Across 110th Street
Encyclopedia
Across 110th Street is a 1972 American crime
-drama film
starring Anthony Quinn
, Yaphet Kotto
, and Anthony Franciosa
, and directed by Barry Shear
. Commonly associated with the blaxploitation
genre at the time, it has received considerable critical praise from writer Greil Marcus
and others for surpassing the limitations of that genre.
, of which 110th Street
is an informal boundary line.
By-the-book black Lieutenant William Pope (Kotto) has to work with crude, racist but streetwise Italian-American Captain Frank Mattelli (Quinn) in the NYPD's 27th precinct. They are looking for three black men who slaughtered seven men—three black gangsters and two Italian gangsters, as well as two patrol officers—in the robbery of $300,000 from a Mafia
-owned Harlem policy bank. Mafia
lieutenant Nick D'Salvio (Franciosa) and his two henchmen are also after the hoods. Paul Benjamin plays the troubled Jim Harris, who is the last of the surviving robbers; he makes his choice in the emotional climax.
In one of many violent scenes, D'Salvio finds getaway driver Henry J. Jackson (Antonio Fargas
) and brutalizes him in a Harlem whorehouse.
, New York
. The film
is also notable as being the first feature film
to use a self-blimped camera
(the Arriflex 35BL) for sync sound; the much-reduced size of the camera
allowed the production
to not only use more hand-held shots and smaller locations than normal, but also record usable sound at the same time - an endeavor not previously possible under those circumstances.
, was a No. 19 hit on the Billboard Hot Black Singles
chart in 1973, and was later featured in Quentin Tarantino
's 1997
blaxploitation homage Jackie Brown
. It is also heard in Ridley Scott
's 2007 film American Gangster, and as a background song for the video game True Crime: New York City
.
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
-drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
starring Anthony Quinn
Anthony Quinn
Antonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
, Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Kotto
Yaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
, and Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa
Anthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
, and directed by Barry Shear
Barry Shear
Barry Shear was an American film director and producer.He directed films such as The Todd Killings in 1971 , and the blaxploitation film Across 110th Street in 1972.-External links:...
. Commonly associated with the blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
genre at the time, it has received considerable critical praise from writer Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus
Greil Marcus is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a much broader framework of culture and politics than is customary in pop music journalism.-Life and career:Marcus was born in San Francisco...
and others for surpassing the limitations of that genre.
Plot
This film is set in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, of which 110th Street
110th Street (Manhattan)
110th Street is a street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is commonly known as the boundary between Harlem and Central Park, along which it is known as Central Park North. In the west, it is also known as Cathedral Parkway....
is an informal boundary line.
By-the-book black Lieutenant William Pope (Kotto) has to work with crude, racist but streetwise Italian-American Captain Frank Mattelli (Quinn) in the NYPD's 27th precinct. They are looking for three black men who slaughtered seven men—three black gangsters and two Italian gangsters, as well as two patrol officers—in the robbery of $300,000 from a Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
-owned Harlem policy bank. Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
lieutenant Nick D'Salvio (Franciosa) and his two henchmen are also after the hoods. Paul Benjamin plays the troubled Jim Harris, who is the last of the surviving robbers; he makes his choice in the emotional climax.
In one of many violent scenes, D'Salvio finds getaway driver Henry J. Jackson (Antonio Fargas
Antonio Fargas
Antonio Juan Fargas is an American actor famous for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies, as well as his portrayal of Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series Starsky and Hutch.-Biography:...
) and brutalizes him in a Harlem whorehouse.
Background
The movie was filmed on location in HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
is also notable as being the first feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
to use a self-blimped camera
Sound blimp
A Sound Blimp is a housing attached to a camera which reduces the sound caused by the shutter click, particularly SLRs. It is primarily used in film still photography, so as not to interfere with the shooting of principal photography, and also in other situations where sound is distracting:...
(the Arriflex 35BL) for sync sound; the much-reduced size of the camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
allowed the production
Filmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
to not only use more hand-held shots and smaller locations than normal, but also record usable sound at the same time - an endeavor not previously possible under those circumstances.
