Across 110th Street is an American crime drama released in 1972. It was directed by Barry Shear and stars Yaphet Kotto, Anthony Quinn, Anthony Franciosa and Paul Benjamin. The film is set in Harlem and takes its name from 110th Street, the traditional dividing line between Harlem and Central Park that functioned as an informal boundary of race and class in 1970s New York City. Focusing on a heist, murder and their subsequent investigation, Across 110th Street takes inspiration from both the blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as the film noir genre. Across 110th Street is remembered in part for its soundtrack, which features a classic song of the same name by soul artist Bobby Womack.
Across 110th Street | |
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Theatrical poster | |
Directed by | Barry Shear |
Produced by | Anthony Quinn Fouad Said Barry Shear |
Written by | Luther Davis |
Based on | Across 110th by Wally Ferris |
Starring | Anthony Quinn Yaphet Kotto Anthony Franciosa |
Music by | Bobby Womack J. J. Johnson |
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 102 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $10,000,000 |
Screenplay
Jim Harris goes with his partners to steal $300,000 from a Mafia-controlled policy bank in Harlem, disguised as police officers. The robbery goes wrong and results in the deaths of seven men — three black gangsters, two members of the Mafia, and two police officers. Lieutenant William Pope, a straight-laced black police officer is assigned to work the case with aging Captain Frank Mattelli, a street-wise but racist Italian-American cop. Although Lieutenant Pope works strictly by the book and states that he is in charge of the investigation, he struggles to restrain Mattelli, who receives money from Doc Johnson, the leader of black organized crime in Harlem. Over the course of roughly twenty-four hours, Pope and Mattelli race to get to the criminals before they can be hunted down by the Mafia, which is also searching for Harris’ crew. The Italians are led by Nick DiSalvio, a savage capo who takes pleasure in torturing his victims.
- Anthony Quinn as Capt. Mattelli
- Yaphet Kotto as Lt. Pope
- Anthony Franciosa as Nick D'Salvio
- Paul Benjamin as Jim Harris
- Ed Bernard as Joe Logart
- Richard Ward as Doc Johnson
- Antonio Fargas as Henry J. Jackson
- Norma Donaldson as Gloria Roberts
- Gilbert Lewis as Shevvy
- Marlene Warfield as Mrs. Jackson
- Nat Polen as Lt. Reilly
- Tim O'Connor as Lt. Hartnett
- Burt Young as Lapides
- Charles McGregor as Chink
- Paul Harris as Mr. C.
Racial tensions
The late 1960s and early 1970s were a time when racial tensions ran deep, and often exploded into riots. In the summer of 1964, a riot erupted in Harlem after a white off-duty police officer murdered a black teenager. The “hot summer” of 1967 saw riots rip through the country, in major cities throughout the West and the North, as black communities responded in anger to poverty and police brutality. In 1968, just three years before the release of Across 110th Street, numerous businesses and storefronts in Harlem were set on fire as residents reacted in frustration and grief after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.
The 1970s were also a time when feelings of black power were everywhere in African-American communities across the United States. The black power ethos seeped even into the underworld of organized crime, as evident in Across 110th Street, where black gangsters like Doc Johnson are coming to believe that black people should control the organized crime circuits within their neighborhoods rather than the racist Mafia bosses.
New York City in the 1970s
Across 110th Street portrays New York City of the 1970s, a decade when crime, drug use and poverty was at an all time high. The city economy was broke, its infrastructure crumbling and pimps and prostitutes filled Times Square. Harlem itself was a place of little opportunity. Middle class residents fled the neighborhood in large numbers, leaving the poor to abandoned buildings and empty storefronts. Burned out buildings were visible on nearly every block of Harlem’s major avenues, 24% of the area’s population was living on welfare, and between 1976 and 1978 the population of east and central Harlem fell by almost a third. In 1971, an estimated 60% of Harlem’s economic activity depended on cash flow from gambling — the illegal “numbers” racket controlled by organized crime.
During a potent scene in the film, Jim Harris explains to his girlfriend why he was forced to turn to robbery to make ends meet. As a middle aged black man, formerly incarcerated, with a health problem and no formal education or highly-paid skills, Harris’ only options are to work a demeaning, low-paying job with no future or to turn to crime. Even the cop Mattelli justifies the bribes he receives as supplemental income for his meager wages as a police officer.
The film earned an estimated $3.4 million in North American rentals in 1973.
- In 1973 it was banned by the South African Publications Control Board.
- In 2001 it was released on DVD.
- In 2010 it was digitized in High Definition (1080i) and broadcast on MGM HD.
- In September 2014 it was released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.
Across 110th Street opened to mixed reviews and moderate success at the box office. In a 1972 review Variety magazine commended the film for its realism, tight editing and solid performances. While some white critics panned the film it was reasonably popular among black audiences. In 1973 veteran black Chicago journalist Lu Palmer opened his alternative newspaper, Black X-Press Info Paper, with a review of Across 110th Street. He reflected that the film was particularly thoughtful and well-acted compared to many other low-budget blaxploitation pictures of the era, and noted that “this flick ought to be carefully studied — again, for its images and messages.”
Across 110th Street Soundtrack | ||||
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Soundtrack album by Bobby Womack and J. J. Johnson | ||||
Released | December 16, 1972 | |||
Recorded | 1972 | |||
Genre | R&B | |||
Length | 30:13 | |||
Label | United Artists | |||
Producer | Bobby Womack | |||
Bobby Womack and J. J. Johnson chronology | ||||
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The soundtrack of Across 110th Street reflects the mood and historical context of the film. The songs were written and performed by Bobby Womack, while the score was composed and conducted by J. J. Johnson. Made up of gritty and brooding funk, the soundtrack echoes the dark themes and imagery of the film.
The critically praised title song was a No. 19 hit on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart in 1973 and was later featured in Quentin Tarantino's 1997 blaxploitation homage Jackie Brown. Its lyrics reflect the broader themes of impoverishment and desperation in the film, where characters feel beaten down by poverty and must do whatever it takes to stay alive.
- List of American films of 1972