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Spike Lee Introduction Spike Lee is a well-known American film director, script writer and actor. His real name is Sheldon Jackson; however, as far back as his school years he decided to take a pseudonym Spike). Spike Lee is an indisputable leader of African-American cinema culture of 1980 - 1990 s. Critics often call him a black Woody Allen both for the formal resemblance (despite the color of skin, they do have much in common), as well as for their adherence to the same theme, with the only exception: Spike Lee is interested not in relations between Jews and non-Jews, but between African Americans and the Whites. Further still, in his works Spike Lee is much more specific, topical and pressing than an intellectual Woody Allen. Excerpt from Biography Shortly after graduation from the University of New York Spike Lee created his first film under the title She's Gotta Have It (1986).
The film dweller on the twists and turns of life of an African American woman from Brooklyn. However, his interest in comedies soon seemed to dissolve in his topical films. Spike Lees easy and light style was quickly replaced by a more harsh and rude movies. In his Do the Right Thing (1989) the director shows the outbreak of anger and violence that revealed all the acuteness of the mutual hostility between the Blacks and the Whites. Trying to get at the root of the problem, Spike Lee leaned upon the fact that sex and racism go hand in hand, and Ku Klux Klan appeared in order to protect the white ladies-southerners from the Blacks.
His next film, Jungle Fever (1991) was dedicated to the memory of an African American young man who was killed on suspicion of making an appointment with an Italian girl. His biographical film Malcolm X (1992) caused a sensation. Glorification of an extremist black Muslim leader Amiri Baraka scared the audience and Spike Lee was soon accused of being a racist and anti-Semite. It seems that the scandal forced the director to re-examine his position and his later on his films (such as Crooklyn (1994) and Clockers (1995) ) became much more peaceful. Even the film Get on the Bus (1996), dedicated to the one year anniversary of the Million Man March bears the slightest resemblance to the aggressive pressure of his Malcolm X. Something Scandalous in Spike Lees She Hate Me Spike Lee is rightly called the greatest filmmaker provocateur all over the world.
One of his recent films She Hate Me serves the illustrative example to this assertion. The newspaper Washington Times accuses Spike Lee of being producing yet another anti-British tirade (Galupo D 08) with the institutional racism, demonization of whistle-blowers, incarceration of the blacks, objectification of black male sexuality (Booth 22), and many other things Spike Lee loves so much to put up for show. The Controversy of Race in Bamboozled Yet another Spike Lees film created in a desperate attempt to portray the conflicts between the Black and the Whites. Bamboozled is deservedly called an attempt of satire that misfires in the eyes of critics and, as a result, is a piece that is viewed as racist piece that is viewed as racist (Gilmer n.
p. ). In this movie the director tries to satirize the entertainment industry and show the perception of the blacks in entertainment. In the very beginning Delacroix (the main character of the film) offers a definition of the word satire in order to allow the viewers to make no mistake what it is about (Gilmer n. p. ).
However, it was of no help, as far as the satirical nature of the film was not understood by the viewers and critics, who blamed Spike Lee for his negative portrayals (Gilmer n. p. ). Spike Lee is too cynical and pointed in his portrayals of different cultures. He even says, - Theres a difference between liking a culture, appreciating that culture, and boarding that culture, taking over that culture (Gilmer n. p. ).
Another thing, resulted in heated discussions was endlessly repeating word nigger. At the end of the film Spike Lee makes a comment that this word is now acceptable despite its historical and racial connotations (Gilmer n. p. ). Crude racist caricatures allowed the critics calling Spike Lee being a racist all over again.
Spike Lee and Racism Spike Lee is consistently accused of being a racist. Is he? Some critics claim that the director undertakes all efforts to become the next Al Sharpton or Jesse Jackson in his desire to further the influence of African Americans on American society. Some of them claim that he is too preoccupied with the satisfaction of unselfconscious cultural exuberance and the shame of internalized oppression, while focusing attention on conflicts between the blacks and the whites (Stone n. p. ).
