Spike Lee 'Not Gonna See' Tarantino's 'Django Unchained'
Django Unchained will not be making filmmaker Spike Lee's year-end top 10 list nor any other list for that matter because he says he won't see it. The outspoken Red Hook Summer director said the slavery-centered feature by Quentin Tarantino may deal with the topic in a manner that is less than respectful.
In an interview with Vibe magazine, Lee said: "I can't speak on it 'cause I'm not gonna see it. I'm not seeing it. All I'm going to say is that it's disrespectful to my ancestors to see that film…"
[Related: Quentin Tarantino Wants You To Feel The Inhumanity Of Slavery In 'Django Unchained']
Lee was quick to add that he is only speaking on his own behalf and stopped short at a full condemnation, but said America's dark history in slavery was not akin to the story portrayed in a film like Django Unchained.
"I can't disrespect my ancestors," he said. "I can't do it. Now, that's me, I'm not speaking on behalf of anybody but myself." Lee had commented earlier via Twitter alluding to the film, according to Yahoo U.K.: "American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them."
Lee took on Tarantino when Jackie Brown hit screens, criticizing the plentiful use of the n-word, which also is uttered throughout Django Unchained/
"I'm not against the word. And some people speak that way,” he said. “But Quentin is infatuated with that word. What does he want to be made - an honorary black man? I want Quentin to know that all African Americans do not think that word is trendy or slick."
[Sources: Vibe via Yahoo U.K.]
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Spike Lee is the kid stomping on the floor and throwing a tantrum because he can't do it as good as Tarentino. I think he's just pissed off because he didn't think of it!! hehehehe... Tarentino is laughing all the way to the bank!!
What are you talking about, Barb? His comments don't indicate at all that he's stomping mad. And what can't he do as well as Quentin Tarentino? Make a film centred around U.S. slavery? Spike's career spans 25 years. So if he chose to, he could have done a film based on U.S. slavery. Based on his comments, it seems like he's not comfortable doing so.
As for the film itself, it's controversial. Look up why Will Smith dropped out of the lead role, and you'll see his reasons echo Spike Lee's.
Absolutely, Barb! Spike hasn't made a good movie in decades. Quentin belts 'em out all the time. You know Spike has seen all the great Blaxploitation flicks - I wonder if he has condemned Melvin Van Peebles or Rudy Ray Moore?!
U r an idiot Barb. Tarantino has always been a wannabe black man. The fact of the matter is, no matter if u r white, black, whatever, using the n-word is NEVER acceptable. It is disparaging, disrespectful to the African-American race, heck it's not okay even when black people utter the word; shows a sense of ignorance of the cruel past. And yes, I agree that slavery is not a topic subject to mockery. Just like in "Inglorious Bastards" I think it's ridiculous that modern culture is distracted by high-profile actors such as a Brad Pitt or Diane Kruger to see how ignorant it is of a man to go ahead and mock one of the saddest periods of time in mankind, which was the Holocaust.
But yea, ur right, Tarantino can do what he wants because he takes advantage of retards like u who go and cheer on the graphic violence and a confusing assembly of high-profile actors instead of realizing that his plots are inappropriate and insensitive of various cultures and races.
So it's okay for you to say "retard" but not okay for a movie about slavery to use the word that was used. Okay, Barb is not the idiot...YOU ARE
HAHAHA! Ow, that one had to hurt.
Your comment just made my day.
All who compare Spike Lee's comments to Dgango. The real problems is that Tarantino just seems to like blood and guts more than anyone else. He goes way over the top. I was sickened by the gore and all the testosterone being thrown around. I left the film and would never recommend it to anyone with a brain.
With all the films done by Steven Spielberg on subjects just as serious as slavery, he never lowered the bar so low that the audience was made sick.
I love films and have seen more than most people. I have never walked out on a film with the feeling I wanted to vomit and take a shower.
Is this the era of shooting innocent adults and most of all children? My favorite films are To Kill a Mockingbird and Sophie's Choice. Each dealt with serious subjects and I have watched them many times. I read the books before seeing the films and was not disappointed. My granddaughter's name is Scout. My son feels as I do.
The people of the world are circling the toilet. Guns, bad language (anywhere), very little knowledge of the culture of my life and the joy well done entertainment, which Django was not.
