Spike Lee’s career is arguably a bit all over the place. But there’s no denying he’s a smart filmmaker who has produced some of the most thoughtful pieces of cinematic art. From Do the Right Thing and Malcolm X to BlackKklansman, Lee uses the visual medium as a true means of expression. He has a lot on his mind, and film is an avenue in which he pours out those thoughts, with some titles being better than others.
Entering the Criterion Collection this week is 2000’s Bamboozled, one of Lee’s most challenging films. Through the story of a frustrated black TV writer (Damon Wayans) who proposes a blackface minstrel show, Lee examines the past, present and future of racism in American pop culture.
As powerful as many scenes are, they are somewhat scattered. It’s a heavy-handed experiment that is more fascinating to talk about than endure. (This is why Criterion’s bonus features are the best thing about this release, making it land on the positive end of the scale.) The fact that the film was shot primarily on unvarnished digital video doesn’t make it easier. While the approach provides a televised feel and has the advantage of capturing more natural reactions, it distracts from absorbing the thematic elements.
For a film that is largely about a frustrated TV writer filtering his frustration through his new creation, you can feel Lee doing the same with his film. That anger raises many insightful points about the world we live in and how entertainment has viewed and portrayed black culture. The concluding historical montage sequence alone deserves to be seen. (Thankfully, it’s explored in greater detail in Criterion’s bonus content, calling to mind the power of BlackKklansman‘s ending montage.) However, the emotional resonance doesn’t carry through the film’s entirety. It feels too strung together at the last minute. A documentary would have proved more effective. (That’s where the extras come in to save the day.)
Courtesy of Criterion Collection.
Extras Grade: A
The Criterion Collection Blu-ray release features a new 2K digital restoration, with a 5.1 surround DTS-HD master audio soundtrack. The bonus content includes a 2001 audio commentary with Lee, a new conversation between Lee and critic Ashley Clark, new interviews with various cast and crew members, a new interview program featuring media scholar Racquel Gates, a 2001 making-of, deleted scenes, music videos, alternate parody commercials, a poster gallery, a trailer, and an essay by Clark that can be found in the liner notes.
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
New 2K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Ellen Kuras and approved by director Spike Lee, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
Audio commentary from 2001 featuring Lee
New conversation between Lee and film programmer and critic Ashley Clark
New interviews with choreographer and actor Savion Glover, actor Tommy Davidson, and costume designer Ruth E. Carter
On Blackface and the Minstrel Show, a new interview program featuring film and media scholar Racquel Gates
The Making of “Bamboozled” (2001), a documentary featuring Lee; Glover; Davidson; actors Jada Pinkett Smith, Michael Rapaport, and Damon Wayans; and other members of the cast and crew
Deleted scenes, music videos for the Mau Maus’ “Blak Iz Blak” and Gerald Levert’s “Dream with No Love,” and alternate parody commercials created for the film
Hello, there! My name is Preston Barta, and I am the features editor of Fresh Fiction and senior film critic at the Denton Record-Chronicle. My cinematic love story began where I was born: off planet on the isolated desert world of the Jakku system. It's there I passed the time scavenging for loose parts with my good friend Rey. One day I found an old film projector and a dusty reel of the 1975 film JAWS. It rocked my world so much that I left my kinfolk in the rearview (I so miss their morning cups of green milk) to pursue my dreams of writing about film. It wasn't long until I met two gents who said they would give me a lift. I can't recall their names, but one was an older man who liked to point a lot and the other was a tall, hairy fella. They got me as far as one of Jupiter's moons where we crossed paths with the U.S.S. Enterprise. Some pointy-eared bastard said I was clear to come aboard. He saw that I was clutching my beloved shark movie and invited me to the "moving pictures room" where he was screening the 1993 film JURASSIC PARK to his crew. He said my life would be much more prosperous if I were familiar with more work by the god named Steven Spielberg. From there, my love for cinema blossomed. Once we reached planet Earth, everything changed. I found the small town of Denton, TX, and was welcomed into the Barta family. They showed me the writings of local film critic Boo Allen. He became my hero and caused me to chase a degree in film and journalism. After my studies at graduate of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I met some film critics who showed me the ropes and got me into my first press screening: 2011's THE GREEN LANTERN. Don't worry; I recovered just fine. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD was only four years away.
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