: MediaTakeOut.com has just learned that during a press conference at Cannes covering his new film Miracle at St Anna, Spike Lee implied that Clint Eastwood's two WWII films ere racist.
Here's Spike's exact quote:
There were many African-Americans who survived that war and who were upset at Clint for not having one [in the films]. That was his version: the negro soldier did not exist. I have a different version...But he wasn't done. MediaTakeOut.com heard that Spike told the press that Eastwood had been told of the African-Americans who fought at Iwo Jima, and had "chosen to ignore that information”. Spike explained, "It’s not like he could say he didn’t know. It was a conscious decision not to have any black people."
Look at Spike ... getting all controversial again ...
I don't usually agree with Spike but I saw the films and was so disappointed that not even one black soldier appeared. I read that Eastwood was told but chose not to include it. I use to date a guy who told me his black grandfather was there and helped with the flag at Iwo Jima but you'll never hear about it.
When shooting historical films, they should at least be accurate. However, you know America's version of things.
So what it's his movie and he can have who ever he wants in it - don't go see it if its a problem for you. You dont hear Clint or anyone else speaking out when Spike does "him" and makes a movie with an all black cast. Knock it off with your Jessie Jackson BS and make another movie with only black people in it that'll show Clint! if he gave a F*ck
Ofcourse Spike has to be "controversial" because he is telling the truth. Clint CAN have whoever he wants in his movies and that isnt where the problem lies. The problem lies in the fact that when you are making a movie documenting HISTORICAL events you should be as HISTORICALLY accurate as possible. But hell Clint is doing what the authors of most history books are doing EDITING the BLACK people out... I say mothaf*uck Clint Eastwood and mothaf*uck AMERIKKA...
THEY BE TRYNA HIDE THE HISTORY BUT THEY KNOW WHO WE ARE...
-ERYKAH BADU
To Miss JNS: No that doesn't make John Singleton racist. His stories are about Blacks so therefore majority of his cast will be black.
But when your topic is about WWII or any other war, the fact is that there were black people in the war. And to erase an entire race of people in an important piece of history is just wrong. I won't call it racist I'll call it ignorance.
I'm thankful for people like Spike, John, Malcolm, & Sidney because they tell our stories for us.
This even happens in TV shows. Look at Seinfield which takes place in New York City. How can you walk on the streets of New York, any where in NY without seeing a black, hispanic, Indian, or any other race. NY is the melting pot and rarely do you see a black (including extras) in Seinfield. I wonder What NY they live in because that's not the one I live in.
"No, Clint is married to a Black woman(half hispanic/half black). He is not racist!"
Clint Eastwood's wife Dina (Ruiz) Eastwood is black white, and Filipino.
"Clint has been married to a Mexican woman for years."
His wife isn't Mexican. She is black, Asian, and white. Even if she was, some white dudes married to Latinas are just as racist as those married to white females. Some white dudes married to black females are still racist too. Interracial marriage/relationships don't always exclude the people with in the relationship from ignorance and bigotry.
When I was in high school there was a Puerto Rican girl that I was seeing. But she would not tell her folks about me, because her Puerto Rican mother and Italian stepfather told her never to date blacks, even if they are black Latinos. Her mother and stepfather were hypocrites, they themselves were in an interracial relationship themselves but were against their daughter being in one. At times she wanted me to lie about my black Haitian heritage, because I could pass for a brown Latino. But I didn't, because no girl is worth all that trouble. However, my friend who is half black half Puerto Rican (who looked mostly Latin) did hide his black heritage just so he could see with her with no problems. Some people . . . .
"The Greatest Generation", to quote Tom Brokaw. Those men and women gave so much to this country black, white, brown (yes alot of hispanics also served in that war) and native americans (most famous the code breakers). So indifference to telling their story, all their stories, or atleast stories of the different groups and experiences, and knowing leave any group out is a slap in the face to the sacrifice they made.
In Clint Eastwood's defense, "Flags Of Our Fathers" did include a few African American Marines. But anyway, the movie was about the Marines that raised the flag on Mount Suribachi during the Battle of Iwo Jima. And "Letters from Iwo Jima" was about the battle from the Japanese soldiers' perspective. So what's the problem here?
strange, i didn't hear him mention W.E.T, Ivory mag, Ms White America...how about this website? the only time whites are on here is if they're being trashed or dating a black person (and then subject to hate) oops sorry i meant BET and black apartheid media and programming etc. FKNG BLACK POKER STARS FOR GDS SAKE!?!?!?
MTO, you have a lot of nerve pointing the finger at another black men calling him controversial. You make money off of controversy, so save it! We need more black men like Spike to have the balls to tell the TRUTH. Eastwood's decision to exclude the black soldiers, is another prime exacmple of white men re-writing history to make it his own. Peace to Spike, and brothers and sisters everywhere who love their own.
I LOVE SOME OF CLINT EASTWOOD'S MOVIES, BUT I NEVER MISS A SPIKE LEE FLICK- EVER!!! BEING MARRIED TO A PERSON OF COLOR DOES NOT NEGATE RACISM. SOME OF THE MOST RACIST PEOPLE YOU WILL EVER MEET STILL LOVE THE 'DARK MEAT' JESSE HELMS RING A BELL. WHITE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TO BLATANTLY HATE PEOPLE OF COLOR, SOMETIME THE RACISM IS INHERENT THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW IT'S THERE. NEW YORK HAS MORE PEOPLE OF EVERY RACE THAN PROBABLY ANYWHERE ELSE IN THIS COUNTRY AND TELL ME HOW OFTEN YOU SAW ANYTHING BUT WHITES ON FRIENDS,SEX IN THE CITY, OR SEINFELD? I LIKED ALL THOSE SHOWS, BUT IT ALWAYS BOTHERED ME. ALL BLACK PEOPLE CAN DO IS MAKE THEIR OWN SHOWS AND SHOW THE REAL STORY. SPIKE ALWAYS KEEPS IT REAL AND I DOUBT HE'S WRONG ABOUT CLINT, BUT AS LONG AS CLINT IS MAKING THE FILMS, HE CAN DO WHATEVER HE WANTS.