I never heard about Will Smith backing out of the project. Bravo to him.
as Scott said I am blown away that a stay at home mom can get paid $5018 in 4 weeks on the computer. have you read this web goo.gl/vavy4
Spike also criticized Clint Eastwood for making Bird. Methinks he simply wants to reserve any portrayals of black Americans to his own directorship.
That being said, I have no respect for someone commenting on a movie/book/program/play/etc. that they have not personally experienced. Go see the movie, then trash it, if you like. But see it, first - otherwise any impressions are based on hearsay.
I thought Spike Lee was dead . . . oh wait a minute. It's his career I was thinking about.
Spik (Spike) is a biggot. He is busy find more clown shoes for your POTUS.
Let's be factual at least. Slaves were SOLD by African kings to the slave traders. The WHITES didn't steal anybody. Now that's out of the way, who cares what Lee thinks about anything. Crappy films from a bitter, angry old man.
Um Jeff, it is true that some Africans were conquered by others and sold, but that wasn't every person put into slavery. The Dutch and Spaniards did capture a lot of people themselves, so yes in addition to African Kings selling tribes they conquered, WHITES in addition stole West Africans as well. But I do think Lee is acting a little jealous because he didn't come up with a creative movie idea like Django. I have seen the movie, it was okay, a bit long and redundant, but there is some good dialog in the movie.
Actually if you read into history the Dutch and Spaniards purchased the majority of would be slaves! Most men, women, and children taken form Africa were already prisoners or slaves before they were purchased. I wonder if Spike Lee also recognizes the Africans that captured, enslaved, and sold thousands of innocent people as his ancestors as well?!
Jeff, while we're being factual, let's lay out there that how slaves were treated in Africa and how slaves were treated in America can barely be compared. A slave in Africa was an indentured servant, and when they were traded to Europeans and Americans the African kings/chiefs had no idea that they would be tortured/killed en masse. Just saying if you're going to be the truth police, let's lay it all out there.
I guess they could hav edied of starvation, or have been tortured and slaughtered like all those were who were not deemed "fit enough" to be labor slaves. Have npo false ideals, people from all ages and races have been conquored and mase into slaves, were not the jews slaves time and time again before there was even a thought of America and slavery?...the pyramids,.......slaves....the great walls of chine...slaves.....railroads bridges most all of the historic monuments to man before the 1900's were all mostly built by slaves......so the Black American needs to get over slavery here, as I have, and move forward or forever be enslaved by those who use this resprite of the old days to capture and convince other's of the world owing them something , instead of seeing the world and going out and contributing to it. Sad but entirely true, The worst thing is how the black leadership remains using these things to hold power over others, much like the democratic party used to, before they were overthrown by the current socialist leadership. Wake up people one cannot undo the past and one should not live in it, learn from it but move on!.or die with old things around your neck dragiing you down from now on!
Joseph speaks the truth, Jeff.
Slavery, as it was conducted in the Western Hemisphere, especially the United States, was nothing like how it was practiced in Africa. In addition to the utter brutality and dehumanizing conditions placed on slaves in the United States, the other unique characteristic here was the shackles placed on the slaves' children, grandchildren, etc. for generation after generation, hundreds of years of enslaved families in many cases. If you think that is how slavery was practiced in Africa, please cite your sources.
I make no such accusation of you Jeff -- I'm sure you are merely stating what you believe to be true -- but it seems to me that when many people start making the "Africans sold slaves, too" argument, they are attempting to minimize the horrors of slavery and the stain on our nation by creating an image that it was something that everyone did.
Slavery is our greatest shame and a burden that still scars the lives of American blacks -- and, to a much lesser extent, the lives of all other Americans -- today and probably will for generations to come. We can't run away from it by grasping for excuses that it was somehow the fault of anyone else in order to make ourselves feel better.
Jeff needs to visit Elmina Castle. Then he can make whatever comments he wants. I've been there. The truth is hard to handle.
Agreed! When people comment about things they only have partial knowledge of it can be irritating! I too have seen the horror of the castle and didn't even realize before heading there that it was basically a flea market and holding station for tribal slave catchers to sell and barter in human life! This ideology that the white man went over to Africa and stole people out of their tribe's is a far stretch of the truth. It was more of a network of individuals running an inhumane global importation of life!
