“To be made an honorary black man?”: Spike Lee’s Most Personal Feud Was With Quentin Tarantino That Eclipsed His Fight With Clint Eastwood
One of Tarantino's recurring film tropes was enough to trigger Spike Lee manifesting a major problem with the filmmaker!
SUMMARY
- Quentin Tarantino’s films leave a lasting impression on audiences.
- Director Spike Lee disapproved of Tarantino’s excessive use of the N-word in his films.
- Tarantino is known for his unique and versatile filming style, blending multiple stories and violence.
The films that leave a lasting impression on us are thanks to the visionary and artistic minds of the filmmakers who are behind those projects. Among the seemingly endless pool of talent in the industry today, the name of Quentin Tarantino, just like his films, will leave a lasting impression on everyone who has witnessed him and his work.
But among his long list of accolades as a director in Hollywood, he has also managed to gain the attention of fellow filmmakers, who sometimes do not see eye to eye with his direction choices. Among those select few is director Spike Lee, who is visibly perturbed by his excessive use of the N-word in his films.
Spike Lee Has A Problem With Quentin Tarantino For Using The N-Word
From his signature style of blending multiple stories with precision to create a giant epic to his smart yet brutal use of violence to make a narrative more visceral, there are certain traits that Quentin Tarantino has that make his filming style unique. This is also the reason why people are so drawn to the films that he creates because they are unique and versatile.
But along with these traits, he also has this running trope in his films where he uses the infamous N-word a lot, something that another filmmaker doesn’t like at all.
In the past (via Far Out Magazine), director Spike Lee opened up about this problem that he had with Tarantino. He said that while he may not have an issue when the word is used for historical accuracy, the Kill Bill director’s borderline obsession with using it in his films like Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained is absurd. He said:
“I’m not against the word, and I use it, but not excessively, and some people speak that way. But, Quentin is infatuated with that word. What does he want? To be made an honorary black man?”
This is not the first time Lee has found a problem with another individual in the film industry. In fact, he’s also known to have a feud with the legendary Clint Eastwood in the past.
What Problems Did Spike Lee Have With Clint Eastwood?
Lee has stated in the past how he had issues with actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood in the past, specifically for his non-representation of African-American individuals in his films. He pointed out that in his wartime film Letters from Iwo Jima, he couldn’t spot one single black man during the entire movie, which he knew was on purpose.
Eastwood also replied to his comments, saying that he would much rather be faithful to the history that happened and how it’s recorded in the books rather than play a game of representation and cater to political correctness. He also said that if he wanted representation, then he could make his version of the film or shut his face.
