Left: John Turturro as Pino and filmmaker
Spike Lee as Mookie in Mr. Lee's 1989 landmark film "Do The Right Thing".
Right: "American Violet", released last month, stars Alfre Woodard and Nicole
Beharie and is based on the true story of Regina Kelly. Hollywood films in 2009
have generally shown many more positive images of blacks since Mr. Lee's
groundbreaking 1989 film on racism and race relations, which has its 20th
anniversary on June 30. (Photos: Universal Home Entertainment; Samuel
Goldwyn)
MOVIE MEMORY LANE: THEN AND NOW
With "Do The Right Thing" Celebrating Its
20-Year Anniversary This Month, Films Featuring Popular Black Figures And Themes
Have A Positive Lift In 2009
"Notorious", "Medicine For Melancholy",
"The Soloist", "American Violet" and "Tyson" are among the films
in 2009 bringing a
positive perspective to the big screen for black characters or black-themed stories
By
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Wednesday, June 17, 2009
When "Do The Right Thing", Spike Lee's landmark film on racism and race
relations, burst on to the national stage in its theatrical release debut in the
U.S. on June 30, 1989, there were two things that Americans did not expect would
happen: that the film would go on to become the most-talked about film that
summer and gross more than $27 million, earning two Academy Award nominations,
and that there would be a black man as the President of the United States just
20 years later. Both happened -- the latter of course far more significant
than the former -- but a contributing factor in both was Mr. Lee, last year seen boldly
prognosticating then-U.S. Senator Barack Obama's relatively comfortable November
2008 election triumph, campaigning vigorously for Mr. Obama across parts of
the American South, and delivering a film in the heat of a summer that would
turn America into a hotbed of vigorous debate about race and understanding,
polarization and perception, violence and justice. Those debates roiled
the atmosphere at water coolers throughout the American workplace in 1989 -- a
precursor of the raging debate between the races that would burn a fiery hole
through America's fragile racial fabric in 1994 and 1995 with the arrest and
subsequent criminal trial acquittal of O.J. Simpson for the murders of Nicole
Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.
"Do The Right Thing" was responsible for more spilled ink (at least
three New York
Times stories emerged during the weekend of the film's release) and curse words
(over 400 in the film) than any other film released in America in 1989, holding that title with
distinction until "Goodfellas" came along the following year with a fusillade of
swear words. "DTRT" as it was colloquially known, made inroads at a time
when people were still trying to get to know who Spike Lee was -- some thought
that his last name meant he was Asian. The film cost
just $6.5 million to produce and was released two years ahead of the booming group of
films that
could have been hailed the New Black Wave. In 1991 there were, among no
less than 19 others, "Boyz N The Hood", "The Five Heartbeats", "Strictly
Business", "Straight Out Of Brooklyn" and
"Jungle Fever", all of which told very
different stories, with mixed commercial success. Of these five, "Boyz N
The Hood" was the most successful, with almost $60 million in the U.S. and
Canada and an Oscar nomination for best director. Of the five respective
filmmakers responsible for the films referenced, John Singleton still directs as does
Robert Townsend (most recently "Why We Laugh"), with Kevin Hooks (last
film "Passenger 57") and Matty Rich not being heard from in a very long time.
Only Spike Lee remains firmly established not only as the most prominent
African-American filmmaker in the country but as one of America's top four or
five directors, an important filmmaking voice on the world stage. Mr.
Lee's most recent feature
"Miracle At St. Anna", received tepid commercial
success and mixed reaction from film critics. This year the Atlanta-born,
New York-raised filmmaker has orchestrated two documentaries:
"Kobe Doin' Work"
and "Passing Strange".
In the 20 years since DTRT, the Hughes Brothers ("Menace II Society", "From
Hell") have made their mark as has Tyler Perry, who has become the most
commercially bankable filmmaker of all those mentioned here. Darnell
Martin, who worked on the set of Mr. Lee's DTRT has become a solid filmmaker in
her own right, directing last year's
"Cadillac Records", a film that proved to
be as rich in its performances as in its message, with solid work from both Beyonce Knowles and Jeffrey Wright. At a ceremony honoring Mr. Lee last
year, those saluting him including his "Right Thing" co-star Rosie Perez, hailed
him for influencing and launching the careers of so many cinematic talents black
and white alike. Laurence Fishburne and
Denzel Washington also praised Mr.
