VHS Videos: Superfly Video

Average Rating:

Rating: - Way ahead of it's time
This movie was filmed and released quietly back in '72 but ended up being one of the biggest box office hits of the year, and deservedly so. ... Even today, 30 years after its release, it packs a hard and bitter punch at "the man" and it is hands down the best and most important of the blaxploitation films of its day... it probably has more in common with the ghetto movies of the '90s like New Jack City than anything else. Ron O'Neal is cast perfectly as Priest, a big-time cocaine dealer disenchanted with the hand he's been dealt... He adds a cold and quiet menace to the character, understating his lines with an authority as cruelly elegant as his cheekbones... Director Gordon Parks, Jr. broke down a lot of doors for young directors in the '70s with this film and caused the major studios to start taking a second look at unknown directors who before would have never been given a chance... Also, the late great Curtis Mayfield soundtrack is an absolutely essential companion piece for this movie and will forever have a place in music history as one of the single greatest recordings of all time.

In it's "brotha' vs. the man" story line, "Superfly" takes the perception of good and evil and twists it. In previous traditional and mainstream films, the police are portrayed as the good heroes, while the criminals were mostly portrayed as evil people with no conscience. In Superfly, the main character, Priest, is a drug dealer who wants to "get out of the game". Although he is a criminal, he is the hero in the film. Meanwhile, the police are the villians with their corruption. I think that the reason this film was (and still is) so popular is because this is a very realistic portrayal of what happens in our communities. Audiences can definately identify with Priest's problems and the disturbing police corruption.

I was a little child when "Superfly" came out in 1972 and what I remember the most back then were the fashions that Priest inspired back "in da 'hood". Every brother had to have at least one "Superfly" outfit in his wardrobe. I also remember the nice "ride" he was driving. I think that was when a lot of brothers started getting Cadillacs and "deuce and a quarters" (Buick Electra 225).

The soundtrack for "Superfly" is an excellent example of what a sountrack should be. Curtis Mayfield takes us on a musical journey of this film with his music. Each song was perfectly composed for its appropiate scene of the film. Unfortunately this type of soundtrack no longer exists today.

After "Superfly" was released, other films emulated elements of it. Some had the similiar "brotha'/sista' vs the man" storyline, flashy fashions & cars, and of course a good soundtrack. What disappoints me is that Warner Brothers have not released "Superfly" on DVD, yet the majority of films that have emulated it's format are now on DVD.