Spike Lee has a point

Spike Lee, director of the upcoming ‘Inside Man’, has spoken up about the acceptance speech of George Clooney at this years Academy Awards. Clooney took the trophy for Best Supporting Actor, then used his time on stage to congratulate Hollywood for its liberal values and progressive thinking, citing Hattie McDaniel’s win as Best Supporting Actress in 1939 as proof. But Spike questions whether or not that role was really such a great example:

“To use that as an example of how progressive Hollywood is is ridiculous. Hattie McDaniel played Mammy in Gone With the Wind. That film was basically saying that the wrong side won the Civil War and that black people should still be enslaved. C’mon! I like George a lot. I’m not hating on him. But I don’t think he really thought it out. How many years was it between Hattie McDaniel and Halle Berry (winning an acting Oscar)? Sixty-some-odd? C’mon!”

TV dramas have taught me that black people are either doctors, judges or police captains, so movies endorsing such an offensive stereotype in 1939 actually seems pretty condescending. It probably made things much much worse, and really makes Hollywood look pretty bad. Especially since Hattie beat out an Italian actress whose role was to throw pizza dough in the air and say “why you breaka you mamas heart!”


posted by Brendon, 3:33 AM, Source = Contact Music