It all started when Spike Lee complained that there were no black soldiers in either of Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated war films Flags of Our Fathers and Letters from Iwo Jima.
Spike was upset that the African-American contingent didn’t seem to get any acknowledgement whatsoever from Clint, and he spoke up at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
He said:
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. If you reporters had any balls you’d ask him why. But I know it was pointed out to him and that he could have changed it. It’s not like he didn’t know…
To which Clint Eastwood replied:
A guy like that should shut his face.
A guy like what exactly? Like a black man? Or like a scrawny-faced owl man? We just don’t know. What we do know is that this town aint big enough for the both of ‘em. Yee-haw!
As far as hecklerspray is concerned, the bigger crime here is on the white soldiers who were included in the films, as Clint managed to make their own stories about as emotionally stimulating as sitting through a Paris Hilton album from start to finish.
But anyway, Spike Lee has responded to Clint’s comment. He told ABC News:
First of all, the man is not my father and we’re not on a plantation. The thing about it though, I didn’t personally attack him. And a comment like ‘a guy like that should shut his face’ – come on Clint, come on. He sounds like an angry, old man right there. It’s just that there’s not one black in either film. And because I know my history, that’s why I made that observation.
Lee is currently in the midst of post-production on his own WWII epic, Miracle as St. Anna, which, according to IMDB.com, ‘chronicles the story of four black American soldiers who are members of the US Army as part of the all-black 92nd Buffalo Soldier Division stationed in Tuscany, Italy, during World War II’.
Did we read that correctly; the ‘all-black’ division? Not even a token white boy to occasionally nerd up proceedings with his embarrassing dancing? Outrageous.
Spike furthered:
Many veterans, African-Americans, who survived that war are upset at Clint Eastwood. In his vision of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist. Simple as that. I have a different version.
Clint was initially reluctant to respond to Spike’s remarks, but eventually told the Guardian:
The story is ‘Flags of Our Fathers,’ the famous flag-raising picture. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people’d go, ‘This guy’s lost his mind.’ I mean, it’s not accurate.
Anybody know any war historians to clear this up?
As it currently stands, Spike has had the last word, and here it is:
Even though he’s trying to have a Dirty Harry flashback, I’m going to take the Obama high road and end it right here.
euclid says
Spike Lee is a prep school (public school) fraud.
He’d fuck a clam on nationwide TV if he thought
it’d get more publicity for his film. Sad.
Eastwood bankrolled “Straight No Chaser”, a superb documentary
about Thelonius Monk, when Lee was at the height of his fame and
wasn’t doing a goddamn thing.
Red says
“He did two films about Iwo Jima back to back and there was not one black soldier in both of those films,” said Lee…
Spike is either ignorant or a liar because Eastwood’s movie did show black soldiers, as this screenshot from Flags of Our Fathers demonstrates:
http://img244.imageshack.us/my.php?image=flagsstillzo8.png
The fact that Eastwood included that scene, even though the movie is actually about the flag-raisers not the battle, shows how careful Eastwood was to acknowledge that there was a black presence at Iwo Jima.
I repeat, Spike Lee is either ignorant or lying, & the only reason he’s saying these things is to generate publicity for his own movie. That he chose to do so by smearing another filmmaker with unfounded implications of racism is a disgrace.
“As far as hecklerspray is concerned, the bigger crime here is on the white soldiers who were included in the films, as Clint managed to make their own stories about as emotionally stimulating as sitting through a Paris Hilton album from start to finish.”
Ahem. Hecklerspray obviously had his head so far up his ass he missed the movie entirely. Flags of Our Fathers is a very fine film indeed.
Gary says
Spike is a pathetic no-talent loser who I had completely forgotten about until this. Apparently picking a fight with someone people actually respect is one desperate way for a pathetic loser to get attention.
Beth says
While I see the point Spike Lee is trying to make, the fact is the majority of the black soldiers serving during WWII were sent to Europe. Less than 900 participated in the battle of Iwo Jima. Out of the 110,000 American troops Wikipedia says were there.
