30 years after his magnum opus Do The Right Thing was overlooked by the Academy, his latest project BlacKkKlansman has suffered the same fate, but Spike Lee is taking things in stride because, in his estimation, he doesn't need the validation of a governing body to stay in his creative bag. Regardless of what you think of BlacKkKlansman or its center-left reproach, a large portion of the movie-going public identified with the film's message, and is thereby perplexed by its omission, but none of that seems to matter to a wizened Spike Lee, who spoke with Raphael Abraham of the Financial Times yesterday about the not-so shifting landscape of filmmaking in America.
Spike Lee has used his speaking platform to counter the President's rhetorical views, and his films to wax about his philosophical stance on Culture in America. When it comes to his views on filmmaking in America, Lee broke it down something simple for Raphael Abraham. "They’re still making films like that . . . I’m just not going to name them," he tells Abraham in the question period before his Op-Ed went to press.
"That film and that film and that film’s some bullshit!’ But I got smarter. I’m not going for the okey-dokey!" he added laughingly while insinuating that in middle age he finds himself less radicalized than in years past. "Yes. I’m married now, and my wife is sometimes right. It’s not my job to be the culture police."
Back in 2018, Spike Lee's film BlacKkKlansman drew the ire of his more radical opponents, which include fellow filmmaker and musician Boots Riley who criticized the New York auteur for falsely rewriting the anti-black police narrative. With that said, how did you feel about BlacKkKlansman? - hit us with your thoughts below.