My opinion is in line with Steve. Like anything else in life, you really shouldn't criticize anything you haven't experienced first hand. I don't care if a friend tells you about it, or whatever. I'm not saying he doesn't have the right to dislike, get angry, protest, etc. whatever he wants as long as he has a point of reference, and I'm also not saying he has to see the movie, because, as I'm constantly reminded, that's why there's an off switch and a channel changer on a television. I also respect his reasons for not watching it, but it shouldn't make it as a news story. I don't see any Will Ferrell movies because I can't stand his humor, but is anyone going to write a story about that? Am I wrong in passing on a flick that has him in it, or wrong for not liking him even though many other people do? It's like the people that tell you they hate sushi and have never tried it. They have a point of not eating the fish sushi if they don't like fish or are allergic, but sushi doesn't translate into raw fish (that's actually sashimi). It means vinegarred rice. They make vegetable sushi which is quite good. Point being, you can pass on a movie because of the premise, or sushi because you don't want to try it, but don't say you don't like something if you haven't experienced it.
Since I haven't seen the movie, I can't make any judgement about it...unlike Spike Lee. I think he should actually SEE the movie before he starts spouting off. Maybe there IS a degree of jealousy there
Yep, Spike Lee is such a genius he can tell whether a movie is disrespectful without even seeing it. Practically clairvoyant, this man is.
Spike Lee is the biggest racist individual out there. also an overrated director with non relevant films to his credit. Also the Nicks suck!!!
Who are Nicks? Nickelodeons?
CANT LISTEN TO ANY COMMENTARY FROM A MAN WHO TRIED TO SUE A NETWORK FOR USING THE NAME SPIKE...IS HE GOING TO SUE ME FOR NAMING MY DOG SPIKE ALSO. THE MAN IS THE MOST SELF CENTERED ARROGANT OVERRATED BIGOT THERE IS (NEXT TO AL SHARPTON). HAVE A NICE DAY SPIKE (SOMEWHERE ELSE)
I think Spike has missed the point, or Jamie Foxx is not so sensitive (or aware) of how much his ancestors
were abused. I don't care who traded, sold, or otherwise people were abused. I don't hold any group in today's world responsible. I don't know how Mr. Lee can comment as such because has he read the script, approached by Hollywood and he passed, and he didn't put his effort into it. Quinten Tarantino will put his sort of spin on it.
Seeing that Spike was asked about the film, he has a right give his opinion due to his being a known director. Also, he said he "CANNOT SPEAK FOR OTHERS". He gave his opinion. I or you may not agree and that is fine. Lots of Blacks do not like other cultures to use the "N" word and that is fine. I respect that too. I will probably go see it to judge it for myself whether I like it or not. Hopefully, it has a message that is worthwhile.
Don't get me wrong, i love Tarantino's movies, but I dont think you're going to get a lot of "messages" out of them : ) You should know what your getting into when you go see his movies. He is not "PC' and that is what i like about him. To me he lives in the real world and makes his movies about the real world.
Ok so the movie was about slavery, slavery was bad, the movie wasnt set in THIS time period, it was set in the period when the use of that word was posted on signs on the local grocery markets windows, he wants his movies to be realistic, i am 1/2 indian and i guess i should get upset about slavery too, but noone i know was a slave.. it's like me meating an indian from another tribe and hating them because maybe they killed my great great great grandpa long ago. Its all in the past, who the hell cares.
Spike is entitled to not see the movie for any reason he wants. His version of slavery may not coincide with the one portrayed in this movie. Al that say is that Spike may not be open to alternate versions of reality or that some freed slaves were treated better than others. Heaven forbid and ex-slave, own and abuse his own slaves. Then theirs the head house slave being harder and more brutal than the white master.
Having a white man, white wash slavery with a movie that says it wasn't all us is disrespectful. Some people need to believe its white folks fault. Like there hasn't been slavery since the beginning of time and still is in some countries.
Spike Lee is a director? I thought he was just a guy with good seats at the Knicks.
Well you know this could be a cheap way of getting publicity. I agree how can you not like something you
if you haven't tried it. Does anyone know if he is still making movies? I have not heard anything about
Spike Lee in years. I refuse to get into the slavery debate none of us were there so really, who really knows So I plan to see the movie when I do maby we can all come back and let Mr. Spike Lee know
what we think.
