Spike Lee Goes To War Will make film about black WWII soldiers
Spike Lee has announced he's to make a World War II movie, emphasising the role that African-American soldiers played in the conflict. The project, which does not yet have a title, will focus on the Italian campaign that played out in 1944 and 1945.
Speaking to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, Lee said, "If you look at the history of Hollywood, the black soldiers who fought World War II are totally invisible. This is the paradox: black people who were fighting for democracy but at the same time were second class citizens at home."
Never one to shy away from a bit of controversy, Lee took a pop at Clint Eastwood's duo of World War II films from last year, Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. "I recently met a black veteran who fought at Iwo Jima and he told me how hurt he was that he could not find a single African-American in Clint Eastwood's two films."
Lee's story will be based on the book Miracle At St. Anna, by James McBride, about the all-black 92nd Buffalo Division. The director is in Italy scouting locations for the $45 million drama.
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onest I have no idea what Red Tails is and I don't really follow Lucas' career. p;
can't see what the main problem is that people are having with this project. George Lucas is even working on Red Tails, his take on the Tuskegee Airmen, the US black fighter squadron, that's already been an excellent HBO movie.
p;
There you go. ... Read More
ow, you've seen into the future, Lydia_H, do you have tonights Lottery numbers?
I think its a bit silly condemning a film in this way before a single frame has been shot.
ell I am more than happy to stick my neck out, if I'm wrong about it you can point and laugh at me, if I'm right you can just ignore me, you'll be happy either way so don't complain!
Well I have'nt seen Crash and frankly, I am not that interested to.
Also its very unlikely Spike Lee will win an Oscar for thi... Read More
was talking about Crash (The Paul Haggis one) primarily as a film that survives on laying the guilt trip on everyone
Racism in cinema has quickly become an excuse for lethargy with a formula perhaps championed by Paul Haggis and his ridiculous Oscar win. There is very little to actually say about racism, you can only give people opportunities to prove they aren't racist and this is the attitude these films exploit.
I have really loved some of Spike Lee's films in the past, especiall... Read More
L: Lydia_H
Spike Lee's film will do nothing even vaguely imaginative that we haven't seen many times before, except exchange white soldiers for black soldiers and guilt us into liking it so we can't be called racists (Which in fairness has also been done before, just perhaps not in a WW2 setting, I may be wrong though). I wish the genre was allowed to flourish but because it is saturated by the American's no one thinks there is anything left to do with WW2 in cinema, it is a shame and ... Read More
Well I was talking about Crash (The Paul Haggis one) primarily as a film that survives on laying the guilt trip on everyone
Racism in cinema has quickly become an excuse for lethargy with a formula perhaps championed by Paul Haggis and his ridiculous Oscar win. There is very little to actually say about racism, you can only give people opportunities to prove they aren't racist and this is the attitude these films exploit.
I have really loved some of Spike Lee's films in the past, esp... Read More
st the latest excuse to produce a generic WW2 celebrating America's role in WW2, and win Spike Lee the Oscar for battling racism. It's a tired, tired formula. I wish for example the Russians could afford to glorify their winning the war as frequently as the Americans because there is so much more scope in the Eastern Front that has gone completely unrecognized. Films like Come and See and Ascent have shown the most outstanding WW2 films can be made in Russia, whilst elsewhere in Europe the Fins... Read More
