: Clint Eastwood is steaming mad. MediaTakeOut.com told you a few weeks ago that director Spike Lee criticized Clint for not using African American actors in his movie Flags Of Our Fathers. Well now Clint is going hard at Spike. Here's what he said in a recent interview:
On Spike Lee:
[Spike] was complaining when I did Bird [the 1988 biopic of Charlie Parker]. Why would a white guy be doing that? I was the only guy who made it, that's why. He could have gone ahead and made it. Instead he was making something else." As for Flags of Our Fathers, he says, yes, there was a small detachment of black troops on Iwo Jima as a part of a munitions company, "but they didn't raise the flag. The story is Flags of Our Fathers, the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go, 'This guy's lost his mind.' I mean, it's not accurate."On why he doesn't have to include Black actors in his new film Changeling - set in Los Angeles during the Depression
"What are you going to do, you gonna tell a f*ckin' story about that?" he growls. "Make it look like a commercial for an equal opportunity player? I'm not in that game. I'm playing it the way I read it historically, and that's the way it is. When I do a picture and it's 90% black, like Bird, I use 90% black people."On what he thinks Spike should do:
"A guy like him should shut his face."
I agree. Does anyone question Spike when he makes a movie and try to make it as close to the truth as possible.....no! Did he put alot of white folks on Malcom X's staff when he made that movie....hell no, because it would have not been realistic. So Clint is right on this one, as much as I love Spike, he may need to fall back just a little bit!
The only problem I have with this is that I've heard stories that blacks DID help raise that flag. Why couldn't he have included the black munitions platoon? They were there and did exist. It's like some of the Vietnam movies where they don't include any soldiers of color. Are they kidding me?
I'm glad he spoke out because Spike criticizes just about everything he's not involved in. He'd rather be doing silly films like School Daze and Jungle Fever.
So what. Hollywood always changing shhit around. Spike is right. Why didn't he?? Black people where there during the war so why didn't he put some in the movie?? Who said they had to be shown helping raise the flag??? The fact remains the same BLACKS were there so where are they in the movie??? White people always doing that shhiiit to us and other minorities. That's the bullshiot
I HAVE TO GIVE IT TO CLINT ON THIS ONE. I SEEN MANY MOVIES THAT CLINT EASTWOOD HAD PRODUCED AND HE HAS USED A GREAT DEAL OF BLACK ACTORS IN HIS MOVIES. SPIKE SHOULD SAY THINGS LIKE THAT TO DIRECTORS WHO DOES NOT USE BLACK ACTORS IN ANY OF THEIR MOVIES ITS NOT FAR WHAT SPIKE SAID THIS. i THINK HE IS BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.
(EAZY) BE GOOD!
Actually, there are many accounts in history where blacks played a role but never got the credit. Seriously speaking, some of us would not even know that a BLACK MAN was involved in the FIRST OPEN HEART SURGERY if "Something the Lord Made" never came out. And look how long it took the John Hopkins school to acknowledge that man!!!
My point is, we will never truly know how much blacks contributed to society in the past b/c history was written by those in power. Clint may be dipicting history as it was written, but the written documents MAY have been altered to only include whites. I respect Clint's opinion but I truly understand Spike.
focus
I'm glad he spoke out because Spike criticizes just about everything he's not involved in. He'd rather be doing silly films like School Daze and Jungle Fever. ------------------------------------------ Please dont diminish Spikes work. I know Spike always includes a weird part in his film but you cannot forget "He Got Game" "4 Little Girls" "Inside Man" "Malcolm X"
A lot of his movies have undertones in it that you should pay attention to. Re-watch the movies and see if you find something new.
@milw242 Flag post Clint is right and Spike is wrong. The number reason Spike talked about Clint is Spike has SMS so anything Clint does he is going to flap his gums. SMS=short man syndrome. ********************************************************
LMAO I just got rid of a MOFO with SMS. But he used to tear my ass up in the bed trying to prove something. So every women needs to try out a SMS!!!
That man can make his films the way he wants. I totally agree with Clint's comment about making the film about Charlie Parker. Why didn't Spike do it? As far as the black munitions unit they did not have anything to do with the flag raising and that's what the film was about. It would be very stupid to just throw them into the event just for the sake of inclusion. Let's grow up and be real "FOCUS".
@ Judas_Iscariot, you beat me to that point! lol
Spike is a bitter, angry little dwarf who will find a reason to hate on anyone and anything that is more successful than him. Maybe if he stopped doing bullshyt like Girl 6 and She Hate Me, he could do his own renditions of these historical stories...
The way I see it, if you dont like someone else's version of the story, then tell your own...But shut the hell up with the hatin'.
Clint Eastwood has a point.......the man is making HISTORICALLY ACCURATE BIOPICS....so back then....during WWII segregation was still around and the scene was dominated by whites.........Spike Lee is a famous director he should KNOW that.......you have to keep with the historical accuracy.....you can't make a film politcially correct when it is supposed to accurately depict a time in history
Besides when Clint made Million Dollar Baby....there was a sh*tload of black people............the motherf*cker had MORGAN FREEMAN IN THE MOVIE......HOW MUCH BLACK CAN YOU GET!
Lee is just made his New York Knicks are still a sh*tty a$$ team......hop on the bandwagon Spike root for those Celtics
Spike is cool and all but he is obviously looking for attention. He does black movies all the time with mostly all black casts. If a white person does some white movies with white casts, who complains. He gave Morgan Freeman a role in Million Dollar Baby and it won him a damn oscar. I don't recall any of his folks earning anybody black an oscar. Grow up Mookie!
