Spike Lee

This lens celebrates film director Spike Lee and examines his work.

Spike Lee transformed the face of Hollywood.

Like Oscar Micheaux, Spike Lee is an entrepreneur who has had to find creative ways to fund his films.

Spike Lee has thanked his fans for caring about the deαth of his brother, who has died at the age of 55. Spike Lee has begun the year in mourning following the death of his brother, Christopher Lee, on the 30th of December. The cause of death has not yet been announced.

Spike Lee is a filmmaking genius and undisputed trailblazer. He changed the face of Hollywood.

Lee's company, 40 Acres and a Mule, is named after the promise of the legacy that every freed African American would be given following the end of slavery. That promise was never fulfilled.

Spike Lee emerged on the scene in 1988 with She's Gotta Have It (see below), which changed all the rules.

Because of Spike Lee's work, Black men are no longer confined to stereotypical roles in Hollywood films. Black actors are now portrayed in a much wider range of roles as a direct response to Spike Lee's trailblazing early films.

It's because of Spike Lee that Samuel L. Jackson, the coolest man in Hollywood, has a career.

Spike Lee transformed the portrayal of Black people in Hollywood films. However, he is now becoming more known for his rants. He has gone up against many in the film industry, both Black and white. Spike Lee has built a reputation as an angry middle-aged man. He often says what other people are thinking (see "You've Been Spiked", below.

Spike Lee as an African American Entrepreneur

Spike Lee recently used crowd-funding site Kickstarter to raise money for a film project. See "Before Kickstarter" below.

Spike Lee's production company is called 40 Acres and a Mule, after the promise that was made to African American people during Reconstruction, following slavery. That promise was never fulfilled.

40 Acres and a Mule has an internship program for young people who want to learn about film production.

In addition, Spike Lee Joint is another Lee company, which produces merchandising from his films. Spike Lee Joint raises finance for Lee's films.

Like Oscar Micheaux before him, Lee takes the initiative. He doesn't wait for Hollywood to finance his work - when he needed to for the Malcolm X film, he relied on other prominent African American leaders, rather than be dictated to by the studio.

Before Kickstarter, Spike Lee was using crowd funding. Check out this short film from Spike.

Spike Lee talks about what filmmakers need to know about financing their movies

Spike Lee says,

Spike Lee has excellent taste in sports teams. He supports the New York Yankees and is often pictured wearing a Yankees cap. He is also a fan of the Knicks and, in the UK, supports Arsenal football club.

His Spike Lee Joint even designed a baseball cap for the Yankees.

Go, Spike.

Criticism by Spike Lee

Spike Lee is known for being critical of others in the film industry. He says what he thinks and he often says what other people are thinking, but are unwilling to say.

He has criticised Quentin Tarantino for many years, notably for his use of the N-word in Pulp Fiction.

Samuel L. Jackson, who has featured in many Tarantino movies, countered by saying that Spike "hasn't made a good film in awhile".

Lee read the script of the Tarantino film Django Unleashed, but said he would not watch the film as it is an insult to his ancestors.

Jamie Foxx, who starred in Django Unleashed, was recently quoted as saying, "Where's Spike Lee Coming From...? He doesn't like anybody".

What Spike actually says in this clip is that we have to do it for ourselves. Hollywood studio execs know nothing about Black people, so we have to do it for ourselves. So get the facts straight!

In 1963, during the Civil Rights movement, racist white people bombed a church in Alabama. Many Black churches were destroyed during this time. What perhaps set this event apart is that four little girls lost their lives. Their only offence was to attend Sunday school.

4 Little Girls was screened in the African Odysseys strand at BFI London South Bank on the 14th of September 2013, the 50th anniversary of the bombing. For more info, see: African Odysseys.

More African American Film Pioneers

These lenses explore the work of more African American males who changed the way Black people are portrayed on film.

Oscar Micheaux, the First Major African American filmmaker
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Richard Pryor
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Spike Lee speaks about how he takes control of the Black image, plus the impact of When the Levees Broke.

I always say, we can learn from other successful people. Spike Lee advises: if you want to make films, learn to write!