Spike Lee fetes King of Pop in doc
Director’s new project centres on Jackson’s journey and genius
Malcolm X was clearly a natural for Spike Lee to bring to the screen. But Michael Jackson? Perhaps not so obvious to some, but it makes perfect sense for those who have followed the arc of Lee’s career.
Both Malcolm X and Jackson were African-American icons who made major impacts in their chosen paths, who constantly had to contend with racism (albeit on dramatically different levels and stages) and whose lives ended in tragedy.
Lee brings his latest, the documentary Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall, to Canada at the Montreal International Black Film Festival next week.
Michael Jackson’s Journey, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, could almost be construed as a prequel to the director’s 2012 doc Bad 25, which marked the 25th anniversary of the Jackson disc Bad.
But as the title to the new doc suggests, this one goes back to the King of Pop’s beginnings in 1965, when he was but a more innocent Prince of Pop, singing/strutting along with his brothers as The Jackson 5.
Through vintage interview and concert footage, the film follows Jackson through the split from Motown to his groundbreaking 1979 solo disc, Off the Wall.
Like much of Lee’s work, this one is illuminating, often provocative and unfailingly entertaining. There is one particularly telling scene, outside the period chronicled, during a 1981 concert, in which Jackson tells the crowd he doesn’t want to do any more “old stuff” because it’s, well, “old” — and so, too, are his brothers. Despite the crowd’s clamouring for past hits, Jackson announces he prefers to do new stuff. Nonetheless, he acquiesces to their demands, but for the benefit of the crowd — and not his brothers. Talk about foreshadowing.
Lee has selected interview footage from an incredibly vast and rather eclectic bunch: Berry Gordy Jr., Brooke Shields, Diana Ross, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Quincy Jones, Sammy Davis Jr., Sidney Lumet and Kobe Bryant. As to what might have triggered Lee’s fascination with Jackson, perhaps this testimony from Lumet — who directed him in the smash 1978 musical The Wiz — might offer insight: “Michael may be the purest talent I’ve ever seen. He’s incapable of a false moment.”
Or this nugget from basketball great Bryant: “It’s easy for people to get sidetracked. They talk about his complexion. They don’t focus on what this man was.”
True. Jackson, who died seven years ago, was a perfectionist, and he created some of the most memorable music and dance in the last half-century.
Perhaps this doc will be a reminder for those more familiar with his later-life slide, when Jackson became vilified by many.
Lee also offers another explanation for his interest in Jackson.
“He was born in ’58; I was born in ’57,” Lee says in an interview. “We’re from the same era. And I’m a big Michael Jackson fan, and this latest is another part of his story.”
But Lee concedes his goal was also to help dispel the more negative images associated with Jackson in his later years.
“When you’re one of the biggest ever, that’s going to happen. That was one of the chief reasons I did this. I wanted to focus on Michael Jackson’s genius, his humanity, his craft, his singing, his dancing … ”
Lee has gone into areas, particularly on the racial and political fronts, where few filmmakers have delved.
He is also unpredictable.
“I have to keep myself alert,” says Lee, whose next project is a 10-part Netflix series based on his first film, She’s Gotta Have It.
“If I keep on doing the same thing again, it will be boring.”