![]() ![]() And they said, “How long the film might be?” I said, “I need as long as” - I said, “How long is JFK?” Because JFK was coming out. But to their credit, they stayed throughout the whole four hours.Īnd so, it was a long discussion, because they had to - we had - I think a helicopter came to Warner Bros.’ lot and took them to where they had to go. ![]() executives, the two presidents, and the secretaries are coming in and out, because L.A. So, we’re screening a film for Warner Bros. We knew we’d cut it down, but… It was the day of the Rodney King verdict. We showed the four-hour version to Warner Bros. To tell the many different lives that Malcolm led, we needed that time. ![]() did not want the length of that film to be three hours. So we knew one day the money would run out.Īnd Warner Bros. I mean, this whole thing is - and, you know, in the studio system, you got to get them impregnated. And so, once we got that, I knew we had to do the film.īut from the very beginning, we didn’t have enough money. I respect Norman Jewison, because it was his job he gracefully bowed out. And when I heard that Norman Jewison was directing this, I said, “Hell to the nah!” But here’s the thing, though. And finally, Norman Jewison was the director, with Denzel. And for 20-something years, he tried to get it made - several directors, several - several actors. And the great Marvin Worth bought the rights from Dr. The making of that film was the hardest thing I ever had to do. So, I’m just going to - I’m going to go to the film. Our ancestors risked their life to be educated. Our ancestors risked their life because they understood that education was going to be the key. And if we had a bad day, you’d be castrated and hung. But if master caught you, you’d get whipped. And, you know, the day we had off, on Sundays, that’s what we’d do, you know, reading the Bible. So, we have to understand we have a long line of educated Black folks.Īs you said, Sister, it was against the law for us to read and write. My father went to Morehouse, my grandfather went to Morehouse, and my mother and grandmother went to Spelman. My classmate, the glocious class of Morehouse ’79, is Martin Luther King III. My father, Bill Lee, jazz bassist, who’s done a lot of the scores for my films, was a freshman at Morehouse when Dr. And my mind was developed to the - what Brother Malcolm was putting down.īut I come from a long line of educators and “edumacated” Black folks. You got to read that book more than once. When I read The Autobiography of Malcolm X in seventh grade, I wrote a paper on it. And they’ll be looking down on us, what we’re doing. ![]() Jim Brown, who passed today, too? Some of you might not have heard that. You know what, though? Can we have a moment of silence for Mr. The most important book I ever read was The Autobiography of Malcolm X, seventh grade, Rothschild Junior High School in the People’s Republic of Brooklyn, New York. Come to say what I’ve got to say, and that’ll be it. He also wrote the scores to many of his son Spike Lee’s films, including Do the Right Thing and Mo’ Better Blues. Bill Lee had a prolific musical career, performing with legendary artists including Harry Belafonte, Aretha Franklin, Odetta, John Lee Hooker and Bob Dylan. Just days after this event, Spike Lee’s father, the bassist and composer Bill Lee, died at the age of 94 at his home in Brooklyn. He talked about the making of his 1992 film, more than 30 years ago, Malcolm X, as well as his family and the power of education. All the movies are intertwined with some real-life footage of rioting, protests, and powerful stands for equality by Black residents of London.AMY GOODMAN: The acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee gave the keynote address. Finally, Education is about subtle yet painfully evident segregation in schools. Alex Wheatle portrays the life of the famous poet of the same name, from growing up in foster care to finding his footing in Brixton. The second is an emotional and ingenious story of an all-night party titled Lovers Rock The third, Red, White, and Blue, stars John Boyega as Leroy Logan, one of the first Black officers in the Metropolitan Police. The first movie is Mangrove, which follows the Mangrove Nine - a group of Black men that clashed with the police, and the first trial in which the police were tried for racially motivated violence. This anthology could rather be considered a series, but all five stories have a movie-length duration and speak volumes as standalone features. Small Axe is a Steve McQueen triumph - it elevates his directing style, tackles historical racial issues, and depicts real-life characters that fought for equality between the 1970s and 1980s in London. ![]()
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