Essay On Spike Lee

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Spike Lee is a filmmaker who has generated numerous controversial films that unapologetically bring delicate social issuest o the media forefront. He honestly portrays life's societal obstacles. He challenges the public to cogitate on the world's glitches and disunion. Spike Lee created a name for himself with films such as Do the Right Thing (1989) and Malcolm X (1992), and with documentaries such as 4 Little Girls (1997) and When the Levees Broke (2006). Lee’s goal was to portray African Americans in a more accurate light. Even today Lee still produces films that directly address modern society's most significant historical movements and episodes. His productions analyze themes of race and discrimination. His work can be analyzed in academic …show more content…

In the African-American community, this traditionally played out via the paper bag test. Those lighter than the standard paper lunch bag were allowed entry into fraternities, sororities and other realms of black upper class life, while dark-skinned blacks were excluded. The Spike Lee film “School Daze” is an exploration of colorism. <http://racerelations.about.com...definitionofcolorism.htm>.
Lee has used his work in order to provide a visual explanation and bring to the forefront the self-discrimination that our modern society has continued to draw upon ourselves. Through his movies, he can provide an avenue for individuals to see that we are all one race despite our skin tones. I have been looked down upon because I am of a darker complexion. Nicknames and even judgments have been passed simply because of my tone. Many people just do it unconsciously and do not think about the consequences this puts on society and its ability to advance simply based off lack of …show more content…

Bringing matters like urban crime, poverty, and political issues to the light promotes awareness. The release of Mo' Better Blues, resulted in the Anti-Defamation League and numerous film critics accusing Lee of anti-Semitism. They criticized the characters of the club owners Josh and Moe Flatbush, described as "Shylocks". Lee explained that he created those characters in order to depict how black artists struggled against exploitation. The children killed in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 promoted the 1997 documentary 4 Little Girls. This documentary as nominated for the Best Feature Documentary Academy Award. It showed the world the actual crimes and events that were happening in society that otherwise would have been overlooked after the initial shock. The moral, values and importance of these events being spread by mass communication can lead to awareness and hopefully avoidance of familiar events in the

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