I understand that Spike Lee is taking advantage of African Americans’ desire to find role models in more places than just sports and entertainment, but he can’t change history and history states that not very many black men were actually allowed into the military.
The Groaner says
Clint directs/produces good movies but the only reason I give him time of day is because he is a jazz lover. Spike made some OK movies a log time ago. These fame foul mouthed attackers are pathetic, on both sides.They are not kiddy pop stars after all but veteran age.They both need to grow up.The race card is a frigging bore fest anyway.We are ALL humans .End of.
Bethybabes says
Clint Said “A guy like that should shut his face.”
Couldn’t have put it better myself. Lee is such a lamer, always looking for an opportunity to play the race card, and devalue the importance of it for genuine people.
His works are crap too.
David Bryden says
Mr. Lee may have a point about racial stereotyping. I saw that film, and I noticed that an unusually large proportion of the Asian soldiers were depicted as being on the anti-American side.
Renee Ellis says
I agree with most of the replies I have read on here. I really think he is nitpicking at this way too much. He seems to like to stir up the crap just like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson, always making it a RACIAL thing.. I am totally sick of it.
Another thing that annoys the hell out of me (this isn’t related to Spike or Clint) but just have to say this.. Obama is half white and half black.. but you don’t hear ANYONE saying he is white.. only that he is “African-American”… what is up with that?? He can’t be just ONE race.. yet he is always referred to as black or African-American.. just an observation here..
BABYLON KILLA says
OBAMA IS BLACK…! DEAL WITH IT!
Gilbert Wham says
Yes, yes, he’s black, wonderful. Unfortunately, he’s also American.
Julie says
David Bryden Says:
Mr. Lee may have a point about racial stereotyping. I saw that film, and I noticed that an unusually large proportion of the Asian soldiers were depicted as being on the anti-American side.
**********************
AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Brilliant!
Perk says
I don’t think Spike Lee is accustomed to being called on his “facts”. Most men are afraid to criticize someone like Spike Lee, incorrect or not, because his next step is to always throw down the race-card.
Hey Spike, being black does not automatically make you flawless.
Free movie idea — make a film that helps bring to a halt the epidemic of black on black homicide. This is clearly the biggest issue facing the African American community.
Damien says
David Bryden, you crack me up. :) But you make a good point. There’s history, and then there is what we wished history was. Spike Lee seems to be living in this wishland, while Clint is living the reality.
Louis says
Anyone woh would have bothered to actually WATCH the movie before reporting racist slanders from Mr. Lee would have seen a shot of black support troops during the briefing sequence (16:40 into the film to be exact). That is more than many would have even thought of doing. Its sad that no one else has bothred to fact-check the allegations before echoing them.
But, no, truth is irrelevant when playing the race card. Spike Lee is the ass in this story and he has is head DEEP in it.
kebwebs says
Every single time Spikey Lee throws down the race card, it is slightly less meaningful. Eventually it will be played so many times that it will become totally meaningless. Kind of like Spike himself.
Andre Ward says
Well I thought The Inside Man was a pretty good film, and that wasn’t so long ago. Miracle at St. Anna wasn’t bad either, but it could have been better. I like both directors very much. I like Clint Eastwood, but my father has a ton of medals from his participation in WW2 as a soldier on the front line in Europe. Black soldiers were not just heroes they were heroes in the face of segregation and Jim Crow. So they were fighting the enemy but were treated worse than the enemy captives in many cases. I saw my father’s bullet wounds. They helped liberate Europe, they liberated Jews, they stood for justice, honour, and integrity in the face of hatred by their own country and many fellow white soldiers who were shooting them in the back. The point: black soldiers should be respected enough to be highlighted in a film period. They fought bravely AND HONOURABLY. It is clear to me that Clint Eastwood and others on this message board have no interest in who my father saved and liberated, how he was wounded doing so, the threats he received from his white colleagues while doing so, nor how he felt when he was told “NIGGERS TO THE LEFT” when he came back to the USA after fighting in many many battles for the sake of white western men and women, in order to maintain Western freedom.