Spike Lee courts controversy by criticizing Clint Eastwood and the Coen brothers
Perhaps Spike Lee has decided that a good offense makes for a better defense if he is snubbed by the Academy Awards again this year. How else to explain his slam of a trio of Oscar-winning directors — Clint Eastwood and the Coen brothers - who could well be competing again this year.
As per Reuters, Lee was in Cannes to promote "Miracle at St. Anna," his upcoming WW II drama about the heroic efforts of four African American soldiers in Italy. He took the opportunity to criticize his fellow filmmakers. "Clint Eastwood made two films about Iwo Jima that ran for more than four hours total, and there was not one Negro actor on the screen," he said. "If you reporters had any balls you'd ask him why. There's no way I know why he did that. That was his vision, not mine. But I know it was pointed out to him and that he could have changed it. It's not like he didn't know."
Clint Eastwood picked up his ninth and 10th Oscar nods for producing and directing one of those two films Lee referenced —"Letters From Iwo Jima" — in 2006. While Eastwood lost those races, he has 4 Oscars on his mantle — a pair each for producing and directing best picture winners "Unforgiven" (1992) and "Million Dollar Baby" (2004) — as well as the Thalberg award.
And as for the Oscar-winning directors of "No Country for Old Men," Lee had this to say: "I love the Coen brothers; we all studied at NYU. But they treat life like a joke. Ha ha ha. A joke. It's like, 'Look how they killed that guy! Look how blood squirts out the side of his head!' I see things different than that."
Joel and Ethan Coen won three Oscars last year for producing, directing, and adapting "No Country for Old Men" and another for their original script for "Fargo" in 1996. Between them, they have another seven nominations for editing, writing, and producing.
Lee has never been nominated for directing a feature film. His first Oscar bid came in 1989 for his original screenplay of "Do the Right Thing." He lost to Tom Schulman for "Dead Poets Society" which was a best picture nominee. Lee's only other nod was in 1997 for the feature documentary "4 Little Girls." That examination of the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham church lost to "The Long Way Home," a study of Holocaust survivors and the establishment of Israel.
To read the full Reuters report CLICK HERE
(40 Acres and a Mule)
Not only do I like Spike, but I agree with Mr. Lee.
I also like the Coens, but Clint wins because of his name. The Oscars won for Million Dollar Baby had to have been bought!
But Spike Lee is a genious, and he is absolutely right about criticism of Eastwood and others for failure to accurately portray contributions of black persons in war and other circumstances. Some of the posts here are revealing of deep racist attitudes we still have in this country. One in particular that asks why Lee doesn't have more white people in his movies is especially ridiculous. Why should he? Most movies are already giving white people more than enough accommodations. His movies simply are his attempt to compensate for the extreme imbalance. Only a racists would think otherwise. I would say there are many truly ignorant people here in the US, and elsewhere, who have apparently been bamboozled by whatever source of information they have chosen to rely on, and are blinded by their white supremacist attitudes, whether they realize it about themselves or not. These forums are a testament to that.
Posted by: Joe Trybyszewski | May 23, 2008 at 08:05 AM
I HATE YOU SPIKE LEE!
Get over yourself!- And accept the fact that other filmmakers are more talented and intelligent than you. Kill yourself!!!
Posted by: dick | May 23, 2008 at 08:01 AM
Guess those accusing Lee of not having any white people in his movies never saw 25 Hour with Ed Norton....who when he is not playing the HULK is very white........like almost everyone else in the movie.
Posted by: Doug R. | May 23, 2008 at 07:48 AM
Hey Spike, I dare ya to tell Mr. Eastwood to his face that he's racist. What a chump!
Posted by: spikesamoron | May 23, 2008 at 07:42 AM
Spike's always gotta bitch about something.
Posted by: John | May 23, 2008 at 07:13 AM
You said:
"Perhaps Spike Lee has decided that a good offense makes for a better defense if he is snubbed by the Academy Awards again this year. How else to explain his slam of a trio of Oscar-winning directors — Clint Eastwood and the Coen brothers - who could well be competing again this year."
Very disappointing and very dumb analysis.
In this awards-obsessed world, does anyone remember: TRUTH or INTEGRITY??
The LATimes correspondent maybe couldn't care less, as long as points are scored.
And you wonder why subcriptions are falling????
WHY NOT THINK FOR A CHANGE?????
BuddyB.
Posted by: Buddy Saleeby | May 23, 2008 at 07:06 AM
Are their any whites in the NAACP? Do we have a white TV channel? I thought Spike was above junk like this but I guess not.
Posted by: Goebel | May 23, 2008 at 06:47 AM
Ditto to AL Ricks,
Arrogance and ignorance are the flip sides of the same coin Spike seems to carry in his pocket and show to people on a routine basis.
Posted by: Historian | May 23, 2008 at 06:36 AM
Iwo Jima was told from the Japanese side. How many black Japanese people do you know? Back during WWII people were still segregated, no marines were on Iwo Jima, THUS NO BLACK PEOPLE!!!!! Learn your history before you criticize people Spike.
Posted by: bryan cain | May 23, 2008 at 06:29 AM
Where is the rational analysis of what Spike said? And while spike may be irrational, so are most of the comments that I have read. That makes many of the bloggers no better than Spike. Furthermore, Spike actually makes a VERY GOOD point. It has been documented that there were just short of 1000 black soldiers on Iwo Jima. They deserve credit. What some people do not understand about the anger that they see in young black men is that it is because they feel invisible - ignored - unimportant. Deep in the depths of the soul of every man - he needs to feel like he is being acknowledged. This is where the rage of Spike and every young black man stems. It does not mean that the young man is not resposnsible for his behavior and actions, but it is an explanation of what we see. Here we have a prime example of black men not being acknowledged: 1) the black soldiers of Iwo Jima who fought, bleed and died for their country and; 2) Spike Lee has also been ignored by the Academy for some real masterpieces (Mo' Better, Do The Right Thing, Malcom X and a few others). While I agree that Spike has not had any good movies recently, he has been ignored - thus his ranting/rage - he is invisible to Hollywood.
