Spike Lee delivers a haymaker at Cannes
‘Blackkklansman’ a furious statement on race in America
CANNES, France — Spike Lee is holding court on the sunbaked rooftop terrace of the Cannes Film Festival hub, the Palais des Festivals, doing his best Peter O’toole impression.
A passionate cinephile,
Lee likes to punctuate his points with movie references or classic stand-up lines or sports metaphors. When it’s suggested to him that his furious statement on race in Donald Trump’s America, “Blackkklansman,” has rocked Cannes like nothing else at this year’s festival, he smiles.
“Did you ever see one of the greatest films that was ever made? David Lean’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ ” Lee says before raising his voice to a sonorous battle cry.
“Taaaaaake nooooo prisoners!”
For even a filmmaker who has seldom pulled puncheswhenitcomes to straight talking — what he would call “da truth, Ruth” — “Blackkklansman” is a haymaker. The film, which is in competition for Cannes’ Palme d’or, is the true-life tale of AfricanAmerican police detective Ron Stallworth (played in the film by John David Washington, son of Denzel), who in 1979 infiltrated a Colorado Springs, Colorado, cell of the Ku Klux Klan.
Introduced to the project by producer Jordan Peele (“Get Out”), Lee made whatheknewwouldbe a commentary on race in America. Then, during a summer weekend in Martha’s Vineyard, he saw his film run directly uptopresentday.onthe TV was news of the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent in clashes with counter-protesters. Anti-racism activist Heather Heyerwasrunoverand killed.
Former KKK leader
David Duke, who’s played by Topher Grace in “Blackkklansman,” was part of the rally.
After it, President Donald Trump blamed “both sides” for the violence.
For Lee, it was a “defining moment” for Trump and the United States. (In a press conference in Cannesontuesday,he blasted the president in a passionate, expletive-filled monologue.)
Lee decided to end “Blackkklansman”with footage from Charlottesville (he sought and received permission from Heyer’s mother) and of Trump’s speech. The film concludes with the image of an upsidedown black-and-white American flag.
“Those terrorist groups wrote themselves into the film,” Lee says. “The real-life David Duke wrote himself into the film. The president of the United States wrote himself into the film. They gave us an ending we’re not good enough to write.”
Focus Features will release the film in August on the anniversary of the Charlottesville incident.
“Take the past and make it present was the real approach Spike and Iwantedtotakewithit,” co-writer Kevin Willmott says. “And unfortunately, theeventsoftodayjust presented themselves. They’ve taken the past and brought it back to the present.”
Many in the cast were surprised by the film’s unscriptedconclusion. Asked when he found out, Washington says: Take the past and make it present was the real approach Spike and I wanted totakewithit.and unfortunately, the events of today just presented themselves. They’ve taken the past and brought it back to the present.