I'm going to have to go with ol' Clint on this one. Spike criticized him without doing his research. And besides, that's like the pot calling the kettle black. You mean to tell me he ALWAYS got white people in his movies? HELL NAW! Why? Because white folks might not have had anything to do with the movie. Like School Daze. That was a historically black college and he had mostly--if not all--black people in it.
@PrettyBrownGirl85 Spike is speaking the truth. Clint is a whitie lover just like the rest of the people in the damn world. lol. o well
I disagree, Clint Eastwood could have easily written a movie about any "white" jazz musician. He is a big Charlie "Yardbird" Parker fan. If you would educate yourself more, maybe your argument would have more validity.
I was going side with Spike with this one, but now I'm not sure. All I know is that I'm all about having a movie that's ACTUALLY historically accurate, which is hard to get from Hollywood. So with retelling a historical event, if the event had 10 black/white/etc people, then the movie should have ten black/white/etc people. If there was 100, then the movie should have 100, and so on.
Everything is not a conspiracy theory...If Clint don't want to add black people to a movie that historically didnt have black people in it then what the big deal?? Dont nobody say anything to Spike when he makes white people look an azz in his movies so let the directors do their things and if you dont like it then DONT SEE THE MOVIE!!Duh!!
Esoteric & Judas, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with you two on that. It's true, Spike at times does not know when to STFU, and he does have that bitch ass Napoleon complex, but you can't deny that his movies are timeless. Malcolm X, Mo' Better Blues, Do The Right Thing (my personal favorite), Jungle Fever etc. are classic movies made for Black Cinema. His shyt outshines any other black filmmaker's productions in the recent years, especially that damned Tyler Perry and all these dance movies (but that's another subject).
But considering this feud he's having with Clint, he's foolish because he should already know that we are in a world where black achievements go largely unnoticed by white people. It's been that way for centuries, and will most likely continue to do so since we are the 'minority'.
What he really needs to do is stop his bitching and make new joints...I'm dying out here (That goes for you too Quentin Tarantino).
And he just recently donated money to fund us books at my high school. Brooklyn thanx ya Spike.
So, CE is "playing it the way I read it historically, and that's the way it is." Interestingly enough, most American History lessons tend to ignore the role of African Americans...Therefore CE is ignoring the role of African Americans if his frame of reference is the so called "the way he read it historically." ASSWIPE!
Spike shut the hell up. Always talkin out your neck about race. If you're not happy about our portrayl in Clint's movies or just movies period, do something about it. Make a black movie about WWII. Trying to keep your name in the press because you fell off with a hardness. Just like how you tried to sue Spike TV..come on now. Just because your name is Spike, you thought they owed you? Little chump ass. Clint is not prejudice. His wife is part black, he has had many black people in many of his movies. The pictures I've seen of the actual raising of the flag; the soliders are all white...so what? It's still an inspiring picture. You didn't have any major white actors in Malcom X, and after Malcom's pilgrimage he embraced all people and that was not reflected.
@ Antidumb, What the hell is a clitcher? Do you mean clincher!! It's funny when someone thinks they are so smart and profound but misspell basic words. Spike Lee has the right to criticize whoever he wants to. His track record from the 80s and 90s within Black cinema is unmatched. If Clint Eastwood and the rest of you do more research, you would realize the prominent role that Blacks have played in many American historical events.
And...Clint would be right. I saw the picture of american's raising the flag an historically there were no African American's holding the flag. America is not just Black and White like alot of black folk think. Other races weren't portrayed that much inf the film either. If we want to see ourselves depicted in historical movies then we are damn well capable of making them ourselves. Clint East wood is a great director and actor. Spike was being very trivial. Spike should make a movie on African American soldiers during war time if he's so concerned......It doesn't really matter because OOOOBBBBBBAMMMMMAAAA AA 08 IS WHAT'S IMPORTANT WE'VE COME A LONG WAY!
There may be other factors that led Spike Lee to speak on this, but the reality is, if he feels Clint is discriminating, what about any other director who has done the same?
Where was he when 'Friends' was on for ten freakin seasons and they only had two black people-not even extras- during its whole run?? If you're gonna criticize folks Spike, go balls out dammit!!
lol...
Clint never said there werent any african americans at Iwo Jima, but that they werent at the raising of the flag for the historic photo that came to symbolize the war. So the name of the movie is Flags of our Fathers and it was basically about that....so why would he change that?? To label him a racist because he followed the history is ridiculous!
Spike Lee, I love alot of your movies, but as far as historical facts are concerned, you changed some for the Malcolm X movie as well.....so your point is void.
You dont need these cheap shots, your a good director...just make good movies...Heres an idea, make one about the black soldiers that were at Iwo Jima???that would be great
Imma have to roll with Eastwood on this one. While I'm always pleased to see "us" depicted in historical flicks I'm not for just throwing us in for the sake of throwing us in. If this movie is about the flag raising then his movie is ACCURATE. What Spike needs to do is shut his azz up and tell the story he wants told.
I can't stand Spike Lee and I wish he would shut up too. He hasn't made a movie that I like yet. Does anyone question him when he only uses black actors in his movies? No, they applaud him. You do your thing Spike and let Clint do his. You just mad because Clint does his so much better. You need to shut up and pay attention, you might learn something small time.
Spike's time has passed. He had his chance and failed miserably. Now he passes his time taking digs at the truly talented movie makers. Fade into the background quietly trouble maker. Find a place on the Ink Spot and think about what you could do with the second half of your life. Nursing would be a good choice, there's a real shortage.
