Review Lee’s jazz movie hits mark MO’ BETTER BLUES. Pro- duced, written and directed by Spike Lee. Starring Denzel Washington and Spike Lee. At Cineplex Odeon theatres. Films about jazz have been done before. Recently there has been Bertrand Traverier’s Round Midnight (based on Dex- ter Gordon’s life), Clint East- -wood’s Bird (on Charlie Parker) and films based on the lives of Billie Holiday and other artists. Now Spike Lee, the Black American filmmaker, has entered the field with Mo’ Better Blues. Lee is not only — and this is almost universally acknow- ledged — one of the top film- makers in America today, he is also, by virtue of the colour of his skin and his unwillingness to compromise, one of the most controversial. Since his first film, She’s Gotta Have It in 1986, to this year’s Mo’ Better Blues, Lee has refused to play it safe in order to win acceptance with Hollywood. In par- ticular, Do The Right Thing (1989), Lee’s - stunning masterpiece about racial violence _ during a hot summer in New York, spurred a thousand editorials and debates about whether or not it advocated violence as an answer to the oppression of African-Amer- icans. The fact that Lee put Malcolm X on the - same level as Martin Luther King caused many white liberal film critics, and the Hollywood establishment, to uncomfortab- ly clear their throats. As a result Do The Right Thing was omitted from last year’s Academy Award nominations while Driving Miss Daisy had honours heaped upon it. Portraying blacks as dignified but quiet is O.K. — showing them organizing and taking to the streets is definitely not. Lee takes a different approach than either Travernier or Eastwood on this film as well. Both Round Midnight and Bird looked at Black jazz artists as tragic figures trapped in a smoky world of dark nightclubs and heroin, on a one-way road to oblivion. Mo’ Better Blues is more a bright celebration of the musical form bom out of the vibrant African-American culture. The central character, Bleek Gilliam (Denzel Washington) is neither drug addict Cynda Williams, Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and Joie Lee in Mo’ Better Blues. nor hopeless alcoholic. In fact there is no evidence of substance abuse of any kind. Instead Gilliam is a brilliant creator, a genius who creates magic with his trumpet. Like any genius he has his eccentricities and these — not the needle, pill or bottle — lead to his near downfall. Bleek’s creativity requires inner search, a solitude of the mind that excludes, when- ever he creates, the feelings and talents of those around him. His two lovers, aspiring singer Clarke Bentancourt (Cynda Wil- liams) and teacher Indigo Downes (Joie Lee) are pillars of support for Bleek, but Bleek does not reciprocate. Like a child with his’ favourite toys, Bleek needs Indigo and Clarke to be around but only when it is convenient for him. In return he provides them with little more than good sex. Bleek’s only love is his music. It is his - life. Everything else is secondary. While he is sensitive to the sexual desires of his lovers he is blind to their emotional needs until they are gone. He is insensitive to the artistic aspirations of his own band members — he recognizes their talents but only as long as they fit the context of his own creations. It is a recipe for disaster and the in- evitable happens. Bleek is brought to reality when, after continually ignoring the feelings of Indigo and Clarke, he ends up losing both. = — S Visit | the USSK or small. Let Globe Tours find the best way for you. GLOBE TOURS 2720 E. Hastings St. Vancouver, B.C. Phone 253-1221 He stifles the artistic freedom of his most talented band member and loses his band. In the end, through a tragic event, he loses the ability to play. On this jarring note, Bleek’s life is brought to a crossroads. With his music gone he must find the ability to respond to other human beings — to love, or else perish. Spike Lee plays Giant, a not-at-all scrupulous character. Giant is Gilliam’s manager but he is more of an albatross around Bleek’s neck than an aid to his career. With a hopeless gambling addic- tion, Giant spends more time avoiding loan sharks than he does managing the band’s affairs. A good proportion of the money the group pulls in from its regular full houses at the nightclub becomes the down payment inone of Giant’s losing bets. In Mo’ Better Blues, Lee shows his mat- uring talent as a filmmaker. The screen is flooded with vivid colours, the musical score (featuring John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis and more) evokes the beauty of jazz. The lovemaking scenes are sensual, the cinematography creatively stamped with Lee’s moving camera style. Lee has been criticized for his portrayal of women. The charge of sexism is hard to deny. His female characters have often been one-dimensional and subservient. This film will likely. not end that criticism though it undeniably takes a step in the right direction. It would be idealistic to deny or ignore the misogyny that exists among men in the music world and Lee does not do that. The backstage banter of the men is full of crude ‘sexual jokes and innuendos and the women often viewed as little more than groupies. But Lee’s approach is not that of an Andrew Dice Clay. He does not glorify in the sexism, he just shows it. The criticism that some might make is that his male char- acters do not denounce it — leading to the valid concem that such might constitute an idealistic “socialist realist” approach. Neither Indigo nor Clarke are one- dimensional. If they both put up with a lot from Bleek, they also have the integrity and strength to leave him. Hopefully Lee’s next work will see a further progression in his portrayal of female characters. Mo ’Better Blues is a labour of love, a tribute to the art form that is jazz. It is also a damn good film. — Paul Ogresko @ ANKIN COMPANY Barristers & Solicitors 4th Floor, 195 Alexander St., Vancouver, B.C. V6A 1N8& 682-2781 Offers a broad range of legal services including: Personal Injury & Insurance Claims Real Estate & Conveyancing Divorce & Family Law Labour Law Criminal Law Estates & Wills Classified Advertising NOTICES KAMLOOPS TRIB LENDING LIBRARY: 242 Larch Ave. Now available: — “Tretiak — the Legend.” His autobiography. This and other fine books for your rreading enjoy- ment. Ph: 376-7110. COMMERCIAL TRIB PHOTOS — Would you like a specific photo in the Pacific Tribune. Copies avail- Pg 5"x7"/$6, 8"x10"/$8. Phone: 251- 86. GRAMMA PUBLICATIONS. Complete printing services. Brochures, menus, leaf- lets, etc. A union shop. 2089 Commercial Dr. Vancouver. 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