Spike Lee: My Spat With Eastwood May Have Cost Me Oscar

Spike Lee told King magazine that he fears his public war of words with Clint Eastwood may have cost him an Oscar nomination.

Earlier this year, at Cannes, Lee criticized Eastwood for not having African-Americans in Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima, Eastwood then said Lee should "shut his face" and Lee responded "we're not on a plantation."
Now Lee thinks the controversy that followed his remarks may have ruined his Academy Award chances for new movie "Miracle at St. Anna."

Lee tells King magazine:

"My wife Tonya told me I may have hurt my chances with the Clint Eastwood stuff... They (Oscar voters and Academy bosses) take everything into account with me. They take into account that I like the Knicks or that I'm in New York."

Lee is adamant the fact he's a Big Apple guy has cost him an Oscar Best Director nomination in the past: "If you did a survey, the bulk of the people who vote in the Academy are in Los Angeles. There's definite bias, considering that my films are typically New York-based." He's still upset that his Do The Right Thing movie wasn't even considered for an Oscar the year Driving Miss Daisy claimed Best Film.

He adds, "Nobody is watching motherfucking Driving Miss Daisy today. Do The Right Thing is being taught in classes at major universities and high schools all over the world. That's how you're supposed to test art. Does the work stand up?"

Comments

[bitabingbitabangbitaboom]

Make a movie about Joseph Zuma and you will win an Oscar

[awww]

shhh, you can't say stuff like that!!!

[JaneaneTheAcerbicGoblin]

Lee has a big mouth, and it's burned him again.

Malcolm X SHOULD have won the Oscar for both Spike's direction and Denzel's amazing performance, but Spike was involved in a heated public dustup when he accused Warner Brothers for being racists by insisting he shoot the Mecca scenes somewhere in America. Warners was naturally afraid of sending an American film crew to a region where Americans are not well liked, but Lee didn't look at it that way and called them racist. He screwed himself (and Denzel) out of the Oscar.

As for Lee's recent dustup over Eastwood, it's his own fault. Clint's two films (both of which are masterful) were released two years ago, and Clint had talked about the fact that there wasn't many black soldiers on Iwo Jima. Flags was about the three soldiers who raised the flag, and Letters was about Japanese soldiers. Lee thought he could get some publicity for his film by dissing Clint in public and using loaded words like "plantation", but it blew up in his face.

Clint is no racist, and has cast many black actors in his films for his entire career. His film Bird features a predominantly black cast, for example.

[notastinkinlib]

Poor Spike Lee, always a victim.

[TheSecularist]

Poor Clint, so full of himself to claim indignation when Spike Lee was correct. Eastwood left out the black(s) who had been there and died at Iwo Jima. As with school textbooks, minorities are usually left out of the re-telling of American history. So much so the poorly-read majority is totally ignorant of real history..

[parkerfly38]

I'm sorry, my late great-uncle was at Iwo Jima, and in the specific story that was told, there were no African Americans present. No one said there was no black presence at Iwo Jima. The movie plainly detailed the struggle of the Native American character, who's culture arguably had it worse than blacks. Do we have to modify a story simply for the sake of inclusion?

What I don't understand that if Spike Lee is so concerned about the historic depiction of black soldiers during World War II, why use a fictional account of the 92nd Division, as opposed to the very real story of their heroics? Why not make a movie about the 555, the all-black paratrooper unit that helped pioneer the use of parachuting in forest fire fighting?

Spike Lee has made some good movies, but Eastwood's reaction to Lee's complaints were totally appropriate.

[awww]

Spike Lee - Calls it like he sees it.

Clint Eastwood - Calls it like he sees it.

Both of them make incredible movies.

Most mainstream americans do not get Spike Lee movies. He is right though in his claim that his work stands up.

Clint makes movies that mainstream americans GET... and they also tend to fully showcase the greatness of white america. Nothing wrong with that at all..

Clint was wrong to not include african americans in the films Flags of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima - I know for a fact that there were African Americans serving in WWII and serving in the South Pacific. My grandfather was one of them and I have the paperwork and the medals to prove it. Maybe there were none who raised the flag, but that could have also been propaganda - it may have not been cool to photograph any negros at the time...

It appears to me that most people who use the term RACE CARD simply do not get it and never will. Its not a bad thing, it just shows to me that they have no sense of recent historical facts and attitudes that consistently do things like downplay or minimize any achievements or accomplishments of African Americans or other minorities in this country.... How many people realize that you can watch a majority of television or movies all day and only see token minorities at best unless you are watching sports or music videos.

