Spike Lee Says BlacKkKlansman Is On The Right Side Of History, Criticizes Hollywood For Dehumanizing Minorities
Spike Lee Says BlacKkKlansman Is On The Right Side Of History, Criticizes Hollywood Dehumanizing Minorities
Spike Lee feels very confident about BlacKkKlansman, the 1970’s based film starring John David Washington as Ron Stallworth, the first black member of the Colorado Springs police department by phone. After 16 years, Lee premiered the film at Cannes last May. It was met with good reception, earning a six-minute standing ovation from the audience and winning the second place prize.
“I don’t care what the critics say or anybody else, but we are on the right side of history with this film.”
Spike Lee is prepared for some people to not “get” what BlacKkKlansman is all about. He tells GQ:
“A lot of my films people didn’t get when they came out. They didn’t get 25th Hour. Now people love that film.”
Spike Lee also criticized Hollywood for dehumanizing minorities, using Gone With The Wind as an example.
“It’s not Gone with the Wind. It’s growing up and watching motherfucking cowboy movies where Native Americans look like savages. I’m gonna say what I’ve said before: These bullshit John Ford, John Wayne movies are lies. They’re lying on the humanity of Native Americans. That’s been the history. Not the whole history, but a large part of the history of Hollywood—to dehumanize people, whether we’re black, Hispanic, gay, whatever.”
BlacKkKlansman hits theaters on August 10.