听 Even in the rather murky MGM pan and scan VHS release, "Shaft" remained achingly cool. On DVD, it's just that little bit more sensual.
You are given the choice between fullscreen and anamorphic widescreen, with the latter being the obvious option. The picture is slightly coarse, but offers good detail during the darker scenes of the movie, of which there are a few.
The 1.0 sound mix is clear, but fans really will have wanted at least a good stereo mix that could have done justice to the legendary Issac Hayes score.
The one extra feature of note turns out to be a tidy little original documentary from the time of release that explores "a new expression of blackness in film". Consisting of fascinating behind-the-scenes footage, we follow director Gordon Parks as he instructs Roundtree to keep looking cool when smashing a bottle over a thug's head. He's also in on the recording sessions with Issac Hayes, asking him to create the "driving savage beat". That of course became the Oscar-winning Best Song, and another component part of an icon in American cinema.
Chapters: 20
Region: 2
Ratio: 1.85:1 (Anamorphic)
Sound: Dolby Digital 1.0
Extra Features: Scene selection, 'Soul in Cinema: Filming "Shaft" on Location', trailer, multiple languages, subtitles, English for the hearing impaired.
