Earlier this week, word got around that Spike Lee snapped off on Chris Rock for asking a question about working with movie executives during a Sundance Film Festival Q&A session, following the screening of Lee’s latest film, Red Hook Summer.
Toward the end of the 20-minute session, Rock simply asked, “What would you had done differently if you had actually gotten a bunch of studio money? I just want to know.” Spike Lee immediately responded to the question and couldn’t help but raise his voice and blurt out profanity while expressing his frustration with waiting on major film companies:
“We never went to the studios with this film. I told you. I bought a camera and we said we’re gonna do this motherf***ing film ourselves. We weren’t going to go to the studios. The plan was to make the film, bring it to Sundance – I didn’t need a motherf***ing studio telling me something about Red Hook! They know nothing about black people. Nothing. And they’re gonna give me notes about what a young 13-year-old black boy and girl do in ‘Red Hook’? F**k no!”
So we made the film ourselves so we wouldn’t have any notes, because we feel there’s a motherf***ing audience for this film – excuse my profanity, my wife is looking at me like I’m crazy – but I don’t know what else we can do. We had to do it ourselves. We shot motherf***ing ‘She’s Gotta Have It’ in twelve days back in 1986. And when I was waiting for Universal [Pictures] to do the sequel to ‘Inside Man,’ my biggest endeavor, I couldn’t wait any longer! We had to do it ourselves! [...] Can we have more questions for the kids? Imma get off the stage. Please. Sorry for that motherf**king tyrant.
Like George Lucas, Lee ended up made the film with his own time, money, cast and crew. Now THAT’s what you call passion for the art! So much for everyone making it more dramatic that it really was. Peep the entire clip below. His rant starts after the 15:15 mark.
Spike kept it gully! Kudos!
so unapologetic. YUSS!
Wow Spike Lee, was having a break down …he need’s a , Long , LONG, LONG vacation FAST . That was a ( nervous breakdown ) .
I definitely don’t interpret Spike Lee’s response to Chris Rock’s question about studio funding as Spike having “snapped off”. I’ve personally been in attendance at events where Lee has given live presentations like this before, and he always speaks passionately (and sometimes/somewhat irreverently) about his works and the Black community. He’s just a passionate, driven individual who doesn’t mince his works and I respect him for that. Being in the film industry as long as he has and overcoming the ostracism he faces for portraying the realities and beauty of the lives of communities of Color on film gives him a particular paradigm and vantage point from which he views the creative process and all the bureaucracy that goes with having one’s work produced and received by the masses. I think he was just speaking form a place of pride mixed with agitation at the system that works against the expression of his artistry at times.
Agreed. He needs to tone it down though.
agreed – and he was on point.
He is a rebel with a cause. I appreciate his candor.
@LULU – Why does he need to tone it down? If you have a problem with his tone, maybe you’re of the ilk he’s speaking about.
I don’t think he really went off on Chris, but more at the situation and he’s been through hell with the studios.
Agreed. The title is misleading.
AGREED!
It Newt can go off at the press and win South Carolina. Lee can speak about his passion.
go on spike. tell’em. and heeeey….that’s lester freeman from The Wire!
@ Leeshalu ,I am over THAT LIE and Bull . He could have shown some kind of ( parental control & restrain ) Their was young kids up their . His mouth need’s A restraining order and order of CONTROL , the YOUNG kids on stage and anyone with a preschool education can see , he is out of CONTROL .
Our young people have become unorganized, revolutionary, radical thugs. … The I don’t care syndrome is prevented and reversed by simply talking to our young people, by showing our young people, the people who made a …
Each day we are faced with decisions… what to do with our lives? To whom should we give our control ? As young ppl, the road ahead seems so distant. they want what is in front of them and what they hear and SEE !!! what THEY can grab right now . and their blindness to the possible future outside our immediate situation perpetuates their lack of vision to the endless possibilities that await them . YOUNG PPL CAN NOT REACT LIKE THAT , JUST BECAUSE THEIR EXCITED OR PASSIONATE .
Being faced with a life sentence more times than not anchors our arrogance to pause long enough to use our own thoughts. We begin to ask our selves, “Is that what I really want – a reputation as a down, solid-vato homeboy/homegirl”? Granted some of us come from what is called a broken home – abusing parents/family, foster care workers, etc. Abuse in all its forms can destroy our foundation. But along the way have we not asked ourselves, “Is this the life I want – a throw-away person. An outcast, an outsider who has lost all form of human reason and decency, someone who acts out of anger, someone who has no control over him/herself, a person who will only keep losing control whether inside jail or outside, always under the supervision of some guard, police, probation officer, parole officer, correction officer, etc.”?
So, to whom do we owe our loyalty? Where do we draw the line between what’s going to benefit us to create a life with real meaning or a life spent completely without control
He got straight to the point. I liked his response.
Spike Lee is the MAN! Love him and his craft!
I understand Spike Lee frustration. As for Chris Rock – he’s just an Actor that doesn’t even know what it takes to be a producer. Hes just picked in for filling a role. Bottom line is; Spike Lee movies don’t sell and Spike has a hard tine accepting it. His movies never was really blockbuster’s back in the day, it was just nice seeing black on screen. Red Tails sold off hype it will struggle domestically to achleve its budget.
…Chris Rock has produced (And directed) numerous things from Movies to Television…What are you talking about?
When black movies sell don’t think Hollywood will ignore it. They’re the first ones to capitalize off it. That’s why Tyler Perry brand is seeing lucrative exposure. Let it not been for Hollywood Madea wouldn’t even be a movie star.
Why is Spike lee looking like Mr. burns was hsi abck allways like that.
Spike definitely has a point, but there is a level appropriateness for the audience. He’s an artist and should know that. If he does what he loves because he loves it, then to hell with the studios. Or is it that he’s bitter because his movies are not blockbuster hits? Be your own person and make a way (like Tyler Perry), change what you can, bump what you can’t and know the difference. He’s super talented but I can see him being extremely difficult to work with…studios probably don’t want to be bothered with his a**. Less time crying, more time putting out work on his own like Red Hook.
Feel he like he need to add this to anew episode of Everybody Hates Chris one day lol
I can see Chris Rock smart ass , doing this to show ppl howE out of control he is , PPL BE REAL HE’S OUT OF CONTROL AND LOT’S OF PPL see him as a JOKE ! i’m over His Crap .
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