This is gonna be a winner for Spike...it's got some IR. Peep the trailer: http://miracleatstanna.movies.go.com/ The Kid Rasta 8)
I remember him talking about getting funding for it during that "Black in America" documentary. It seems white Hollywood, as usual, has no interest in telling all the true stories of war over there. It should do alright. By the way Kid, Spike tries to put a little IR in just about all of his movies, like a black man should.
I like war movies that sheds light on african-americans.. especially ones covering world war 2 or korea... The lore behind the Tuskegee Airman for me, still ranks up there with the best of them.. they were really good pilots and if you know anything about dogfighting, with a world war 2 era plane (no radar for beyond visual range engagements, no heat-seaking missiles, easier to send into a stall), you"ll respect those kats and what they've accomplished (african-americans/blacks were supposed to be inferior in intellect versus whites, so how in the hell would we be able to engage the German Luftwaffe in the skies, let alone get the plane off the ground), even more. I like the scene from the movie "Hart's War," were Terrence Howard plays a captured ww2 pilot. He's constantly rediculed by his fellow "brothers in arms" (who were white) within the prison camp. One fellow POW even says that America must be losing the war, if they needed black aviators. Later on, a ruckus starts to formulate outside their barracks; an air raid of the sort. The guys look up in the skies as a smoking bomber streaks across the camp, followed by a p51 mustang (handsdown one of the best american fighter planes of the war, period) that's kicking the ass out of a german fighter plane. Terrence Howard goes on to proclaim that the pilot of that plane, was a black man. Of course, the white guys thought he was full of shit (because we're inferior, or so they thought). At this point, Terrence proudly informs the guys that the markings on the tail of the plane, were the markings of the negro pilots from Tuskegee. seriously tho...ww2 aviation was a very mental activity. all of the aerial combat was close range and required a pilot to know just as much about the enemy plane he was engaging, as he would of his very own. He had to know the enemy's speed capabilities, climb rate, dive rate, weapons package, turn rates, and so on. He had to know all of this information, and compare it with the characteristics of his own plane, and come away with a tactical outlook, that would enable him to gain the edge over the enemy and prevent himself from making any mistakes that would give his enemy that edge. sorta like a jiu-jitsu match
aight.. i just watched the trailer.. I haven't read the book yet, so I don't know the relation between Hector Negron (what a name, eh lol) and the white guy he popped, in the beginning of the trailer. it looks like a pretty interesting movie tho.. I like Spike Lee joints, even if the IR does turn out badly for the deuce. I also like war world 2 movies, so i'm sold.
POJ, had you read the book "Last of the Conquerors" by William Gardner Smith? It is about a Black soldiers stationed in Germany after the war ended. It has a IR and I enjoyed reading it. Hope you can get a copy soon. I love stories of Black soldiers in Europe during WWI and II. There was a scene in Roots II where during the celbration of the ending of WWI where a French woman sat on a Black soldiers' lap. Another scene in the movie "Yanks" starring Richard Gere of a fight started by the White US soldiers of Blacks dancing with British women. Oh yes don't forget the HBO movie "The Affair".
Purchased the book a few years ago. Its pretty good but not great. But in a two hour or so format there is enough there to make a great motion picture. So lets hope Spike put as much effort , every ounce of sweat, into making this into the best possible film he could as he did in picking fight in the media with Eastwood and the Coen Brothers. Its not that I disagree with all of Lee's points in that argument but the fact is he can't sit around and whine about all history involving black WW2 soldiers that have been ignored in films. That's what we the public can do because we are merely the consumers. Spike, as an artist with the ability to make movies, must block all that nonsens out and worry about making a great piece of cinema. Period. This could be the one time for the next decade or so that such a movie about black soldiers gets made. So Spike shoud have just worried about making the best of the opportunity he had, not being bitter about all that has come before or how hard it was to get funding for the flick. He had a great cast of young actors in this film so if he blows it by making a crappy film its on him. I'm already not happy with one major change he has apparently made with this motion picture but I can look beyond that as long as he has made a great motion picture.
If it's on the same level as "Inside Man" quality-wise, it should be good. I won't say a hit, 'cause it's not commercial enough. Even Eastwood's WWII films didn't exactly make bank.
Not that it necessarily matters but its getting killed in the early reviews. That would back up some of the negative stuff I read from people who had seen advanced screenings of it months ago. (some of those folks were African Americans hoping for the best).
Well, actually, Lee's films have been kind of hit and miss since Malcolm X. And even when they are good they have had problems generating serious box office. Inside Man gave him a much needed bounce but I have to say if he wasn't on his game when doing this film then that's a problem. There are so many things going on and so many issues Lee is trying to touch on in Miracle At St. Anna that a director with focus and one who brings a more subtle approach may have been a much better fit.