Lee for his courage, skill and generosity. Where careers are concerned,
Mr. Lee gave Miss Perez (an Oscar nominee) her start on the big screen, as well
as Martin Lawrence (both in DTRT), Halle Berry (Oscar winner) her debut on film
in "Jungle Fever", and helped augment the careers of John Turturro (who has been
in more Spike Lee joints than any other actor), Michael Rispoli, Debi Mazar, Al
Palagonia, Rosario Dawson, Isiah Whitlock, Nicholas Turturro, Wesley Snipes,
Danny Aiello (Oscar nominee for DTRT), Roger Guenveur Smith, Lonette McKee, Jim
Brown, Theresa Randle, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Delroy Lindo, Mekhi Phifer,
Samuel L.
Jackson, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee,
Kerry Washington,
Phyllis Yvonne Stickney, Michael Imperioli, Isaiah Washington, Savion Glover,
Rick Aiello, Miguel Sandoval and John Leguizamo, to name just a few.
Left: Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers in "The
Soloist". Middle: Filmmaker Tim Disney and his "American Violet" real-life
subject Regina Kelly. Right: Mike Tyson in James Toback's documentary
"Tyson": Figures of reality, restoration and unvarnished introspection in
2009 mean better portrayals of black characters in both American independent and
mainstream films -- at least for the most part. (Photos: Paramount
Pictures; Omar P.L. Moore; Sony Pictures Classics)
As far as films go in 2009, positive images of black people appear to be on the
uptick. Interestingly, Mr. Lee came in for strong criticism in some
quarters for supposedly portraying negative black characters in "Right Thing".
Today, where positive big screen portrayals are concerned, for every
"Norbit" or
"Dance Flick" there's a
"Medicine For Melancholy" or an "American Violet".
Both of the latter films burst onto the national stage in 2009, and while small,
made an impact with audiences. "Medicine",
Barry Jenkins' compelling story
of black life in San Francisco, a city whose black population has dwindled
rapidly since the 1950s to the point where it is now barely six or seven percent
of the total of about 800,000 people, was a hit at last year's San Francisco
International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award. In the film,
Wyatt Cenac and Tracey Heggins (both relatively new big screen actors) retrace
steps from a hazy one-night stand to form a loving if temporary bond. Mr.
Jenkins brought a naturalism, richness and depth to a film that was frank and
intimate.
"American Violet" told the true story of
Regina Kelly, a single
mother of four who had been wrongly accused of drug possession and sales in a
Texas town. Tim Disney's film captured the warmth and bravery of Miss
Kelly, who was portrayed in the film by Nicole Beharie, an actress making her lead
role debut in a feature film. Mr. Disney lined the powerful "Violet" with
effective actors, including Charles S. Dutton, Anthony Mackie and Alfre Woodard,
all of whom Mr. Lee has positioned in his films.
Mr. Lee may not have direct input nor be given credit for these films in the
intervening two decades since his "Do The Right Thing", which he says during an
new
audio commentary on the film's forthcoming 20th anniversary DVD edition was the
first film where he felt confident as a director, but there's no accident that
his consistency, fluctuating successes and persistence with landmark films like
"Right Thing",
"Malcolm X" and his first smash hit,
"Inside Man", have had their affect on what is being brought to the
big screen today where films on black-themed stories or figures are concerned.
In particular, three other true-life
stories have hit the big screen in 2009: "Notorious", "The Soloist" and the
documentary "Tyson". Each are as similar as they are different. In
some ways "Notorious" and "Tyson" are virtual mirror images, telling the stories
of the real-life icons who fell hard at a young age, with Christopher "Biggie
Smalls" Wallace not getting past age 26 after being murdered in Las Vegas.
