Director Shelton “Spike” Lee’s early films gained him critical acclaim for the social and political problems he’s tackled. But his more recent films have received less public scrutiny.Despite the perceived change in attitude toward Lee’s filmmaking, those people with a ticket to Lee’s speech tonight at McArthur Court said the director is still an influential presence in Hollywood.
As part of the 2001 Black Arts Festival, Lee will address and entertain about 2,500 students, faculty and community members with his experiences as a filmmaker and the challenges he has faced in making several of his films. “An Evening with Spike Lee” begins at 7:30 p.m.
Acasia Wilson, the contemporary issues coordinator for the University’s Cultural Forum, said bringing Lee to campus has been an idea of hers since she saw him speak at the University of Portland shortly after “Malcolm X” was released in 1992.
“I think he offers a very well-informed, humorous and interesting look at race relations in our country,” Wilson said.
Wilson said Lee’s debut film, “She’s Gotta Have It,” a 1986 independently produced comedy, proved Lee was not afraid to take his own path to success.
She said people are attracted to his movies because they initiate dialogue between viewers and accurately address “the problems of the inner city.”
But Wilson said Lee’s appearance has not generated as warm of a reception from the Eugene community as she expected. Some businesses and citizens refused to put up posters for the event.
“To me, when I think of Spike Lee, I think of Oliver Stone and Martin Scorsese,” Wilson said. “Some of the responses have made me wonder because he is a black filmmaker. I feel like in some cases that is why people haven’t been as responsive.”
Even as some segments of the community are not offering a warm reception, there are still many others who are looking forward to Lee’s visit.
English Professor Kathleen Karlyn said Lee is a provocative, innovative and challenging filmmaker who does not pull away from controversial issues. Karlyn said Lee is still an important filmmaker because he has a view counter to that of dominant, traditional Hollywood filmmaking.
“He has made a tremendous contribution for African-American cinema,” Karlyn said. “He is taking on issues that challenge people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.”
Karlyn, who specializes in film studies, said that while blacks have been historically excluded from taking an active role in Hollywood, Lee has helped to open up doors for black people in the film industry.
“He started as an independent filmmaker but very soon was able to get the backing to make bigger-budget films aimed at a wider audience,” she said.
More than simply a filmmaker, Lee is a role model and a leader because he hasn’t taken the easy route to success, Karlyn said.
“He is not safe. He goes after subjects that are not easy to talk about,” she said. “He takes on serious issues in a serious way.”
Karlyn said other black filmmakers who explore controversial issues include Oscar Micheaux from the 1930s, Julie Dash and John Singleton, who created the 1991 hit “Boyz N the Hood.”
Karlyn said she presents and teaches Lee’s films, including his 1989 film “Do the Right Thing,” because he addresses wide-ranging issues and challenges the viewer to learn about racial identity, history and responsibility.
“It is meaty content, but he knows how to make an exciting film,” she said. “He knows the aesthetics of filmmaking.”
Kim Hutchinson, co-director of the Black Student Union, said that she is looking forward to attending Lee’s performance because Lee does not always present positive images. Works such as his HBO documentary, “4 Little Girls,” are based on historical events, some of which may not have happy endings.
“He presents realistic things,” she said. “Life isn’t always peaches and cream.”
Lee, a regular at Madison Square Garden for New York Knicks basketball games, is not only known for his films. He began commercial work in 1988 with a Nike Air Jordan campaign, and he has also directed and produced music videos for artists such as Miles Davis, Tracy Chapman, Public Enemy and Michael Jackson.
In more recent work, Lee’s 2000 film “Bamboozled” did not get the same kind of glowing reviews as prior hits such as “Clockers” in 1995. But Multicultural Center Director Erica Fuller said Lee is still a powerful filmmaker.
When Lee’s first films came out, Fuller said he made an impact because he presented African-Americans as “whole, complete” people in situations viewers did not regularly see.
“In his initial films, he was very brave in bringing issues to the screen that had not previously been illustrated,” Fuller said.
Fuller hopes that by attending “An Evening with Spike Lee,” students will start to gain an understanding of the issues he addresses in his films. Fuller said those issues include internal racism and internalized oppression, as well as interracial relationships and complexities.
While Lee has been treated as a “token artist of the industry,” Fuller said, he is still a remarkable director and producer.
“He opened up the doors for black independent filmmakers to be taken seriously as fine artists in the industry,” Fuller said. “He should be regarded at this point as a phenomenal filmmaker, not a black filmmaker.”