15A
BLACK HISTORY/The Charlotte Post
Thursday, February 6,1997
Black Actors
Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee
Sidney Poitier
Denzel Washington
Spike Lee films gamer praise, criticism
By Winfred B. Cross
THE CHARLOTTE POST
Fve-foot-six Spike Lee stands
as one of the giants in Aftican
American film making.
His films have been some of
the most talked about and con-
vrith equal fervor. People either
lover or hate his work.
Critics have mostly praised
Lee’s work since his stunning
major theatrical debut “She’s
Gotta Have It.” Newsweek said
“Spike Lee is fresh in both
senses of the word - sassy and
original.”
The New
York
Times
called it “a
touch of
the clas-
troversial works of the last two
decades. There seems to be no
middle ground when it comes
to his work. All his films have
been praised or condemned
“I have a lot of friends who
like to talk about all the women
they have but let a woman
even think about having more
than one man and (men) go
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berserk,” Lee said.
No subject was taboo to Lee.
His next film “School Daze”
looked at intra-radal prejudice,
pitting light and dark-skinned
blacks against one another.
Tlie movie also questioned the
black Greek system. Apartheid
and the importance of black
colleges and universities. The
movie integrated drama, come
dy and dance in a herky-jerky
fashion, sometimes confusing
viewer. Laurence Fishburne
starred as Dap, a visionary col
lege radical that was deter
mined to make the student
body see his point of view. The
movie drew criticism from
many African Americans who
didn’t believe in airing the
race’s “dirty laundry.” It also
got him thrown off of
Morehouse College’s campus.
President Hugh Gloster wasn't’
happy about the film’s content
and suspended filming. Lee fin
ished the film at Clark College.
Lee’s most controversial work
has been his best. “Do The
Right Thing” examined race
relations. Critically acclaimed,
it won best picture and director
honors from the Los Angeles
Film Critics Association and
the Chicago Film Festival
Critics. It was shurmed by the
Academy Awards, garnering
two nominations. Best
Supporting Actor for Danny
Aiello and Best Original
Screenplay. Neither won.
In many ways, “Malcolm X,”
is Lee’s finest and most contro
versial work. Lee protested
loudly when white director
Norman Jewison was to do the
film. Jewison quietly bowed out
and Lee took the job. 'The out
come was a biopic which has no
equal. USA Today called the
film, the standard by which alt
biopics will be judged. Denzel
Washington’s performance was
critically acclaimed and earned
him an Oscar nomination for
Best Actor.
“Malcolm X” drew criticism
for all sides. Poet Amiri
Baraka complained the film
See Spike page 16A
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