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. Superfly (1972) Cast and Crew - Cast Photos and Info | Fandango When Eddie states that they have $300,000, Priest reveals his plan to buy thirty kilos of high-quality cocaine, which they can sell for $1,000,000 within four months. 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. In commenting on the success of Super Fly at the box office, a Jan 1973 DV article reported that investors Allen and Jenkins had sold their 22 percent interest in the film profitably, and that the principals involved in the production were getting handsome payoffs. According to a 12 Mar 1973 NYT article, the picture had grossed $20 million in seven months, and modern sources added that despite the films controversial nature, it went on to gross more than $30 million by 2007. Hoping for one last score, Priest and his partner travel to Mexico to arrange a deal. Its a death-steeped drama, but no major character falls victim to gun violence. But theyre not particularly distinctive; perhaps thats why a couple of Mayfield songs are brought back to serve here. 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. 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. Frequent profanity, including the "N" word . Priests white mistress, Cynthia, also sells to her friends, although she is dismayed to learn that Priest does not return her love and is planning on quitting the business. Among the films many critics was Junius Griffin, the then-president of the Hollywood branch of the NAACP. The gaudy fashions might be as obsolete as the old crumbling '70s New York City that serves as the background to the scenes, but the substance of the movie has ensured that Super Fly remains something more than a relic. Working with his reluctant friend, Eddie (Carl Lee), Priest . Super Fly also marked the first effort as a motion picture producer for Shore (19192006), who went on to produce the two sequels to Super Fly. Technical Specs, See agents for this cast & crew on IMDbPro, Trailers from Hell Presents: The Movies That Made Me: Alex Tse, hair stylist: second unit (as Steven A. Battaglia), key hair stylist (as Talya R. Melvey) / key hair stylist, production supervisor: second unit / second unit, second second assistant director: second unit, assistant property master / property master: 2nd unit, assistant property master: 2nd unit (as Suzu Tran) / props buyer (as Suzu Tran), second boom operator / sound mixer: splinter unit, re-recording mixer / supervising sound editor, visual effects executive producer: Southbay, assistant visual effects editor: Outpost VFX / roto/prep artist: Outpost VFX, visual effects executive producer: VFX Legion, compositing lead: Southbay (as Aaron Gerard Chiesa), visual effects executive producer: Crafty Apes, visual effects production manager: Southbay, 3d artist: Crafty Apes (as Patrick Sullivan), visual effects production manager: VFX Legion, visual effects artist: Southbay (uncredited), visual effects editor: Outpost VFX (uncredited), digital compositor: VFX Legion (uncredited), executive vfx supervisor: southbay CCO (uncredited), stunt double: Brian F. Durkin (uncredited) / stunt driver (uncredited), precision driver/precision car coordinator (uncredited), covering stunt coordinator (uncredited) / stunts (uncredited), stunt performer/stunt driving double: Trevor Jackson (uncredited), stunt double: Lex Scott Davis (uncredited), stunt driver: camera bike rider (uncredited), stunt double: Jason Mitchell/Jacob Latimore (uncredited), stunt driver (uncredited) / stunt driving double: Trevor Jackson (uncredited), stunt double: Dominique Madison (uncredited), first assistant camera "a" camera: second unit, camera operator: "a" camera (as Kirk Gardner) / steadicam operator (as Kirk Gardner), assistant chief lighting technician / best boy electric, first assistant camera: "b" camera, second unit, additional set lighting technician (as Mark Sunderland), assistant colorist: Company 3 (uncredited), key assistant location manager: second unit, production assistant / promotional services, key set production assistant: second unit, stand in: Jared Losano / stand in: Kevin Young / stand in: Kurt Yue, production coordinator: title sequence design, production assistant / set production assistant: 2nd unit. