It’s been a while since a Spike Lee film received a bunch of praise, but that’s exactly what’s happening with his movie “BlacKkKlansman.”
It stars John David Washington, Denzel’s Washington’s son, who plays Ron Stallworth, the first Black officer in the Colorado Springs Police Department. In the ‘1970s, Stallworth infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan by phone and sent a fellow white officer to meet with them in person.
Lee premiered “BlacKkKlansman” at Cannes Film Festival in May, and it received a six-minute standing ovation when it was over.
The script was sent to him by Jordan Peele, who helped produce the movie through Focus Features, the first major studio that Lee has worked with in 10 years.
In the past, the veteran filmmaker has been critical of Hollywood studios and said there aren’t enough Black people in decision making positions. In fact, one time he said it’s easier for a Black man to become president of the United States than it is to be the head of a studio.
Now, in a new interview with GQ, Lee blasted Hollywood again and said its executives like to create false narratives about minority groups.
“It’s growing up and watching motherf——g cowboy movies where Native Americans look like savages,” he said. “I’m gonna say what I’ve said before: These bullshit John Ford, John Wayne movies are lies. They’re lying on the humanity of Native Americans.”
“That’s been the history,” Lee added. “Not the whole history but a large part of the history of Hollywood — to dehumanize people, whether we’re Black, Hispanic, gay, whatever.”
Back in May, at a press conference for “BlacKkKlansman,” Lee blasted Donald Trump, which he did again and once more, he didn’t pull any punches.
“Agent Orange, wake up. Wake the f— up,” he said. “He’s a man of hate, violence and can’t be trusted to make moral decisions. We can’t be silent anymore. He’s on the wrong side of history, and we are on the right side of history with this film.”
“BlacKkKlansman” opens up nationwide on August 10.