Although Spike Lee undertakes all efforts to cope with the problem, he, probably, has no strength enough to discard the white mask of acculturation. Everything he does arouses a scandal. His films are too provocative and pressing. Lees attempt to victimize the blacks and to make them saint, observing no proprieties, allows the critics calling him a racist. Spike Lee erroneously considers that African American audience will not survive without Black films, - the films created by Blacks for Blacks. It is true, to a certain extent.
However, there should be a golden mean, and Spike Lee goes too far in his outrage. While portraying the Blacks in pink colors, the filmmaker demolishes and humiliates the Whites. Probably, one can understand Spike Lees righteous fit of anger, because down the centuries in the medium that more than any other has constituted the images of modern consciousness, Blacks have watched the members of their race presented in demeaning and humiliating roles that reinforce racist stereotypes (Stone n. p. ). He may probably be right that the Blacks had no chance to see the films in which the vast majority of actors were Black. For centuries Blacks were represented in humiliating and demeaning roles that were reinforcing racist stereotypes.
However, Spike Lee evidently forgot that more doesnt mean better. No one can claim that Spike Lee has lost his talent for filmmaking. His films such as Shes Gotta Have It and Do the Right Things were his most talented works, probably being the imperfectly cut jewels, but still jewels (Stone n. p. ). However, his subsequent works bear a strong resemblance of creative chaos and amateurish confusion.
As it is claimed by Stone, it may be too early to say that Lee is on a declining trajectory, but even one of his most provocative films, Malcolm X, appeared to be significantly less successful and interesting as it was expected to be. Crooklyn also made less of a stir than his own hijinks performance as a Knick's fan at the NBA playoffs (Stone n. p. ). Spike Lees desire to make exceptionally Black films for exceptionally Black audience face strong criticism. He is often accused of separatism that seems to have led him not into autobiographical depths but into blind alleys of personal nostalgia that stifle rather than enhance his brash and mischievous talent (Stone n. p. ).
One of his monstrous mistakes is making films exceptionally for a specific race, taking into account no other nation or culture. Naturally, such myopic policy results in conflicts between Spike Lee and his White cross-over audiences (Stone n. p. ). His films produce an inadequate impression: while the Black audience positively reacts on the film episodes, laughing and smiling, the White audiences tend to sit quietly and squirm uncomfortably (Stone n. p. ). Another point at issue is that the Whites face difficulties in understanding Black English rich in the colloquial expressions of the Black Church, the Black Ghetto and other specific idioms.
Mo' Better Blues is a perfect illustration to the assertion that many Whites do not laugh at Spike Lees humor (Stone n. p. ). That was an accurate observation made by Stone: even if the White audiences understand the Black joke, they do not appreciate it, because the joke is usually at their expense. Spike Lee evidently sees everything through rose-colored glasses, while focusing too much attention on the Blacks and asserting that his films cover a wide range of questions interesting and familiar to the White audience.
Unfortunately, his White characters represent the Whites in a negative and improper way. Moreover, he treats most of the White characters in his movies the way Blacks were treated for most of this century -- as two dimensional cartoon personalities who confirm the audience's negative preconceptions (Stone n. p. ). Conclusion Spike Lees films leave a strange and twofold impression. Despite being finely made, they are over concerned with the issues of threatened Black identity and the Black community, which, actually, face no threat. Instead, the filmmaker should give up his racial tendencies by stopping to divide the world into Black and White, and, probably, make place for reasonable and rational discourse.
Works Cited Booth, Philip. "You Should Hate 'She Hate Me'. " Sarasota Herald Tribune 3 September 2004: 22. Galupo, Scott. "Something's Scandalous in 'Hate Me'; Spike Lee Takes on Too Many Ideas. " The Washington Times 20 August 2004: D 08. Gilmer, Marcus. The Controversy of Race in Spike Lees Bamboozled. 30 May 2007 < web >.
Stone, Alan A. Spike Lee: Looking Back. 30 May 2007 < web >.
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