Black History Month: African American Auteurs in Cinema (Part 2)
by t.sterling
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee
To conclude Black History Month, please enjoy t.sterling’s homage to Black filmmakers.
You may read Part One by clicking here.
Spike Lee
Breaking down many barriers and largely affecting Hollywood and beyond, my favorite Spike Lee movie is Do The Right Thing. It’s not an easy watch if you don’t like tension. That’s why I like it, because I could feel it. And it felt real.
A button pusher, Spike has a unique way of tapping into the sorts of things people of all races might feel or think but never want to say. Do The Right Thing was a sign of the times that racism wasn’t as extinguished as we’d like to have believed.
Similar, but in a college setting, School Daze sparked many discussions.
The movie that seriously caught my attention was Malcolm X. Influencing cinema as a whole, this movies is awesome.
Having directed 47 film and TV episodes, producing 41, and acting and writing for 14, Spike Lee deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award. While we wait for Hollywood to catch up with him, let’s give Spike Lee the award for being a superb and hyper conscious African American Auteur in Cinema.
Malcolm D. Lee
More recently on scene is Spike Lee’s cousin, film director Malcolm D. Lee.
Directing a small handful of films, Malcolm is not quite an auteur yet.
Malcolm’s Undercover Brother is one of my favorite films and it is for this movie that I include Malcolm in my list of auteurs. A lot of people I’ve talked to haven’t heard of this movie or don’t think too highly of it, but I think it is simply hilarious.
In its own comical way, Undercover Brother pays homage to blaxploitation films and early Black cinema. The main character is a throwback to a combination of those early leading man characters of the 70s blaxploitation films, men with afros, wearing bellbottoms, platform shoes and all that jazz.
Malcolm D. Lee’s next film Roll Bounce has a great story and music that take us back to the 70s as well.
Winning auteur points, Malcolm scores with his 2008 comedy starring Martin Lawrence, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. As writer, director and producer, Malcolm D. Lee has auteurism in the blood like his cousin Spike.
Keeping an eye on the development of Malcolm D. Lee, I’m excited to watch his next film Soul Men featuring the late greats Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, along with Samuel L. Jackson and Mike Epps.
Side note: Sadly, Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes coincidentally both deceased in August 2008 one day apart. Bernie passed in Chicago from complications of pneumonia. Isaac died in Memphis, Tennessee from a stroke. Isaac won an Academy award for the theme song of Shaft in 1971.
Tyler Perry
Mr. Tyler Perry is on a mission to take over the world of entertainment.
Starting his career as a homeless gospel playwright, Perry now appears on millions of TV screens and movie theaters across the planet and hasn’t stopped working since his recent debut in 2002. I’ve read that he plans on having his own channel someday, and at the rate he’s going, I believe this may happen soon.
The secret to Perry’s success is no secret: hard work! My number one top idol, Perry’s talent and work ethic astound me. From writing, directing, producing and many times starring in just about all his productions, you wonder how he manages to sleep. What I admire is that he plays by his own rules and does things his way. These days, it seems like Hollywood is knocking on his door trying to get into his world instead of him trying to get into theirs.
If you are still having trouble figuring out who Tyler Perry is, perhaps you’ll remember him as his alter ego and one of America’s favorite gun-toting, wise-cracking big mamas—Madea. In the movies, Madea is first seen in Diary of a Mad Black Woman which was based on the play of the same name. Madea is the character people came to see at both his plays and his movies.
As much as Perry likes to throw the weight of Madeo around, he always makes sure to weigh in on the drama.
Unlike other filmmakers, Perry does not use mass amounts of gang violence, sex, drugs, and adult language to attract and African American people, but rather love, family, and the power of prayer.
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As a student of film and writing in the School of Observation, I learn a lot from these writer/directors. A huge fan of diversity, I also feel it is important to know where you come from before you know where you’re going. By researching and learning from the greats before me, I hope that I can one day follow in their footsteps and work with them. Maybe 30 or 40 years from now, some young writer/director will be writing about the likes of Kevin Smith, Spike Lee, Judd Apatow, Tyler Perry, and t. sterling watson. I was told to dream big. Can I have my own channel too?
t.sterling
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3 Responses to “Black History Month: African American Auteurs in Cinema (Part 2)”
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Im a huge fan of DO THE RIGHT THING! His latest release Miracle at St. Anna was alright. Could have been so much more but I think he let his personal duel with Clint get to him!
I must admit I thought Undercover Brother was hysterical. I grew up in the 70s with afros, go-go boots and blaxpoitation films – Blacula, Cleopatra Jones, Shaft were the movies that shaped my early view of cinema. Great post and how awesome to pay homage to black filmmakers!
HAHAHAHAH!
Undercover Brother. I had almost forgot about that one. Saw it years ago….it was AWESOME! :-D
I think I’ll have to rent it again, some night when Brett comes over.