Todd McGowan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038143
- eISBN:
- 9780252095405
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038143.003.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter analyzes the films of Spike Lee. Lee's films employ types of excess such as unconventional shots, extreme characters, and improbable scenes to intervene in critical issues that trouble ...
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This chapter analyzes the films of Spike Lee. Lee's films employ types of excess such as unconventional shots, extreme characters, and improbable scenes to intervene in critical issues that trouble the contemporary world—the question of the subject's singularity, the role that fantasy plays in structuring our reality, the political impact of passion, the power of paranoia in shaping social relations, the damage that the insistence on community inflicts, the problem of transcendence, and the struggles of the spectator. Above all, Lee is known for being a political filmmaker and the concept of excess holds the key to understanding the politics of his films. Excess has enabled Lee to create a varied corpus of films that treat a broad spectrum of fundamental social and political problems. These films include She's Gotta Have It (1986), Do the Right Thing (1989), Jungle Fever (1991), and Malcolm X (1992).Less
This chapter analyzes the films of Spike Lee. Lee's films employ types of excess such as unconventional shots, extreme characters, and improbable scenes to intervene in critical issues that trouble the contemporary world—the question of the subject's singularity, the role that fantasy plays in structuring our reality, the political impact of passion, the power of paranoia in shaping social relations, the damage that the insistence on community inflicts, the problem of transcendence, and the struggles of the spectator. Above all, Lee is known for being a political filmmaker and the concept of excess holds the key to understanding the politics of his films. Excess has enabled Lee to create a varied corpus of films that treat a broad spectrum of fundamental social and political problems. These films include She's Gotta Have It (1986), Do the Right Thing (1989), Jungle Fever (1991), and Malcolm X (1992).
Jeff Menne
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038822
- eISBN:
- 9780252096785
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038822.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
Acclaimed as one of the most influential and innovative American directors, Francis Ford Coppola is also lionized as a maverick auteur at war with Hollywood's power structure and an ardent critic of ...
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Acclaimed as one of the most influential and innovative American directors, Francis Ford Coppola is also lionized as a maverick auteur at war with Hollywood's power structure and an ardent critic of the postindustrial corporate America it reflects. However, this book argues that Coppola exemplifies the new breed of creative corporate person and sees the director's oeuvre as vital for reimagining the corporation in the transformation of Hollywood. Reading auteur theory as the new American business theory, the book reveals how Coppola's vision of a new kind of company has transformed the worker into a liberated and well-utilized artist, but has also commodified individual creativity at a level unprecedented in corporate history. Coppola negotiated the contradictory roles of shrewd businessman and creative artist by recognizing the two roles are fused in a postindustrial economy. Analyzing films like The Godfather (1972) and the overlooked Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) through Coppola's use of opera, the book illustrates how Coppola developed a defining musical aesthetic while making films that reflected the idea of a corporation as family—and how his studio, American Zoetrope, came to represent a new brand of auteurism and the model for post-Fordist Hollywood.Less
Acclaimed as one of the most influential and innovative American directors, Francis Ford Coppola is also lionized as a maverick auteur at war with Hollywood's power structure and an ardent critic of the postindustrial corporate America it reflects. However, this book argues that Coppola exemplifies the new breed of creative corporate person and sees the director's oeuvre as vital for reimagining the corporation in the transformation of Hollywood. Reading auteur theory as the new American business theory, the book reveals how Coppola's vision of a new kind of company has transformed the worker into a liberated and well-utilized artist, but has also commodified individual creativity at a level unprecedented in corporate history. Coppola negotiated the contradictory roles of shrewd businessman and creative artist by recognizing the two roles are fused in a postindustrial economy. Analyzing films like The Godfather (1972) and the overlooked Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988) through Coppola's use of opera, the book illustrates how Coppola developed a defining musical aesthetic while making films that reflected the idea of a corporation as family—and how his studio, American Zoetrope, came to represent a new brand of auteurism and the model for post-Fordist Hollywood.
Todd McGowan
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038143
- eISBN:
- 9780252095405
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038143.003.0002
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter presents an interview with Spike Lee. Topics covered include what he thinks about the love/hate relationship between Italian Americans and black Americans in the 1970s and 1980s; whether ...
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This chapter presents an interview with Spike Lee. Topics covered include what he thinks about the love/hate relationship between Italian Americans and black Americans in the 1970s and 1980s; whether he feels that he played a part in helping create images of black male leadership and strength; whether he thinks that Miracle at St. Anna's (2009) “look” at World War II's atrocities helps provide a window into seeing how far people can take violence and cruelty past the edge of reason; what the thinks about the fact that some of his best films have been overlooked by the Oscars; his use of multiracial production teams; and his film projects.Less
This chapter presents an interview with Spike Lee. Topics covered include what he thinks about the love/hate relationship between Italian Americans and black Americans in the 1970s and 1980s; whether he feels that he played a part in helping create images of black male leadership and strength; whether he thinks that Miracle at St. Anna's (2009) “look” at World War II's atrocities helps provide a window into seeing how far people can take violence and cruelty past the edge of reason; what the thinks about the fact that some of his best films have been overlooked by the Oscars; his use of multiracial production teams; and his film projects.
