| Description | Audio recording of an interview with film director Spike Lee in front of a live audience undertaken as part of the Guardian sponsored National Film Theatre Guardian interview series.
The recording begins with an introduction by Adrian Wooton, director of London Film Festival, who introduces the eveneing and selection of film clips showcasing Lee's work. Questions are then put to Lee by host John Akomfrah. The recording comprises a question and answer session with members of the audience from 42.00 on track 1.
A summary of key topics is included below.
Track 1:
00.00 Introductions and film clips
02.40 How Summer of Sam is different to Lees other films
04.52 Undertaking films with a largely white cast
07.36 Summer of Sam: How lee became involved, different themes in the film, reaction in America, depiction of the 70s
14.40 Working with Directors of Photography
16.30 Shes Gotta Have it, comparison with earlier black independent films
20.40 Shift in focus of Lees work, comparisons with Woody Allan
23.18 Do the Right Thing: reception, resulting stereotyping of Lee
25.40 Improvisation
28.10 Giving actors and technicians their first breaks
29.38 Malcolm X: difficulty in financing the film
33.10 Relationship with Hollywood
33.56 Discusses some of his films: Get on the Bus; Clockers and He Got Game
40.07 Casting films
42.00 Publicity of Lees films in the UK
44.25 Setting his films in New York
44.53 Summer of Sam
45.55 Malcolm X
47.00 Thought on distributing films himself
49.51 Using Italian-Americans in his films
50.55 Advice on filmmaking
53.57 Thoughts on Michael Jackson making a film
55.18 Stanley Kubrick using London as New York
57.27 Collaborating with Terence Blanchard
58.27 Being an African-American film-maker, compared to being an American film-maker
01.00.20 Goals in filmmaking
Track 2:
00.00 Goals in filmmaking (cont.)
00.15 4 little girls
01.54 His argument with Quentin Tarantino
02.38 Inspirational figures
04.20 The commercials he made for the US Navy
06.30 African-American political groups
08.03 Thought on rappers going into rappers going into film, views on hip hop music
10.00 Making a film about Jackie Robinson
10.43 Press reviews of his films
12.00 Religious outlook
13.20 Range of films being made featuring African American themes; difficulty of getting such films made; his movement into television
14.15 His book, Best Seat in the House, and prospects for making it into a film
15.50 Whether films can change things politically
18.08 Bamboozled
Films mentioned in the course of the interview include:Summer of Sam; Get on the Bus; Clockers; He Got Game; Jungle Fever; School Daze; Do the Right Thing; Malcolm X; 4 Little Girls and Bamboozled. |