Spike Lee: finding the story and forcing the issue PDF
Preview Spike Lee: finding the story and forcing the issue
Spike Lee Recent Titles in Modern Filmmakers Vincent LoBrutto, Series Editor Clint Eastwood: Evolution of a Filmmaker John H. Foote The Brothers Coen: Unique Characters of Violence Ryan P. Doom Roman Polanski: A Life in Exile Julia Ain-Krupa Quentin Tarantino: Life at the Extremes Aaron Barlow Gus Van Sant: His Own Private Cinema Vincent LoBrutto Charlie Kaufman: Confessions of an Original Mind Doreen Alexander Child Wes Anderson: Why His Movies Matter Mark Browning The Coppolas: A Family Business Vincent LoBrutto and Harriet R. Morrison SPIKE LEE Finding the Story and Forcing the Issue JASON P. VEST Modern Filmmakers Vincent LoBrutto, Series Editor Copyright © 2014 by Jason P. Vest All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Vest, Jason P., 1972– Spike Lee : fi nding the story and forcing the issue / Jason P. Vest. pages cm. — (Modern fi lmmakers) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-313-39226-9 (hard copy : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-313-39227-6 (ebook) 1. Lee, Spike—Criticism and interpretation. I. Title. PN1998.3.L44V47 2014 791.4302'33092—dc23 2014019180 ISBN: 978-0-313-39226-9 EISBN: 978-0-313-39227-6 18 17 16 15 14 1 2 3 4 5 This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. Praeger An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America For Patricia Thomas This page intentionally left blank Contents Series Foreword ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction: “Still a Motherfucker”—Spike Lee in the Twenty-First Century xiii 1. Men at Work 1 2. The Right Stuff 29 3. Dancing with Denzel 55 4. Black Magic Women 85 5. Brooklyn’s Finest 111 6. Documentary Evidence 137 7. Crime and Punishment 159 8. Facing Back, Facing Black 177 9. All Night Long 199 10. A Good Man Goes to War 219 Conclusion: Spike’s Place 239 Notes 245 Bibliography 291 Filmography 307 Index 319 This page intentionally left blank Series Foreword The Modern Filmmakers series focuses on a diverse group of motion picture directors who collectively demonstrate how the fi lmmaking process has be- come the defi nitive art and craft of the twentieth century. As we advance into the twenty-fi rst century, we begin to examine the impact these artists have had on this infl uential medium. What is a modern fi lmmaker? The phrase connotes a motion picture maker who is au courant—they make movies currently. The choices in this series are also varied to refl ect the enormous potential of the cinema. Some of the directors make action movies, some entertain, some are on the cutting edge, others are political, some make us think, some are fantasists. The mo- tion picture directors in this collection will range from highly commercial, mega-budget blockbuster directors to those who toil in the independent, low-budget fi eld. Gus Van Sant, Tim Burton, Charlie Kaufman, and Terry Gilliam are here, and so are Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg—all for many and for various reasons, but primarily because their directing skills have transitioned from the twentieth century to the fi rst decade of the twenty-fi rst century. East- wood and Spielberg worked during the 1960s and 1970s and have grown and matured as the medium transitioned from mechanical to digital. The younger directors here may not have experienced all of those cinematic ep- ochs themselves, but nonetheless they remained concerned with the limits of fi lmmaking: Charlie Kaufman disintegrates personal and narrative boundaries in the course of his scripts, for example, while Tim Burton probes the limits of technology to fi nd the most successful way of bringing his intensely visual fantasies and nightmares to life. The Modern Filmmakers series will celebrate modernity and postmod- ernism through each creator’s vision, style of storytelling, and character presentation. The directors’ personal beliefs and worldviews will be re- vealed through in-depth examinations of the art they have created, but brief
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