Shocking Development: Spike Lee Is Angry About Something
Filed under: Drama, Independent, War
Last month we got news that Spike Lee is making a WWII film, adapted from James McBride's novel Miracle at St. Anna, which will prominently feature African American soldiers. When the controversial filmmaker made the announcement in Italy, he of course made a point about Hollywood's ignorance of African Americans in war films. Now that he's back there scouting locations for the movie, he's continuing to publicly criticize the history of American cinema. This time around, Lee brought with him an 82-year-old WWII vet named William Perry, either as a tool for his cause or as a consultant, or as both. The filmmaker was also joined by an Italian vet named Moreno Costa, who fought on the side of the U.S as an anti-Fascist partisan.
It is disappointing that African Americans have been poorly represented in pre-Vietnam war films. Attempts to spotlight the minority contribution, though, has also been equally disappointing. Just witness how badly the race balance is forced in films like Windtalkers, Flyboys and Pearl Harbor. There is no guarantee that Lee's WWII movie will be any less heavy handed, but I'm looking forward to it at least being a better film (along the lines of Glory and Days of Glory, at least). Until we get to see if this is true, Lee will likely be finding any chance he can to criticize Hollywood's ignorance of African American soldiers. So, by the time we do see the film, we will have difficulty not perceiving it as being heavy handed, even if it isn't. Of course, we all know that it will be.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-04-2007 @ 1:59PM
Ghonius said...
What would make you happy? The opposite of "heavy-handed", Spike treating the subject by making a WWII epic with one token African-American thus being "light-handed"? I'm confused at your angle here; so Spike is too much for you because he takes 2 vets with him scout locations or because he wants to bring awareness to the fact that ppl besides Anglo whites serve in the military? What's the problem?
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7-04-2007 @ 5:24PM
Paul said...
We all know that WWII was won by African Americans,( especially the Tuskegee Airmen), women "ferry pilots", that Japanese-American battalion in Italy, & Native American code talkers.
Whites were not involved in any sizable way.
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7-04-2007 @ 7:10PM
mish said...
"So, by the time we do see the film, we will have difficulty not perceiving it as being heavy handed, even if it isn't. Of course, we all know that it will be."
Uh say what now? Of course its a matter of opinion, but I would say most modern WWII films fall into the category of being "heavy handed." Spike is really on the upswing with Inside Man, I can't wait to see what he does with this material.
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7-07-2007 @ 3:48PM
JANET said...
I HOPE MR.LEE MAKES THIS MOVIE ABOUT WWII BLACK SOLDIERS. MY DAD WHO IS EIGTHY-THREE HAS TOLD STORIES ABOUT BEING THE ONLY BLACK ON A SHIP IN THE NAVY. NOT ONLY DID HE HAVE TO DEAL WITH WAR HE ALSO HAD TO DEAL WITH BEING A TRUE MINORITY. HE IS A TRUE HERO BECAUSE OF HIS STRENGTH AND SPIRIT. MR. LEE YOU HAVE THE CLOUT AND RESOURES TO HONOR THESE MEN.
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7-31-2007 @ 7:46PM
Anna Lopez said...
My dad Florentino Lopez was in the 92nd Div.& corroborated with Mr. McBride in his research for the book, He died 5 yrs. ago come Aug.12th and the sad thing about it was that he was denied admission to the VA hospital in NYC after being wounded and being the "Miracle of St.Anna"since he was the soldier listed MIA & then found. He was given a total of 14 medals but denied his last wish to die in a VA hospital,
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