1971 film Shaft on 4K via Criterion Collection in June
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The 1971 film “Shaft” will officially be coming to 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray Disc on June 21st via The Criterion Collection. The film, directed by Gordon Parks, starred Richard Roundtree, Moses Gunn, Charles Cioffi, Christopher St. John, Gwenn Mitchell, Lawrence Pressman, and Victor Arnold. The film has received a new 4K restoration.
Tech specs for the 4K UHD Blu-ray include a 2160p video presentation in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with Dolby Vision and HDR10 forms of high dynamic range and uncompressed Mono and Stereo sound. The tech specs for the Blu-ray include a 1080p HD video presentation in the 1.85:1 aspect and uncompressed Mono and Stereo sound. On both releases, the first sound mix will be the original Mono lossless mix while the second optional sound mix will be a Stereo lossless “soundtrack remastered with creative input from Isaac Hayes III” according to Criterion.
You can find both the 4K UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray now available for preorder over at Amazon. You can also find them available directly via Criterion’s website.
The 4K will come in the form of a “combo pack” and include its Blu-ray counterpart as well as a bonus disc (detailed below), spanning across a 3-disc set. The Blu-ray will be a 2-disc set and include a bonus disc with an additional film — “Shaft’s Big Score! (1972). The bonus materials set to be included with the releases are listed below.
- Shaft’s Big Score!, the 1972 follow-up to Shaft by director Gordon Parks
- New documentary on the making of Shaft featuring curator Rhea L. Combs, film scholar Racquel J. Gates, filmmaker Nelson George, and music scholar Shana L. Redmond
- Behind-the-scenes program featuring Parks, actor Richard Roundtree, and musician Isaac Hayes
- Archival interviews with Hayes, Parks, and Roundtree
- New interview with costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi
- New program on the Black detective and the legacy of John Shaft, featuring scholar Kinohi Nishikawa and novelist Walter Mosley
- A Complicated Man: The “Shaft” Legacy (2019)
- Behind-the-scenes footage from Shaft’s Big Score!
- Trailers
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by film scholar Amy Abugo Ongiri
- New cover by Bill Sienkiewicz