Super Fly (1972)

The daily routine of cocaine dealer Priest who wants to score one more super deal and retire.

Director:

Gordon Parks Jr.

Writer:

Phillip Fenty (screenplay by)

Stars:

Ron O'Neal, Carl Lee, Sheila Frazier

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ron O'Neal	...	Priest
Carl Lee	...	Eddie
Sheila Frazier	...	Georgia (as Shiela Frazier)
Julius Harris	...	Scatter (as Julius W. Harris)
Charles McGregor	...	Fat Freddie (as Charles MacGregor)
Nate Adams	...	Dealer
Polly Niles	...	Cynthia
Yvonne Delaine	...	Mrs. Freddie
Henry Shapiro	...	Robbery Victim
K.C.	...	Pimp
James G. Richardson	...	Junkie (as Jim Richardson)
Make Bray	...	Junkie
Al Kiggins	...	Police
Bob Bonds	...	Police
Fred Ottaviano	...	Police (as Fred Rolaf)

Storyline

Super Fly is a cocaine dealer who begins to realize that his life will soon end with either prison or his death. He decides to build an escape from the life by making his biggest deal yet, converting the coke to cash and running off to start a new life. The problem is that the Mob does not have a retirement plan and will give him a choice of staying and selling for them or dying if they find out his intentions.

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Plot Keywords:

police car | poliziottesco | north american poliziottesco | blaxploitation film | grindhouse film | 

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Taglines:

All He Needed Was One Last Deal...

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Music | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first black-oriented film to be financed entirely by African-Americans and shot by a non-white crew.

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Goofs

When Priest fights "The Man"'s henchmen at the end, the man who is body slammed into the trash can has a hat which appears and disappears between shots.

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Quotes

Militant: Dig it, dope peddler. We're out here building a new nation for black people. It's time for you to start payin some dues, nigga!
Youngblood Priest: I ain't givin' you shit! I'll tell you what you do, you go get you a gun and all those black folks you keep doin' so much talkin' about get guns, and come back ready to go down, then I'll be right down front killin' whitey. But until you can do that, you go sing your marching songs some place else. Now we're through talkin'.

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Connections

Referenced in In Living Color: Spike's Joint (1990)

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Soundtracks

Eddie You Should Know Better
Written by Curtis Mayfield
Performed by Curtis Mayfield

User Reviews

A film that influenced a generation.

Let me put in my two cents about this film.

If you weren't around when this film was released...you're going to miss much when writing a review. Let me try to help:

This film IS about an urban drug dealer that "sticks it to the man". This was NOT a known concept of that time which is why it attracted so many movie goers. What was ALSO interesting was the casting of the light skinned, straight haired actor Ron O'Neal as "Superfly" to "stick it to the man". "The Man", usually white in these films, formatically had to brace the rath of very dark skinned blacks. But here was something... different! "The Man", was really "The Law Establishment". And was "Superfly"...urban? New Concepts of the time.

Another thing: Curtis Mayfield HATED the theme of this movie. He was going to turn down writing the soundtrack when he thought it may be better to counteract this theme by writing POSITIVE messages for the audience to hear. Before "Saturday Night Fever", Curtis Mayfield wrote the ground breaking music to "Superfly". This made the film even more popular.

This was a low budget film released at the very beginning of the black film experience, and was meant to be the opposite of "Shaft" not a parellel to it. But based on the success of Shaft, Warner Bro's needed a project to enter in this arena and greenlighted "Superfly".

This film began a M-A-J-O-R fashion trend that was hard to overcome (only the Disco era of the late 70's knocked this one out.)

And that is "Superfly" in a nutshell.

"Priest", played by Ron O'Neal was 'supercool', he was slick, he had a nice existence, he was a drug dealer that you DIDN'T know was one -- not by outward appearances anyway...that didn't get his come-uppence at the end of the film, he GAVE it.

It is amazing what an impact "Superfly" had on the culture of that time. In looking at it now, it may look cheap, but it IS a timecapsule of fashion, of music and of breaking a movie taboo that all drug dealers are lowlifes and must be killed in the end.

About that fashion: This began the trend of white surban-ites dressing like pimps trying to be cool. Little white kids were wearing "maxi" coats with "Superfly" hats to Jr. High School and High School!!! Dancers were wearing platform shoes, etc., on American Bandstand!!! You think Hip-Hop did it? Where have you BEEN!!!

"Superfly" is one of the rare films that you must experience beyond judging it on how good or bad it is to watch...Rent this film to see how a film can INFLUENCE a culture.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Superfly

Filming Locations:

Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$58,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sig Shore Productions, Superfly

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1