Spike Lee’s Cinematic Eye

With Miracle at St. Anna, writer-director makes his mark on war dramas

by Douglas Polisin | Published September 25, 2008

It’s been over 20 years since his directorial debut marked a dramatic shift in American moviemaking—proving that cinema should no longer be defined by older white directors and that movies about the black experience could be just as successful as any other. And while he has stretched his cinematic eye with movies that go beyond the racial depictions he is known for, Spike Lee has never lost the two things that make him an innovative and successful moviemaker: His voice and style.

From the start, Lee’s movies were about breaking barriers and saying the things no one was brave enough to say. Through his production company, 40 Acres & A Mule, he’s examined racism and race from many different standpoints—tackling racial tensions in Jungle Fever and feelings of black pride in School Daze. Often pigeonholed into dealing with these topics, it is forgotten that Lee is more concerned with morality than skin color. All of his movies, from Summer of Sam and 25th Hour to his foray into documentaries with 4 Little Girls and When the Levees Broke, deal with issues of right and wrong, depicting the essence of what it means to be human, not just of a race.

Lee’s most recent effort, Miracle at St. Anna, is no exception. It is one of the most anticipated movies of the fall—an answer to the white man’s club that he shattered so long ago. Here, MM provides you with a quick refresher course on the moviemaker’s essential joints before you head out to see his latest.

She’s Gotta Have It (1986)
Lee’s first feature made him a familiar name and gave African Americans a realistic face in film. Made in 12 days, on a budget of $175,000, the movie went on to gross over $7 million at the box office. The story of a strong and independent black woman named Nola who juggles three different men provided the backdrop for a revolution in moviemaking. Just as Nola was liberated sexually, playing against the stereotype of her femininity, She’s Gotta Have It marks Lee’s liberation from a monochromatic Hollywood. The Cannes Film Festival took note, awarding the writer-director with the 1986 Award of the Youth.

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