Super Fly (1972)
Library of Congress description:
“Super Fly,” directed by Gordon Parks Jr., serves both as a classic of the sometimes escapist “Blaxploitation” wave of 1970s Black-oriented films, as well as a searing commentary on the American dream. The film revolves around a Harlem drug pusher with style (“Youngblood” Priest,” played by Ron O’Neal) who aims to make one final big score and then leave the business; criminals and corrupt police have other ideas. Some criticized the film as glorifying drug dealers, given O’Neal’s charismatic performance, and for reinforcing what they saw as lifestyle stereotypes in films such as “Sweet Sweetback…” and “Shaft.” Curtis Mayfield’s political and soulful score, however, received universal acclaim for its dynamic sound and for challenging drug culture in its lyrics. The son of renowned photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks, Parks Jr. tragically died in 1979 at the age of 44 in an airplane crash in Kenya, while on location making a film.
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