Music for Picture: SHAFT

For those who are keeping track, the three Shaft films (not including the modern remake) in order from best to worst: Shaft, Shaft in Africa, Shaft's Big Score. It's been a long while since I've seen the trilogy, and am planning to rectify that fairly soon.

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A little while ago, a good friend and I were listening to Ennio Morricone's soundtrack to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (which may be the finest film score in history). After about half the record was complete, my friend turned to me in the midst of a track.

"What's happening in this scene?"

"Tuco's getting the shit kicked out of him by Angel Eyes." He nodded approvingly and skipped to another track.

"OK. This one?"

"Clint's being dragged through the desert while Tuco laughs maniacally."

"Sure... This one?"

"Clint's giving a cigar to the dying soldier." It went on for a a few more minutes until every track had been properly attached to a scene(s) in the film.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is nearly three hours long. I have seen it several times, though not nearly often enough to recite the dialog from start to finish (an honor reserved for such classics as the Godfather, Star Wars, and Wayne's World). On top of this, I have the memory of a syphilis patient - I'm lucky if I can remember my first name, let alone my middle name. Still, I somehow managed to place every track within its proper cinematic context. Perfect film music is inseparable from the scenes it adorns. The great composer - Morricone being a prime example - walks a fine line. He creates music that is striking on its own, but seemingly unforgettable when coupled with the moving image.

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I haven't seen any of the Shaft films in over a year, and I've noticed something. I have very little recollection of Shaft's Big Score, despite having seen it at least as many times as I've seen Shaft in Africa. Today, as I researched the trilogy, I noted that while the soundtracks to Shaft and Shaft in Africa were both composed by prominent musicians (Isaac Hayes and Johnny Pate/the Four Tops, respectively), Shaft's Big Score utilizes music composed by director Gordon Parks.

Perhaps this explains, to some extent, my lacking interest in Big Score. Isaac Hayes' soundtrack for Shaft belongs in the same breath as Jaws, Superfly, or Star Wars as some of the most memorable film music of its era. The soundtrack to Shaft in Africa, while certainly not approaching the heights of the original film, is nonetheless competent and memorable. Shaft's Big Score, on the other hand, is a forgotten middle child, its soundtrack barely a blip on the radar.

For those who have not seen any of the Shaft films (shame on you), I have taken the liberty of posting the opening credit sequence for both the original and Shaft in Africa to get you started.

Until Monday...