film Q&As
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WahneemaLubiano.pptxWahneema Lubiano
“But Compared to What? Reading Realism, representation, and essentialism in School Daze, Do the Right thing, and the Spike Lee Discourse
Wahneema Lubiano
Wahneema Lubiano has interest in Spike Lee because of her research interest. She is concerned that Lee has gotten “press, media, and academic attention to the point of saturation.” (31) She argues that Lee’s work is typically celebrated uncritically, and this has lead many media outlets to solely focus on Lee; he becomes the only Black director.
Wahneema Lubiano
One of her chief concerns is how critics and Lee read his work as real or reality. Lubiano also wants Lee’s work to be more effectively contextualized.
“The problem of Spike Lee’s ‘sample,’ his place in the sun, is that his presence, empowered by Hollywood studio hegemony and media consensus on his importance, can function to overshadow or make difficult other kinds of politically engaged cultural work.” (32)
Wahneema Lubiano
While Lubiano notes that the media can give more than one African American filmmaker attention simultaneously, this can still be a challenge (and we will discuss this later in the quarter). The paucity of Black directors at this time (1991) allows for Lee’s work to be viewed as the “real thing” and often celebrated uncritically. (33) Critics and Lee himself act as if he speaks for the community or all African Americans.
Wahneema Lubiano
This view also marginalizes “other African American filmic possibilities – possibilities, for example, such as those offered by independent African American women filmmakers.” (33)
In part II of her essay, Lubiano examines how race and racisms operate historically in ways that are specific and inconsistent referencing Stuart Hall and Antonio Gramsci.
Wahneema Lubiano
For example in the United States racism has operated differently during enslavement, the Jim Crow era, and our present day.
“What has not changed in the history of race in the United States is its centrality within our culture, the importance of it to our socialization as produced and reinforced by schools, organizations, family, our sexual lives, churches, institutions – all of which produce a racially structured society.” (34)
Wahneema Lubiano
Lubiano views “race [as] a cultural factor of overwhelming importance.” (34) And Lee views his films as forcing “America to come to grips with the problem of racism.” (34)
Lubiano asserts that Lee mistakes “the media noise around race, racism, and his films for evidence that this country has ‘come to grips’ with race.” (34)
Wahneema Lubiano
Lubiano points out that Lee’s commercial films and their promotion does not directly translate into America dealing with race/racism. While she does not privilege independent films over commercial ones, she wants to “insist that Lee’s confidence needs to be mediate[d] by a complicated awareness of market pressure.” (35)
Wahneema Lubiano
As she turns to examine School Daze (1988) and Do the Right Thing (1989), she sets the stage for understanding Lee’s work. Discussions on “race, racism, and racialization in the United States” at that time are underdeveloped and stymied, there are very few African American films, Lee’s work is characterized as “politically radical or progressive.” All of these factors are troubling to Lubiano.
Wahneema Lubiano
Most reviewers of Lee’s films examined them based on “realism, authenticity, and relation to the ‘good’ of the community represented in them.” One of the questions Lubiano asks in relation to Lee’s work is compared to what? What is the basis these reviewers are using? Why are they mostly celebrating Lee’s work and not analyzing it more closely?
Wahneema Lubiano
The problem with realism, or what is real, is that it is determined by a “particular group.” Moreover, the framework of realism includes “aesthetic values central to the dominant film and media culture.” (38) For Black filmmakers, this paradigm reinscribes notions of an “objective existence ‘out there,’ that the process of representation simply aims to correspond to or reflect.”
Wahneema Lubiano
Due to the distorted images of African Americans in popular culture, there is a desire for “realistic” or “good” images of Black people. And since many of those grotesque images were created by people of European descent, there can be a preoccupation with African Americans to intervene and create “positive” images. Lee’s work being uncritically accepted means that his films can be considered “African American essences.” (40)
Wahneema Lubiano
The problem is when Lee’s work is accepted as “truth” or “real” in this context is that the films of other Black directors are dismissed or not viewed as legitimate. Remember the comments Julie Dash made about her work and how producers considered it not “really” Black or authentic.
Wahneema Lubiano
“Representation refers to images that are selected from what we recognize as reality.” (40)
Questions about representation can hinder African American cultural producers.
Essentialism is often defined as a person’s true essence. This idea can be applied to people groups and becomes problematic because the group essence is often fixed.
Wahneema Lubiano
One of the problems Lubiano cites with these frameworks is that Lee can claim his work is the truth and he is depicting reality. However, his portrayals of sexism or homophobia do not represent all African Americans.
