SPIKE LEE INSPIRED BY CHILDREN TO PRODUCE NEW FILM
Spike Lee is once again thinking outside of the box in his new film, Red Hook Summer. Financed by the director himself, the movie explores teenage life from an African-American standpoint. Lee’s film also sheds light on family and the African-American church in the community.
When asked about his motivation to create and finance the film, Lee said, “We didn’t begin thinking it would be a film about the black church. In conversations with different people like James McBride (author of The Color of Water), we were always talking about our teenage kids and what they were like and what they were doing. Then we’d talk about not seeing teenage kids like ours on the big screen. That’s where Red Hook came from and that’s why I was OK paying for it to make sure it was released.”
Although he enjoyed watching coming of age films that focus on struggles that adolescents must endure, Lee did not believe that such productions were good representations of the way that African-American teens like his son and daughter carry out everyday living. “Yes. I love those films by Rob Reiner about teenagers like Stand by Me. Those were great films about being teenagers, but there weren’t ever films about black teenagers like that and I asked myself why. I kept thinking where are those films that show black teenagers like my kids, James’s kids, and others’ kids who aren’t gangstas, thugs, or whatever” said Lee.
The director adds, “Kids that are just teenagers living life and not in trouble. With the exception of Jada and Will’s (Smith) kids, where do you see regular black kids like that in media? You don’t. But they do exist and so Red Hook is about a few of those kids. Then we had to add layers and that’s where the black church came into play.”
Spike Lee and wife Tonya are parents to daughter Satchel,17, and son Jackson,15.
8 Comments to “SPIKE LEE INSPIRED BY CHILDREN TO PRODUCE NEW FILM”
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The only movie I can think of that showed black teenagers that weren’t gangsters and good kids were in the movie “Cooley High.” ;o)
Why hadn’t my earlier comment been posted? I said nothing obscene or offensive. Just agreed with Spike that different black kids need to be represented. It’s the truth.
Good job Mr Lee! Always continuing his plight to show positive images of our people! Love it!
Spike Lee is a nincompoop. I lost respect for him after he started flapping his chops about Tyler Perry and from a Knicks bench at that. -__-
So he can’t have an opinion about Tyler Perry? He must immediately like TP because he’s another black producer? I like TP & I enjoy some of his movies, the ones without Madea. Madea is funny, but not necessary in every movie. I do respect your opinion, but I also respect Spike’s as well.
He doesn’t have to like TP. I agree with some of his comments regarding the buffoonery in TP movies. However, I wish he didn’t make it his personal mission to bash Tyler. There’s room for both of them in the movie industry, and enough obstacles to overcome without us having this crab in a barrel mentality! But I do hope that TP starts using his popularity/power to create movies with more depth and substance.
SL is simply stating his dislike to the person who has ‘replaced’ him. Just like Lil Kim did to Nicki Minaj. It’s to be expected really & not taken too personal in my opinion.
Interesting. I can agree with Mr. Lee because I haven’t heard of any films that represent the black kids not in gangs or just not with that “thuggish” attitude. Mainstream and not independent at least. Kids that don’t have “swag”. LOL What about the black kids who aren’t into all that? Oh, Spike Lee has answered us! Tired of black people being stereotyped and all of us being thought to have only a few characteristics.
We are individuals who make up a very large group.