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). | Gritty, mature cop story with violence and nudity. Harlem Costume Designer Deirdra Elizabeth Govan on Season Twos Evolving Looks. (Click here to read about the 2018 remake .) Soon after, Priest and Eddie are joined by one of their low-level dealers and Freddie, who turns over the money he stole and agrees that the beef between the men is settled. Scatter surprises Priest at Freddie's funeral, ordering him to meet with his supplier Adalberto, after finding out Priest cut a secret deal for more product. He died on 17 April 1986 in New York City, New York, USA. He is murdered after being forced to reveal information about Priest to Mason. The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor. He yearns to go straight, despite the fortune he makes. The unit publicist on the film, David Parks, was Parks, Jr.s brother. Taking design cues from Pharrell Williams fashion line Billionaires Boys Club, she dressed one Snow Patrol member, played by rapper Big Bank, in fluffy fur coat and fedora. He isnt a bad actor, but its not like he finds many gradations within a young hustlers survivalist pout. SuperFly (2018) Cast & Crew Cast; Crew; Trevor Jackson Youngblood Priest Jason Mitchell Eddie Michael Kenneth Williams Scatter Lex Scott Davis Georgia Jennifer Morrison Detective Mason Kaalan Walker Juju Esai Morales Adalberto Gonzalez Andrea Londo Cynthia Big Bank Black "Q" Big Boi Mayor Atkins Jacob Ming-Trent Fat Freddie . 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. Keep up with The Credits for the latest in film, television, and streaming. Griffin, before he resigned his post in Aug 1972, demanded that Warner Bros. recall prints of the film from distribution and reshoot the ending so that Priest would be killed or otherwise punished for his drug usage and dealing. Like his father, Parks, Jr. was also a well-known still photographer. Curtis Mayfield as Curtis Mayfield, Julius Harris as Scatter, and Al Kiggins as Policeman. In addition, the picture marked the first screenplay written by Philip Fenty. Kaalan "KR" Walker as Juju, a member of the Snow Patrol, a rival drug outfit, who takes an immediate dislike to Priest and plots to kill him. The movie generated roughly $4 million in profits. If this wing can do ok in 10-12mph winds, I'm in. Most drug dramas are set in New York or L.A. (at this point, a dated cinematic reflex), but what matters is forging a vivid sense of place. Priest, whose real power is information (hes got it on everyone), is surrounded by player-predators who are less cunning but more crudely violent than he is. Although Joseph Sistrom is listed as producer in various contemporary sources, the SAB at >>. David Remnick talks with Dean Baquet, the executive editor of the Times, and Maggie Haberman, a White House correspondent for the paper, about reporting on Trump and the perils facing American democracy. As the soundtrack's composer, Mayfield was the only other person in the production who earned revenue approaching Shore's. The new Superfly transplants the tale to the swank environs of contemporary upscale Atlanta, and it gives its hero the 21st-century equivalent of ONeals processed-pimp look. It's time for you to start payin some dues, nigga! [8], In the United States and Canada, Superfly was projected to gross $712 million from 2,200 theaters over its five-day opening weekend. You can help us help kids by In his flattened long hair and wide collars and designer sideburns, he may have looked like a coke-spoon version of DArtagnan, but his need to claw his way out to use the drug game to defeat the man suffused every scene. (Even the weapons in their armamentarium of machine guns and handguns are encased in sleek white ornamental sheaths.) SuperFly Trailer: Superfly: Character Piece-Scatter - Metacritic The lieutenant reveals that he is Scatter's supplier and that they can have as much "weight," as they want, and will be extended both credit and protection. Instead of paying off Mason, Priest tips off police and she is arrested for cocaine possession. The more Priest tries to wriggle out of the life, the more it wraps its tentacles around him. Youngblood Priest: I'm talking to you, you redneck f*ggot. Priest must find a way to keep the money he has made while staying several steps ahead of the corrupt police department. Outcry against the film prompted several groups in Los Angeles, notably the Coalition Against Blaxploitation (CAB) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), to assert that a separate ratings and review board for black films should be set up and overseen by CORE, according to the Jan 1973 LAT article. We won't share this comment without your permission. Eddie argues that crime is the only option left to them by "The Man." Priest lives with two women, Georgia (Lex Scott Davis), a black woman, who also plays a significant role in his operation, as the head of an art gallery thats one of his fronts, and Cynthia (Andrea Londo), whos Hispanic, and who doesnt play a major role in his business. 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 His position was opposed by numerous physicians and medical groups, who also spoke out against the film, according to Filmfacts. Can you dig it? 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. 