the eponymous Harlem sleuth sent to expose a modern day African slave trade, at first going undercover in the crowded hull of a slave ship and then dodging assassins' bullets when his cover is blown. (The hero is even given a spycam camouflaged inside a walking stick, delivered by the Q-like Marne Maitland.) Scripted by Stirling Silliphant (In the Heat of the Night [1967]) and directed by John Guillermin (whose trendsetting spaghetti western El Condor [1970] had boasted an emancipated and capable black hero in pro footballer turned actor Jim Brown), Shaft in Africa is taut and satisfying, shot on location in France and Ethiopia by veteran cinematographer Marcel Grignon (Is Paris Burning? [1966]), and featuring Vonetta McGee (The Great Silence [1970]) and Frank Finlay (The Three Musketeers [1974]) as Shaft's love interest and main adversary, respectively. Not as successful as the first two Shaft films, Shaft in Africa led to a short-lived CBS-TV series, again starring Roundtree, which ran for seven 70-minute episodes between October 1973 and February 1974.
By Richard Harland Smith
Quotes
How big is your phallus, Shaft?- Girl
Say what?- Shaft
How big is your cock?- Girl
I guess it's shrunk to about 20 inches by now.- Shaft
Trivia
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Winter January 1, 1973
Released in United States Winter January 1, 1973
