"Would you believe that Lillian Gish starred in two of the most important films that impacted me while I was studying film at NYU? Those great films are D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation and Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter. Isn't it funny sometimes how life works? How ironic life can be? God can be a trickster.
Peace and love to the Gish sisters and the Gish Prize Trust."
-Spike Lee
New York, 2013
Lee's NYU colleagues praised him for his "ferocity in filmmaking" and for taking film in a direction "Hollywood would not go."
In remarks, Lee said the telephone call notifying him he would receive the Gish Prize "was a good phone call to have" as he was fundraising for a new film.
While D. W. Griffith was "a cinematic genius" who "invented stuff we're still using" the film ["The Birth of a Nation'] was a recruitment tool for the Klan." (For about 75 years, according to a colleague at San Francisco State University Film Department.) Lee said his first film was "The Answer" about a black man who signed onto a remake of "The Birth of a Nation" thinking he could effect a better outcome.
A scene from "Do the Right Thing" (finger rings) was "straight from James Agee" in "The Night of the Hunter." (Moving from a scene of brutality to a scene of fragility. As in focusing on Robert Mitchum singing on the tree stump then on Miss Gish singing in her rocking chair while holding her rifle.)
Lee said his parents were instrumental in getting him interested in the arts. He said him mom was always taking him to museums when he wanted to play street games with his pals. "I was raised in the days when a kid did what his parents told him to do" and he went to the museums. He also went on movie dates with his mom.
In his NY Public School, he didn't mention which number, art was required and he played a musical instrument. "Art, music and gym are now off PS curriculum," he said. "Obesity has run amok in the African American community." He added, "The arts keep us humane."
The cash prize was "nearly $300,000" Ms. Elias said to audience applause. She also handed Lee the medal with Dorothy and Lillian's profiles.
Food was superb! Plenty of liquor! Unfortunately, I spent most of my time talking with friends from St. Bart's rather than eating and drinking. I talked with a woman who taught private school in Manhattan. Her husband worked for the Norman Vincent Peale estate in Manhattan. We had a brief conversation about Lillian's contributions to Guideposts in 1949 and 1982.
James Patterson
No comments:
Post a Comment