26 Jan 2023 07:44:06 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. To me that movie felt like an accurate portrayal of Harlem during that period. The article noted that Mayfield was not qualified for a nomination for Best Dramatic Score because five songs needed to be submitted, and Warners only submitted three. Although the article stated that Mayfields manager was contemplating filing suit against the Academy, the action was not taken. Priest discusses his plan to buy thirty kilos of high-quality cocaine with the $300,000 he and his partner Eddie have, which they can sell for $1,000,000 within four months. You'll all be hit if I die. And he was there a week ahead of time doing the work and getting the choreography down. 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. According to some reviews of the film, the term super fly was slang for high-quality cocaine, while other reviews stated that it meant the pusher himself, or meant a superlative adjective that could be applied to anything. An additional way to control how far light scatters though the surface, only this time with separate values for the red, green and blue channels. In this regard, Superfly mirrors the original, in which Priest also had two girlfriends by those names. 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. Jackson does cool almost too well. So he didnt spend as much time rehearsing this, but hes a pro. 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. Within the recent wave of gender-flipped casting, its fascinating to see Morrison portray the sort of scum cop who is never, in the movies, a woman. I want to up our supply. This scene is Trevor and Michael as Priest and Scatter, the student and mentor. Pulling into his driveway, he confides to the audience, in voice-over, that he believes no car ever outran fate.. The film was shot by director of photography James Signorelli, who would go on to become the film segment director for Saturday Night Live. But until you can do that, you go sing your marching songs some place else. Cynthia: [after refusing a snort of coke because Priest is going to leave rather than stay for sex] Some things go better with coke. The next day, Freddie is picked up for fighting, and when he is beaten by the police, he reveals when and where Priest and Eddie are to pick up the first kilo of cocaine from Scatter. Some contemporary and modern sources list the films title as Superfly, although the opening title card and copyright records list it as two words. It was released on August 4, 1972. The lieutenant in charge reveals that he is Scatters supplier and that the two men can now go directly to him. How Do I Protect My Young Child from Cyberbullying? Youngblood Priest: I ain't bullshittin' you, captain. He becomes a potent weapon in Priests score settling. The film was directed by Director X, written by Alex Tse and stars Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael K. Williams, Lex Scott Davis, and Jennifer Morrison. Superfly - Wikipedia All rights reserved. Made by movie fans, for movie fans. Although a Sep 1971 HR article listed Shores company Plaza Productions as the films intended production company, Superfly, Ltd. is listed onscreen and by copyright materials. Classic '70s drama with drugs, violence, cursing. He seems almost as influenced by Brian De Palmas Scarface (itself a remake) as by the original Super Fly. Witness the bright oranges and subsequent neon colors in the movies opening scene: a tracking shot of an underground nightclub, depicting Priest on a mission to collect money owed. Youngblood Priest: You don't own me, pig, and no motherf***er tells me when I can split. I mean, maybe this is what you're supposed to do, maybe this is what you're growing to. But its also less true than it once was. [6], At the time of its release, there were many African-Americans that were displeased with the images of themselves portrayed in films such as Super Fly, Sweet Sweetbacks Baadassssss Song, and Shaft. As he is escorted outside to be booked in another precinct, Freddie attempts to escape and is killed when he dashes in front of a car. After "The End" is displayed, the film fades to black, but Mayfield's "Superfly" continues to play for a few minutes until the track ends. If you go back and . A remake was released in 2018. Working some jive job for chump change day after day. I am Director X. Im the director of Superfly 2018. Priests clothes are predominantly dark and subtle because Priest doesnt want to bring attention to himself, Messam says. Super Fly is a 1972 Blaxploitation film directed by Gordon Parks Jr. (son of Shaft director Gordon Parks) starring Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee and Julius Harris. 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. 