Cast
- Yaphet KottoYaphet KottoYaphet Frederick Kotto is an African-American actor, known for numerous film roles , and his starring role in the NBC television series Homicide: Life on the Street .-Early life:Kotto was born in New York City, the son of Gladys Marie, a...
as Lt. Pope - Anthony QuinnAnthony QuinnAntonio Rodolfo Quinn-Oaxaca , more commonly known as Anthony Quinn, was a Mexican American actor, as well as a painter and writer...
as Capt. Mattelli - Anthony FranciosaAnthony FranciosaAnthony Franciosa was an American actor, usually billed as Tony Franciosa during the height of his career.-Early life:...
as Nick D'Salvio - Burt YoungBurt YoungBurt Young is an American actor, painter and author. He is best known for his Academy Award-nominated role as Sylvester Stallone's brother-in-law and friend Paulie in the Rocky film series.-Personal life:...
as Lapides - Antonio FargasAntonio FargasAntonio Juan Fargas is an American actor famous for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies, as well as his portrayal of Huggy Bear in the 1970s TV series Starsky and Hutch.-Biography:...
as Henry J. Jackson - Richard WardRichard Ward (American actor)Richard Ward, was a gravel-voiced African American actor in films and television and the stage from the late 1950s onwards until his death. He made three guest appearances on Good Times as James's dad Henry , who had walked out on James' mom and siblings when he was younger...
as Doc Johnson - Gilbert LewisGilbert LewisGilbert Lewis is an American actor who is best known for playing The King of Cartoons in the first season of the 1986 children's show, Pee-wee's Playhouse. Lewis played the King of Cartoons in thirteen episodes before being replaced by actor, William Marshall...
as Shevvy - Frank Adu as Black Assistant
- Frank Arno as Detective Rizzo
- Joseph AttlesJoseph AttlesJoseph Attles was an American character actor.He was born in James Island, South Carolina, United States on April 7, 1903. He died on October 29, 1990.-Theatre:*Tambourines to Glory*John Henry - 1940*Porgy and Bess...
as Mr. Jessup - Paul BenjaminPaul BenjaminPaul Benjamin is an American actor.Benjamin was born in Pelion, South Carolina. He made his film debut in 1969 as a bartender in Midnight Cowboy...
as Jim Harris - Ed BernardEd Bernard----Ed Bernard born July 4, 1939 in Philadelphia, USA, is an American actor.- Career :Most of his career was made on television, standing for playing the role of Det. Joe Styles, in the classic TV series Police Woman. He played the character in 91 episodes between...
as Joe Logart - Tina Beyer as Black Whore
- Gerry Black as Patrolman
- Samuel Blue Jr. as Dr. Christmas
Release on DVD & HD
- In 2001 it was released on DVD.
- In 2010 it was digitized in High Definition (1080i) and broadcasted on MGM HDMGM HDMGM HD is an all high-definition television channel. It features commercial-free movies from MGM's library of approximately 1,200 movies mastered in a high-definition-compatible format as well as feature films from their library of 4,100 theatrical titles...
.
Soundtrack
The film's critically praised title song, by Bobby WomackBobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
, was a No. 19 hit on the Billboard Hot Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart in 1973, and was later featured in Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's 1997
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
blaxploitation homage Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown (film)
Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films....
. It is also heard in Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
's 2007 film American Gangster, and as a background song for the video game True Crime: New York City
True Crime: New York City
True Crime: New York City is an urban sandbox-style action-adventure videogame published by Activision and developed by Luxoflux for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube consoles and Windows based computers. It is the second game of the True Crime series, released after True Crime: Streets of LA...
.
- "Across 110th Street" (performed by Bobby Womack and Peace) (US #56, R&B #19)
- "Harlem Clavinette" (performed by J.J.Johnson and his Orchestra)
- "If You Don't Want My Love" (performed by Bobby Womack and Peace)
- "Hang On In There (instrumental)" (performed by J.J.Johnson and his Orchestra)
- "Quicksand" (performed by Bobby Womack and Peace)
- "Harlem Love Theme" (performed by J.J.Johnson and his Orchestra)
- "Across 110th Street (instrumental)" (performed by J.J.Johnson and his Orchestra)
- "Do It Right" (performed by Bobby Womack and Peace)
- "Hang On In There" (performed by Bobby Womack and Peace)
- "If You Don't Want My Love (instrumental)" (performed J.J.Johnson and his Orchestra)
- "Across 110th Street – Part II" (performed by Bobby Womack and Peace)