Wanna make the world a better place? The next time you see a young black kid, look him in his eyes, smile, and say hello - simply acknowledge him. We'll have more rational debate, less violent crime, etc. Our world will be a better place.
Posted by: Wisdom Speaks | May 23, 2008 at 06:29 AM
Last time I looked there weren't any blacks in the flag-raising picture. I believe that was due to a policy called segregation which Spike Lee apparently has never heard of. Blacks were considered unreliable and were often segregated into support units that were well away from front lines. I have heard the Japanese army was also a little short on ethnic diversity.
Posted by: John Reece | May 23, 2008 at 06:05 AM
Hey Spike, why don't you do a movie about white people?
Posted by: techie | May 23, 2008 at 05:58 AM
Just saw "No Country for Old Men" on DVD. I absolutely hated it. I will NEVER see another Joel and Ethan Coen film again.
Posted by: Jimbo | May 23, 2008 at 04:18 AM
Spike Lee isn't black; he is green.
Posted by: Steve Wimer | May 23, 2008 at 04:14 AM
Response to Nick. Spike Lee didn't make Boyz in the Hood, nitiwt.
Posted by: Barcelona Barbara | May 23, 2008 at 03:25 AM
Mr. Eastwood and the Coen Brothers will be remembered as great artists and filmmakers, while Shelton's legacy will be that of a bitter little man who dabbled in fim and became famous for making inane comments.
Posted by: MD | May 23, 2008 at 02:36 AM
How many black Japaneese would there have been on Iowa Jima to have shown?
Posted by: Tony S. | May 23, 2008 at 01:41 AM
Hey spike, how come "boyz In the Hood" didn't have a single white or hispanic character. there are white people living is south central LA, and hispanics are the majority now, but i didn't see you whine about that. Racists come in all skin colors and you are one, spike lee, and that comes from me, a black man !
Posted by: nick | May 23, 2008 at 12:59 AM
Criticizing the Coens tells me Spike didn't understand their films. His ignorance has exceeded his stupidity.
Posted by: Joel Coen | May 23, 2008 at 12:52 AM
Spike Lee is a legend in his own mind. He has very carefully created this image of himself as a cultured intellectual -- the contrived gravitas, the silly black-framed glasses that make him seem wise when he bloviates about racism and classism (while promoting the "brand" of himself courtside at every Knicks game). He's a scrawny little diva who's so angry about his relative insignificance that he can't help but constantly remind us all that we're somehow to blame for his low self-esteem. His name isn't even "Spike." It's Shelton. He's a fraud, a pretender and a hater. And a little one at that.
Posted by: EK | May 23, 2008 at 12:48 AM
While I can appreciate the "passion" with which some of you obviously disagree with Spike Lee, it's generally not a good idea to try and support your argument by demonstrating the exact kind of ignorance you accuse him of.
I agree, Lee is an angry, disgruntled guy who often comes across as a petty whiner. He is probably an egomaniac but he is certainly not the only director guilty of that. He had his 15 minutes of fame and lost it. He's been struggling to thrust himself back in the spotlight for years and he usually does it by playing the race card. So be it. That's his schtick and he's the one who ends up looking silly. Is calling him names or making equally racist comments going to change his mind? Certainly not.
It's sad, really, because I think the guy has genuine talent. "She's Gotta Have It" was a great indie film and his HBO documentary "When the Levees Broke" is, in my opinion, the definitve look at the shameful aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. You'd think that would be the one place he'd rain hellfire and brimstone on white America but in actuality it is a brilliant, mature and well measured critique of the complete breakdown of disaster response under the Bush/Cheney regime.
I don't see films from the Coen brothers for the exact reasons Lee cites here but, to be fair, he has also made several films in which violence is depicted without apparent regard for the characters or a clear discussion of the consequences of one's actions. I'm not a big fan of Eastwood's films. I find them rather slow and preachy. Do I think the guy is a racist? Certainly not.
That is where the real problem lies. Every time Lee throws one of his tantrums, he trivializes his cause. I agree that Hollywood is not always the easiest place for minority actors, writers, directors and crew members. Of course, it's not an easy industry for anyone to make a living in. Still, the race element deserves to be discussed openly and honestly but clerarly Lee is not the one to lead that discussion. His critiques are usually misdirected and self serving which only diminishes the importance of a very real issue.
Posted by: Ron H. | May 23, 2008 at 12:39 AM
Yo Lee go back to New york citttyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!! boy !
Posted by: Ross | May 23, 2008 at 12:39 AM
Why hasn't Spike cast any Asians in his movies? RACIST!!
Posted by: Spike is Racist | May 23, 2008 at 12:33 AM
Spike Lee promoted Nike shoes at the peak of that company's human rights abuses in overseas factories.
Until he apologizes for having exploited Asians he can't be taken seriously as any sort of spokesman for human rights.
Posted by: Chinese Worker | May 23, 2008 at 12:22 AM
"One of the biggest racists in the country calling Clint Eastwood a racist?
Spike Lee would scream racism if a movie about KKK members didnt have a black person in it."
Um, I would be shocked, too, to see a film about the KKK w/o any black folks.
Posted by: Dan | May 23, 2008 at 12:19 AM