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. While this new development excites Eddie, Priest is still determined to get out of dealing and decides to commit to his girlfriend Georgia (Sheila Frazier). In the DVD release, Warner Bros. decided to fade out the track midway right as "The End" is shown, and again brings up the AOL/Warner logo. Scatter initially refuses to help Priest. On the one hand, its a clever idea to have the pair negotiate drug supplies while sparring in Scatters martial-arts gym; on the other, the cleverness becomes beside the point because Director X cant manage to make both the action and the dialogue work in tandem. Priest, as presented in Superfly, is a master plotter who distills his hard-forged wisdom into terse yet gaudy aphorisms, which adorn the soundtrack in dialogue and voice-over. A standard definition DVD was released by Warner Brothers on January 14, 2004the day its star, Ron O'Neal, died after battling cancer. Motion Picture Association, Inc. Its kind of hilarious take on the extremes of gangs showing their power in color alone. Theres another crucial difference between the two films, a difference that marks virtually every encounter, every scene, every moment: firepower. That night, after picking up the kilo from Scatter, Priest and Eddie are apprehended by several policemen. . The new HBO film dramatizes the effect of culture and politics on the most intimate extremes of a persons lifeand how particularly distorting and damaging this collective power has been for women. Scatter (Michael Kenneth Williams), refuses to increase Priest's . After the men leave, Priest finds his partner, Eddie, and asks him how much cash they currently have. A remake of the 1972 blaxploitation classic trades in its drug-dealer-as-outlaw-capitalist mythology for a glossy, slammed-together genre flick. Release Dates [11], After an initial gross of $24.8 million, the film was re-released in 1973 and earned $2 million in US and Canada rentals. The film opens as the name ROCKY pans across the screen, filling the frame. But one of those minions, Juju (Kaalan KR Walker), seethes with resentmenthe wants to do away with Priest and take over his business, and, without Qs permission, takes a shot at Priest outside the club, but instead hits a bystander. 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. Parents need to know that Super Fly is a 1972 movie about a cocaine dealer attempting to make a deal large enough to retire and get out of the business. Although this plan was much discussed throughout the mid-1970s, it was not implemented. And indeed, when they pop up, they infuse the movie with fresh rhythm. Having settled his business obligations, and with his enemies either dead or in custody, Priest and Georgia relax on a cruise in Montenegro. Eddie feigns allegiance with Snow Patrol, and tricks them into an ambush where they are killed by Mason and other cops alerted by Priest. Super Fly Quotes The new films twists and turns are strongly, if fleetingly, absorbingeven if Director X delivers them in a mainly decorative mode that merely conveys them without expanding them. Scatter, who now runs a popular restaurant, initially refuses to help Priest, but Priest plays on his emotions, claiming that he wants to get out while he is young and before he has to endure the extreme hardships faced by Scatter. There aren't any reviews yet. 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. So maybe its heartening, in a way, that Super Fly once meant something and that the new Superfly, for what its worth, means next to nothing. Director X was very hands on with the look, she recalls. AFI|Catalog - Super Fly 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. 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. Eddie has his back but Scatter refuses to help. After getting mugged by two junkies, he realizes that his profession will eventually only end in death or prison, so he decides it's time to call it quits. The original Priest, played by Ron O'Neal, famously sported leisure suits and floor-length overcoats, but Trevor Jackson's version of the drug dealer favors a less flamboyant style drawn from AllSaints, Burberry and German designer Phillip Plein. Fat Freddie: Listen, Priest, that's my wife you're talking about, man. 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. Radius. He confides to a lieutenant, Eddie (Jason Mitchell), that he wants out. Priest demands his half of their profits, and when Eddie protests that they should keep selling, Priest asserts that Scatter was murdered by the police, and that they also are in danger. Its comments on the lack of legitimate opportunity for African Americans in the inner city remains relevant -- relevant enough to bring on a remake of the movie 46 years after the original film's release. HR news items add the following information about the production: Warner >>, James M. Cain's novel Double Indemnity was serialized in Liberty magazine. According to a 17 Sep 1972 NYT article, the project was initially brought to Shore by first-time screenplay writer Philip Fenty after Fenty and actor Ron ONeal, a longtime friend, had worked together to develop the story. Chasing Priest, Juju is injured and Q is killed in a car crash. Controversy continued to swirl around the Academys decision to exclude the song, with the executive committee of the music branch convening to discuss the songs ineligibility.
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