The root of the problem is American diversity and the fact he was lost our sense humor about anything ethnic. Only Blacks can make film about Blacks,only Jews can make films about Jews and Italians have to make films about Italians. I'm amazed that Martin Scorsese git away with his great film The Departed without a massive outcry from the Irish community.
The mainstream media can't bring itself to write or say "nigger" (the N Word) even though it's only hurtful and insulting when aimed at someone...by itself it's just a slang derivative word.
Spike Lee = piece of crap
Spike Lee has no problem disrespecting/stereotyping Italians in "do the Right Thing" but now we see how thin skinned this uppity little insecure twerp really is. LMAO...
I've been reading all the comments and while they are varied,true,wrong and all that,,I just want to say,IT's a movie! Its purpose is to entertain us,not revamp slavery or even,pardon me,justify Spike Lee's ridiculous statement..Dishonor,disrespect our ancestors??Really Spike?? Me thinks your opinion is tainted by the fact you didn't direct the film..Reverse racism at it's finest. The point of the movie is its a love story,which has, as it's obstacle,slavery.!! So yeah it gets pretty raw!!
Went and sat through about 1 hour of this absolute pos for a film before walking out. It was easily the worse film i have ever tried to watch. It is vile and disgusting. It is a horror movie!
while i no doubt believe that some of that probably did happen, it made the 4 of us sick and we left.
the film should be triple xrated.
Really??? i watched it last night and after hearing about it i thought it would be really brutal??
It was actually quite the contrary.
Every time something "brutal" was sposed to have happened the camera moved.
I was an undergrad at USC when Malcolm X came out and Spike Lee came to campus and spoke at Bovard Auditorium nearly inciting a race riot. He is very confrontational on issues of race
Reason Spike Lee will not be seeing Quentin Tarantino's latest film is because he doesn't want to see how a film should be properly directed and made . Spike Lee cannot direct traffic let alone a film , all his efforts are total crap and if any of them have made any money it is a miracle .
I'm just impressed that Mr Lee thinks he can speak on behalf of the entire African American population in regards to the use of the "N" word.
First of all I like to say I am North American Asian so I could offer an OBJECTIVE point of view without guilt or anger.
(This is not to downplay slavery, but if we look far enough into history all of our ancestors have been f*cked over one way or another by white people. SH*T, I am not going to remain angry and fight some fight that do not directly affect me. You know what they say, success is the best revenge. Just look at Mr. Obama, Kobe, Jack Chan or Jet Lee, China, and Japan. Lol. Okay never mind.)
I am a big film buff. I am a big fan of Spike Lee as well Tarantino. People may differ with my opinion here but, I think Spike Lee is a better film maker than Tarantino in the "artistic" sense as he has more integrity making "real" films. Tarantino, on the hand, is here to milk/rape Hollywood/audience for whatever and as long as he possibly can. In art speak-He is a SELLOUT.
I think folks forget this is a MOVIE and not a depiction of history. It is NOT FACTUAL. Its fiction. Like Kill Bill 1, 2, 3 etc and Inglorious Bastards- completely unrealistic and nonsensical. They are called FANTASY REVENGE FILMS. Tarantino likes to stir SH*T up to create controversy. He knows racism is a touchy subject and gets people's blood boiling. Drives them folks to the theatres to satisfy their curiosity. Voila, he gets rich.
Tarantino's films, although Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are relatively good, are Action-gory porn to satisfy the violent manchild's revenge fantasies. I wouldn't go so far as to say they all suck. They are somewhat entertaining, kind of like watching a car crash. I would never walk into a theatre expecting to learn history. I REPEAT, I would never watch any Tarantino's films and take it seriously. But damn it they are so much fun. Westerns too.
Sorry Spike, people have different moods, they do not want to be educated with some heavy SH*T every time they see a film. We need Brain Fartasies like these to escape from slavery...er I mean free democratic lives where we have to work for the MAN and pay heavy taxes to feed the Government.
If we think hard enough we probably all go on the rampage...... Thank god for films like Django. They work out all our angst.
Does anyone really care about Spike Lee? All white people are racist. No one wants to be black.
A movie is a movie and none of them really tell the whole truth. After reading all the comments I have come to the conclusion that slavery in this Country is a thing of the past Damn their are alot of uninformed folks out there. Any form of art that stirs up a little bit of controversy has accomplished it purpose.
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