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Clint Eastwood Tells Spike Lee to 'Shut His Face'
June 06, 2008 12:25 PM
It takes a certain something to pick a fight with Dirty Harry. Apparently, Spike Lee has it.
At the Cannes Film Festival in May, Lee, whose next film, "Miracle at St. Anna," is about an all-black U.S. division fighting in Italy during the war, slammed Clint Eastwood over his 2006 Iwo Jima movies, "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters From Iwo Jima," saying the filmmaker overlooked the role of black soldiers during World War II.
"He did two films about Iwo Jima back to back and there was not one black soldier in both of those films," Lee told reporters at Cannes. "Many veterans, African-Americans, who survived that war are upset at Clint Eastwood. In his vision of Iwo Jima, Negro soldiers did not exist. Simple as that. I have a different version."
Now, Eastwood's throwing some punches of his own. In an interview to promote his latest film, "Changeling," Eastwood said Lee should "shut his face."
"Has he ever studied the history?," Eastwood growled to British paper The Guardian, who published the interview today. Regarding "Flags of Our Fathers," Eastwood admitted there was a small detachment of black troops on Iwo Jima, "but they didn't raise the flag. The story is 'Flags of Our Fathers,' the famous flag-raising picture, and they didn't do that. If I go ahead and put an African-American actor in there, people'd go, 'This guy's lost his mind.' I mean, it's not accurate."
Eastwood added that Lee's got another thing coming if he complains about the lack of black actors in "Changeling." The film is set in Los Angeles during the Depression, before the city had a significant black population.
"What are you going to do, you gonna tell a f*****' story about that?" Eastwood ranted. "Make it look like a commercial for an equal opportunity player? I'm not in that game. I'm playing it the way I read it historically, and that's the way it is. When I do a picture and it's 90 percent black, like 'Bird,' [the 1988 biopic of Charlie Parker] I use 90 percent black people."
He finished his roast with a simple, harsh directive:
"A guy like him should shut his face," Eastwood said.
Doubtful. ABCNEWS.com's request to Lee to comment was not immediately returned, but considering this isn't his first war of words with Eastwood, it's unlikely the outspoken director will stay silent for long.
Sheila Marikar
June 6, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (150)
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It's about time someone told this creep to shut his pie hole. What a loser!!!!
Posted by: Yo | Jun 6, 2008 12:37:35 PM
Good for you for not backing down to this guy Clint! He tries to intimidate people by always pulling the race card.
Posted by: fram2 | Jun 6, 2008 12:42:16 PM
Goahead Spike, make his day.
Posted by: JENNY | Jun 6, 2008 12:44:38 PM
As long as Clints films are historically accurate Spike should take a hike. What about Oliver Stones propaganda films on JFK and the like, maybe Spike should go after Oliver. If Spike wants to do a picture about black WW2 veterans exploits go for it, just make sure to keep it historically accurate as well.
Posted by: david | Jun 6, 2008 12:45:18 PM
spike lee is a idiot and should be making my dinner
Posted by: john | Jun 6, 2008 12:47:37 PM
I'm black, and I do agree that Spike Lee over did it. I am also a veteran, and both of those movies by Clint Eastwood were very well made. People like Spike, need to get over their ignorance. We're not fighting for freedom or equal opportunity, so ignorant people, pull your head out of your a$$. Hate and prejudism does not get you anywhere in life.
Posted by: SiccofIt | Jun 6, 2008 12:47:44 PM
Uhm... this is America isn't it?.. Kills me that you people are for someone to say "shut your face'... when it's something that the 'mainstream' agrees with... but quick to dismiss when it's not, such as race baiting etc. what a wonderful country!!!
Posted by: Uhm-FuFu | Jun 6, 2008 12:48:32 PM
Spike - adding in token blacks to a story for the sake of political correctness is so 80s man. Obama just got go nominated to the highest office in the land. Step into the 21st century my friend.
Posted by: Michael | Jun 6, 2008 12:49:03 PM
Spike has more guts than brains..You just don't mess with Clint Eastwood on any level !
Posted by: Chris K | Jun 6, 2008 12:55:26 PM
This is absurd! We will never get over our issues with race with people like Spike Lee. History, good or bad, is history - we can't change it, we can only learn from it. And by the way, have any of his movies ever depicted white people in a positive light? No they haven't - a little hypocritical if you ask me.
Posted by: stephanie | Jun 6, 2008 12:56:49 PM
clint eastwood sucks! i will fly the amerikkkan flag upside down! Clint needs to shut his 80 year old pie hole!
hes to old just like juan mcsame!
Posted by: BBLACK | Jun 6, 2008 12:58:50 PM
Instead of talking out both side of the mouth, make the damm movie yourself.
OMG why in 2008 people are coming out saying everything is Racist...
So Spike Lee SHUT YOUR FACE!!
Posted by: Chris | Jun 6, 2008 12:58:54 PM
Excellent Clint! I don't suspect Spike will have anything relevant to shoot back with. It's pretty hard to argue the facts. Take your hate mongering elsewhere, Spike!
Posted by: quiltedjeans | Jun 6, 2008 1:00:56 PM
spike lee should kick clint's old but!
down with the red"n.e.c.k" clint eastwood.
Posted by: BBLACK | Jun 6, 2008 1:01:24 PM
Haha, I am black and I love Clint Eastwood and good for him. I like some of Spike Lee's work, but not all. I remember growing up in Jamaica and watching Mr. Eastwood's westerns...anyway I digress. I have no problem with historical pieces and what they deal with. I would rather something to be accurate all the time.
Side note: Can we ban the following terms: Race card, conservatives, liberals and PC? I find it so easy for people to use one of those terms instead of explaining how they really feel.
Posted by: Richard | Jun 6, 2008 1:01:38 PM
clint eastwood sucks!
obama 08!
Posted by: BBLACK | Jun 6, 2008 1:01:58 PM
This is like the news camera guy in LA who got fired for covering looting during the riots because "all he got were pictures of black people." Um, so was he supposed to have somebody film HIM looting to appease th P.C. police. Welcome to Amerika!
Posted by: pity | Jun 6, 2008 1:02:49 PM
i white and clint eastwood can kiss my white!!!
Posted by: BBLACK | Jun 6, 2008 1:02:51 PM
I like both of these guys as film directors, but although I'm black, I have to go with Eastwood on this one. You stick with movies that have accurate story lines, yet I think Eastwood is smart enough to acknowledge the honorable service of black veterans in World War II. Was I disappointed that I saw no black ship passengers in the movie Titanic? No. It was still a great movie.
Posted by: em | Jun 6, 2008 1:04:20 PM
Clint the r.e.d.n.e.c.k eastwood needs to SHUT HIS PIE HOLE BEFORE SPIKE KICKS HIS!!!
Posted by: BBLACK | Jun 6, 2008 1:04:47 PM
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