Black people even Spike Lee seem to keep expecting to be included into main stream America and that ain't happening. There should not be any surprises here. I am not here to pass judgement on Clint Eastwood but let's not forget that we are not accepted in this society and therefore receive poor treatment at every level. If it mattered to Clint then blacks would have been featured in the identified films. When you don't matter then you are not considered and it's just that simple.
Prolly didn't gel with the storyline. Was it a story about the war or about individuals during a war. The military wasn't intergrated so it is highly unlikely that you'd see blacks intermingling with the white troops. The author was prolly white as well which means that the story would be skewed to his/her point of view.
Basically, blacks should make their own movies. Their has to be a lot of black writers out there. Get those stories down on paper. If it is interesting enough a screenplay should be right behind.
It sounds a bit juvenile to say that whites won't put us in their pictures. If Johnny won't let you play with his ball, get your own. Independent films seem to be the way to go these days. Use the technology to your benefit instead of playing victim all the time.
RACISIM= POLITICAL +POWER
If I can control any aspect of your psyche; media, education, housing, employment, law enforcement etc. etc. and I have a racial bias that will shut you out systematicly, that is racisim.
If I don't like you because of your skin color, or these types of ppl smell like dogs etc.etc. that is prejudice against someone.
If I say that I am proud of my ppl and I wan't us to live better lives, this is prejudice towards someone/thing.
I get sick of ppl misrepresenting the terms.
One is Fact and the others are Opinions.
Why some ppl say Blacks can't be racist is because Blk americans have no polictical power in mass that will infuence and shut down another ethnic grp.
We do have prejudice opinions ether for or against something/or someone. Everyone does. All grps.
But racisim is another monster. What clint did was racist. And you can screw a someone of color and be a racist. Racisim is about control.
Don't put out a half-cocked movie and expect not to be called out on ur sh*t. I applaud Spike for always dropping the jewels.
I hate to be the person bringing facts into this but it's well known that in the WW2 Military Blacks and Whites were segregated. It's very hard to make a WW2 film that includes both in the same situation as racism was still pretty prominent back then. The other thing is this movie is very specific and the actual fighting isn't the real focal point of the movie but instead the government exploiting its soldiers. One of them I might add was a Navajo Native American (A minority in this country) and how he was severely mistreated for being one. Spike Lee is an activist and is so concerned for African American rights that he does come across as racist against non African Americans. He likes to stir up trouble and controversy and in this case he is 100% wrong in doing so.
I'm so sick of this "there should be 1 of each minority in every single film". Can we all just respect the films for the escapism they are, these directors are not trying to create a world where Black people or any other minority doesn't exist. I commend Spike Lee for making a film about black squadrons in WW2, but I certainly won't be asking him "Why did you leave out all the white people?"
Chambalady, you do not know your own history. There were no black soldiers that raised the flag at IwoJima, and the decision to exclude them from the landing is completely within his rights as a director. It's his film, if you want to make a movie about all the NON-COMBAT black soldiers (because that is all they were authorized to do then, which is surprisingly not Clint's fault, I know) then you go ahead and make that movie. As the director you can even choose to exclude all the soldiers who did the fighting. Disrespecting a film dedicated to our country's hero's because of the racial climate during WWII is wrong.
And honestly, do all the black people who've posted on this site really believe that hate mongering as done by "popular" black media racists breeds equality? No, it doesn't. The fighting for rights is over, and in another 20 years all the black people who did fight for those rights will be gone, and I would bet that a high percentage of the people who were actually there don't use the internet and don't give a damn about Clint Eastwood's movies. Controversy will only bring more controversy. Being black doesn't make it okay to be racist either, you know.
Mr. Lee,
I am a Native American. I mean no disrespect but I HAVE to ask you, WHY do you and your people keep playing the race card? Have you done your research? So you have any idea what the whit man has done to my ancestors?...to anybody's ancestors but your own? Looking at the BIG PICTURE, Mr. Lee, I think the African Americans (or whatever everybody is allowed to call you this week.) had it the BEST! My ancestors were SLAUGHTERED by the white man. What happened to yours? They were whipped a little bit and made to work for a living? WOW! That's more than most of us get today! They were brought to a land where they can play games and "rap" and become multi-millionaires? Does that happen in Africa?....I think not. Yet your people complain more than anybody about how mistreated they've been....why IS that Mr. Lee? Could it be because the more you complain, the more you get for free?! Your people have the option....ANY option they want in this country. They can be whatever they want! Free education, free housing, free food, free this free that. You want to prosper, you CAN. You want to lay around and be NOTHING...YOU CAN....we'll support you! It's o.k....I mean, your ancestors were taken out of a God-forsaken country and brought here to be beaten and made to work for a living and eventually make millions. Geesh! Thank GOD the white man didn't give that opportunity to the Natives that they ONLY RAPED, MOLESTED, SLAUGHTERED, and TOOK EVERYTHING THEY EVER OWNED FROM! Just imagine if we had the people who really had a RIGHT to complain complaining!!!!! Get over it you slimeball!!!!!
