The Steven Spielberg movie Spike Lee instantly fell in love with: “I was just amazed”
Spike Lee has done some amazing things. A champion of Black storytelling, his films like Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and BlacKkKlansman have brought crucial tales to the big screen and he has been instrumental in establishing the careers of Samuel L Jackson, Laurence Fishburne, Denzel Washington, and more. He is a ferocious spirit, an outspoken defender of his own work, and a vital part of the cinematic ecosystem.
Like any good director, Lee has a healthy appreciation for the greats. He talked to Film Ink about his relationship with Steven Spielberg, who famously intervened during a long-running argument Lee had with Clint Eastwood. In terms of Spielberg’s movies, Lee singled out one recent release as something special following a visit to its set.
“I was just amazed to see West Side Story, a most favourite film, and the fact that he invited me to pull up a chair right next to him,” the director said. “So I was sitting next to him, watching the monitor and just seeing him work. It’s just amazing to see a master anywhere.” This is in reference to Spielberg’s 2021 remake of the classic movie musical, which stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as two lovers on either side of a vicious gang war.
This revelation came over two decades after Lee confirmed to The Guardian that the original West Side Story (directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins) was one of his favourite films. “I would love to do a full musical,” he revealed. “I don’t think it’s an obsolete form. I do understand it is hard for audiences to deal with people talking one minute and the next they are breaking into song, but when you think about music videos, it shouldn’t be that strange.” Lee was also seen at the opening night of the show’s revival on Broadway in 2020 and has included Spielberg’s interpretation on his syllabus as a tenured professor at New York University.
The original version of the movie was released when Lee was only four years old, and it’s hard to imagine a child that young sitting down to watch something so violent. Both of Lee’s parents were involved in the arts; however, his father was a composer, and his mother was an academic, so it’s entirely possible that they would have shown him something so culturally significant when he was a little older. Lee credits his mother, in particular, for his love of musicals, which includes the film version of The Wizard of Oz.
Spielberg’s take on the Jets vs. the Sharks actually lost money at the box office, taking just $76million on a $100m budget, but went down a storm with critics. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including ‘Best Picture’. Ariana DeBose, who played Anita, won the Oscar for ‘Best Supporting Actress’. Zegler, who was discovered during the film’s open casting process, has since gone on to become a huge Hollywood star. She won the Golden Globe for ‘Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy’ but was infamously snubbed at the Oscars.
Lee’s passion for West Side Story and musicals in general can be seen across his work, which often features carefully selected music and highly choreographed scenes. He is allegedly set to direct a movie musical about Viagra, which might just be the most Spike Lee thing to have ever happened.
