From: sws8n@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Stefan William Sittig)
Subject: Re: I've got JUNGLE FEVER...She's got JUNGLE FEVER...
Keywords: We're in love...
Organization: University of Virginia
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1992 19:05:42 GMT

In article <1992Apr6.212409.6717@ms.uky.edu> nyberg@ms.uky.edu (Jack Nyberg) writes:
>   Hey forget about PRINCE OF TIDES and Barbra Steisand.  If you want to 
>talk about someone who is continually looked over, let's talk Spike...
>as in Spike Lee.  His JUNGLE FEVER was one of the more intelligent
>offerings this past year.  This comes as no surprise considering that all
>of his works are excellent (even School Daze which is underrated).
>
>   Why are they excellent?  Because they provoke thought and don't conclude
>with easy answers.  Also Mr. Lee is excellent with the camera and knows his
>stuff.
>
>   Mr. Lee came to the University of Kentucky two months ago to give a lecture.
>I came away feeling that most people, white and black, do not understand his
>movies.  My white friends went to the lecture with preconceived ideas that
>Mr. Lee hates "white women".  Whereas my black friends went to the lecture
>thinking that Mr. Lee could do no wrong and that he showed blacks in a postive
>light in his movies.
>
>   Well Mr. Lee seemed to me to be what I expected...An intelligent filmmaker.
>Unfortunately the audience wanted to pester him on the black/white thing.  I
>think that the fact that Mr. Lee may be the MOST TALENTED filmmaker of our
>time is continually overshadowed by the constant controversy of the subject
>matter of his films.  I think that Paeline Kael said it best when she credited
>Mr. Lee with a 'film sense' that tells him when a shot is right...It's
>something that you're born with...that can't be taught...and Spike has it.
>       
>   Whether you like Spike or not, his 'film sense' cannot be denied.  Whether
>he is an Oscar winner or ever will be is inconsequential, time is the true
>test for any work whether it be art, novels, or films.  In twenty years, will
>people remember PRINCE OF TIDES, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, or JUNGLE FEVER?  Maybe
>they will remember all three...but I like Spike's chances.
>
>
>                                                Jack
>

I agree with you that Spike Lee has been overlooked.  But i disagree that JUNGLEFEVER is his best work.  I found JUNGLE FEVER intersting, but poorly organized.
Lee tried to deal with to very important subjects in only one movie, the difficulty of different race relationships and the huge drug problem that affects our
country.  Well, I think Lee could have made TWO excellent movies out of all the
information he had.  The part of the storyline that involved the lovers was
quite good and the scene were all the women get together and rag on men(suppo
sedly this scene was 100% adlibs) was superior to anything I've ever scene in
his films and other films for that matter.  In the part of the script dealing
with the drug abuse, the scene in the crack house was classic and necessary.
I was soo happy that Lee showed the WASP what is really going on in America
today and needs to be stopped and remedied.  The scenes between the addict brother and his family were also good.  However, I consider DO THE RIGHT THING and
MO' BETTER BLUES two better movies than JUNGLE FEVER although they all have verycontemporary and intersting topics.        
					-Stefan