Spike Lee Says Movie Studios “Know Nothing About Black People”

Speaking at Sundance 2012, legendary black film director Spike Lee went on a tirade against movie studios when he took to the stage to answer questions regarding his latest movie ‘Red Hook Summer’. When asked by Chris Rock what his movie would’ve been like if it had been made by a studio, Lee answered with:

“they [studios] know nothing about black people … and they’re going to give me notes about what a 13-year-old boy and girl are doing in Red Hook?”

‘Red Hook Summer’ has been described as gritty and hard to watch, which makes it sound even more hardy-hitting and audacious. Spike Lee takes on religion in a movie that might struggle to get distribution in the US. When asked about the religious aspect, Lee said:

“All the church stuff came from [co-screenwriter and author] Mr. James McBride. The only time I went to church was when my parents sent me down south to spend the summers with my grandparents… Next question.”

Peppered with questions whether ‘Red Hook Summer’ has any link with his famous older movies, Lee then said:

“You are the very first audience that has seen this film. Do me a favor. If you go out and talk about it, please tell ‘em this is not a sequel to Do the Right Thing, or Mookie’s Return. This film is what I call another instalment in my own chronicles of Brooklyn.”

But the fact that Lee continues to pull out low-budget in-your-face movies can only be something to cheer for by those of us supporting independent filmmaking. We’ll have to see how critics handle it, but first reactions weren’t great. Erik Childress of efilmcritic.com tweeted: “I have so many negative things to say about Spike Lee’s RED HOOK SUMMER that I don’t know where to begin.”

Source: Entertainment Weekly