The rap icon is portrayed lovingly in
"Notorious",
the George Tillman Jr. film
which also starred Anthony Mackie, Derek Luke, Angela Bassett and introduced
Jamal Woolard. In
"Tyson", James Toback's revealing documentary, former
undisputed heavyweight boxing title holder Mike Tyson remains alive and well of
course, but his past as he tells it during Mr. Toback's film plays like a horror
film -- and it is virtually dead to him. Here, there is a resurrection in
process, and it is riveting to watch. (As is Mr. Lee's "Kobe Doin' Work"
on Mr. Bryant's basketball I.Q.) Watching "Tyson" is literally like
being on stage on Broadway watching a bull (Mr. Tyson)
wrestle with a matador (Mr. Tyson). Troubled, flawed, fearful and
vulnerable, Mike Tyson humanizes himself
and where black imagery in American film and media is concerned, that's hardly a negative thing.
"The Soloist" meanwhile, performs no such correctives.
Joe
Wright's film tells the true tale of Nathaniel A. Ayers, a man
stumbling through the dark and the light with schizophrenia. A once-superb
and classically trained Juilliard student, Mr. Ayers played the cello before the
mind took over in a negative or at least unfortunate way -- via mental illness.
Mr. Ayers remains homeless on Los Angeles Skid Row today, and
Jamie
Foxx digs beneath the surface to paint a resonant portrait of the
man. Although the story is seen largely through the eyes of L.A. Times
columnist Steve Lopez (the film is actually based on Mr. Lopez' book and
columns), Mr. Foxx's Ayers steers his own rudder while Robert Downey Jr. (as Mr.
Lopez) reacts and processes. "The Soloist", which underperformed at the
box office in North America in April, does exalt in showing the forgotten
(homeless and mentally ill) on their own terms, giving them a righteousness and
humanity not often seen in Hollywood films. Ultimately "The Soloist" is
hopeful if not happy, and Mr. Foxx's work as Ayers is sometimes explosive and
other times contained, achieving a difficult balancing act for a character that
has often been depicted in a clichéd fashion on Tinseltown celluloid.
Left: Tracey Heggins and Wyatt Cenac in
Barry Jenkins' "Medicine For Melancholy": Spike Lee in 1988 on the set of "Do
The Right Thing" in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn; Morris Chestnut and Taraji P.
Henson in "Not Easily Broken", set in Los Angeles. (Photos: IFC Films;
Universal Home Entertainment; Sony Pictures/Screen Gems)
Thus far at this near-midpoint of 2009 Tyler Perry has had a number one hit film
in "Madea Goes To Jail", and has several more films already in the works; Bill
Duke, who directed powerful films like "Deep Cover" and
"Cover",
had realistic not caricatured characters in
"Not Easily Broken" last January despite weak story structure.
There's been the effective box-office punch of
"Obsessed" (Beyonce
Knowles and Idris Elba) even if the film itself was relentlessly
flawed; "Imagine That", a cute, family loving treat of a film starring
Eddie
Murphy, revitalized in his best comedy effort in years, never got off
the ground but made those who did see it laugh loud and long. In the wake
of Mr. Lee's stunning 1989 film, black-themed stories and characters are making
a more regular visit to the big screen. There's lots more work to be done,
and films like "Dance Flick" will always have their place whether liked or
unwelcome (Mr. Lee's
"Bamboozled" has a lot to say about the kind of
behavior evoked in "Flick"). Later in the year, November or December, will
herald Walt Disney's bold (if long overdue) undertaking: finally after 75 years,
bringing to the screen the story of a black princess in the classic
"The Princess And The Frog". It will be interesting to see how
the box office on that film fares in the U.S. and Europe.
Through all the upcoming films on black subjects, Spike Lee remains steady and
among most moviegoers it can safely be said that "Do The Right Thing" is
foremost in the director's portfolio. As prolific and accomplished as he's
been, Mr. Lee hasn't always got what he has wanted over the years -- film
projects on such American icons as Joe Louis, Jackie Robinson and James Brown
have fallen through, as did a film on the violent unrest following the 1992
criminal trial verdict acquitting four L.A. police officers of the March 1991
videotaped beating of Rodney King in Southern California. As he continues
to soldier on with over 25 feature films and documentaries under his belt since
1986, film portrayals of black characters and true-life figures overall appear
to get better, even if there's still plenty of room for improvement.
Copyright The Popcorn Reel. PopcornReel.com. 2009. All Rights
Reserved.
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