Clint Eastwood vs. Spike Lee

It’s ironic that Spike Lee is complaining about Clint Eastwood not casting black actors in his film Letters from Iwo Jima(2006) and Flags of Our Fathers(2006) since there is hardly a white actor in Spike Lee’s films.

Spike Lee criticized Clint Eastwood at the Cannes Film festival last month about Clint Eastwood’s film ‘Flags of Our Fathers' saying, “Clint Eastwood made two films about Iwo Jima that ran for more than four hours total, and there was no one Negro actor on the screen.” The feud escalated when Eastwood responded Spike Lee’s criticism with ‘shut his face’.

The movie Flags of Our Fathers is about famous flag-raising picture and the story evolved around solders that were in it. There was neither black solder in the picture nor in the film. However, Lee’s accusation of racism on Clint Eastwood is hard to sell.

Spike Lee have criticized Eastwood once before about making
Bird a Charlie Parker biopic that had a multiracial cast. He also complained that Eastwood and Woody Allen, two white directors, were making jazz films. Whatever the reason, Spike Lee seems have a problem with white directors. I wonder if the criticism reversed what kind of public outrage would take place.

Isn’t it getting old to complain about black and white racism in the entertainment? There are so many great actors, actresses, directors and producers in all areas of entertainment industry are black and they are all well recognized by public. Spike Lee is a militant who either doesn’t care about fact or actually fear about his own skin.

Clint Eastwood is one of my favorite actors as well as producers. I consider him as one of the true Hollywood greats; not only his acting ability but also his interpretation ability in his own movies. His recent credits including Million Dollar Baby, Mistic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Flags of Our Fathers.

Spike Lee also is considered one of the talented filmmakers and have directed many movies including Inside Man and 'Mo' Better Blue'. The time of his complaints is very interesting however. Perhaps he is using Clint Eastwood as a bate to get publicity on his own upcoming World War II drama Miracle at St. Anna.

If that's the case, it’s very unfortunate that racism still used to get publicity. Media is played by it.