[Puzzles]

Spike Lee proves that Phil Gramm was partially right. Some Americans are whiners. Isn't it interesting when it is the rich famous ones who think they are not getting their due.

[groucho]

I thought his New Orleans movie was the best he's done. But it still doesn't matter, they aren't going to rebuild it, it'll just be another disneyland

[RepugsOut08]

I believe both Spike and Denzel Washington were robbed the year X came out. That was a great film, and Denzel should have easily taken best actor.
A great film in the Hollywood tradition, about one of the most amazing life transformations in history. I read the book by Alex Haley first, and the movie adaptation was wonderful.
I'm not surprized Hollywood didn't appreciate "Do The Right Thing," as they have a habit of missing groundbreaking films, but ignoring X was Hollywood dissing Spike. No doubt about it.

[theseeker88]

Could it be that most of the movies Spike make are NOT worthy of Oscar consideration, and really has nothing to do with Lee's race?

Even though Lee likes to use this as an excuse for every slight, or unrequited goal, I don't think this is the case as often as he hopes it would be. After all, a studio bought Bamboozled, right?

His newest movie looks like a must see. I hope it makes the poor man a few needed dollars, and he gets the attention he so desperately craves.....

[gaebolgaes]

i am quite sure that if spike did a remake of " gone with the wind" or any other film that shows blacks in a menial subservient way that his oscar chances would be good. spike is a genius..simply put. the problem is that whites never see the grinning devil when they look in a mirror...they only see an angel sent by god.i am almost certain that if the nazis had not been put on trial at nurnburg and called out for crimes against humanity for baking jews in ovens..that they would still be bad mouthing the jews.wnen the annukai land and put whites on trial for murdering the native americans and enslaving and persecuting blacks...they too will shut up.

[TheSecularist]

No, it could not. Spike Lee is a great filmmaker. Film awards are based as much on who likes the director/actor as much as, perhaps even more than, on merits. Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, and others are capable of making films that would appeal to foreign audiences (who seem to have deeper tastes). Eastwood makes entertaining films, but most are just the usual big budget Hollywood pablum with the usual cliche-ridden story lines.

[Yermammy]

Sure is a lot of haters on this blog. Idiot America. No? One word proof. Bush.

[Adrienne Williams - Huffpost Blogger]

This is just sad Lee, can we focus on Obama/Biden and who is going to rule our country -- I could care less about your ego! Move on, Clint is an excellent director. This is worse than Lipstick!

[aubrey8]

Adrienne rocks....

[newwordorder]

Thank you Adrienne!

[LeeScho]

"Clint is an excellent director."

And so, by implication, Spike is not? Did you really mean to declare your bias with that?

When a woman confronts her boss about equal pay for equal work or being recognized for a job well done, let us hope that her boss does not respond with: " . . .can we focus on Obama/Biden and who is going to rule our country -- I could care less about your ego! Move on,"

[TheSecularist]

Spike Lee is a better director than Eastwood. His story lines are deeper and more creative than Eastwood's (usually) big-budget cliches.

[parkerfly38]

Are they really deeper? Or do they appeal to a specific audience? Lee has made great movies, but to compare Eastwood and Lee does both a disservice. Both come from different generations and subcultures and that's well reflected in their filmmaking.

[Bitsko]

The movie isn't even out and he's blaming Clint for what? Because his wife said what?

I love ya, Spike, but you're overdoing this one.

[aedelbert]

Spike: Care about art or care about Oscar. And on your own time.

[BigLib]

Crappy movies are what keep him from winning an Oscar.

[iblis]

Spike Lee is trying to finagle an Oscar by playing the race card, the guilt card and "they hate New Yorkers" card!

[hilaritee]

race is not a card...it is a social construct. do not diminish it because it is usually present in people's choices, opinions and attitudes.

[MadOzbo]

The people who use it to blame for every perceived light in their lives are the ones who diminish it.

They jump on the "I'm a victim of racism" bus at any opportunity, and throw the accusation down "Like a card" when one is playing poker.

The term "Race Card" is VERY appropos, and sadly VERY often used, particularly by those in the public eye.

Shame on you, Spike Lee. You don't deserve an Oscar because regardless the popularity of the topic ("Do the Right Thing"), your skills as a filmmaker are subpar.

[MadOzbo]

*perceived SLIGHT in their lives...

[firelord5000]

Spike Lee is a clown with no dignity. Him getting an Oscar NOMINATION is less likely then our sun suddenly turning into a massive blackhole, and consume all the mini blackholes from Hadon Colider and eat us all alive!