A personal clip reel of indelible moments created by iconoclast Spike Lee, who will be in Denver May 1, begins something like this:
Fade in: Madame Re-Re’s Beauty Salon: In “School Daze” (1988) two groups of black coeds, sporting cheerleading get-ups with the letters “J” or “W” (for Jigaboo and Wanna-be) emblazoned on them, pour into a salon for a rumble straight out of “West Side Story” by way of Brooklyn, Lee’s home turf. “Good and Bad Hair” was a song-and-dance smackdown that teased hot-comb issues out of hair and skin hue within the African-American community.
Interior: Samuel L. Jackson’s character in “Jungle Fever” (1991) does a slow tribal dance right before his father (played by Ossie Davis) puts an end to his son’s crack-loving life. Beneath the tragic confrontation, Mahalia Jackson’s glorious “He Calms the Ocean” plays.
Exterior: In a shattering montage set to Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come,” Malcolm X drives alone to his death. Wife Betty and his children travel separately; workers ready the auditorium where Malcolm is soon to speak; and young assassins look pensive as they, too, drive to the Audubon Ballroom.
This is barely the tip of a very deep iceberg.
On Thursday, the Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated director of movies as varied as his frisky debut comedy, “She’s Gotta Have It,” and as vital to the nation’s understanding of its responsibilities and failings as 2006’s Hurricane Katrina documentary, “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” will participate in an onstage conversation at the Events Center of the University of Colorado-Denver on the Auraria campus.
“Spike Lee is a complete film artist, not a black film artist,” said David Dynak, dean of the College of Arts & Media at UCD.
“That his focus has been on the issue of race is not in any way incidental, rather it is crucial, to the art form and its power to illuminate human experience.”
Presently, Lee is in post-production on “Miracle at St. Anna.” The film, based on James McBride’s novel about World War II’s 92nd “Buffalo Soldiers” Division stationed in Italy, is due this fall.
In a prelude to Lee’s visit, the Starz FilmCenter will hold a mini-retrospective of four movies, beginning April 27. It features his two greatest narrative works to date: “Malcolm X” and “Do the Right Thing,” as well as two movies that show his ability to go broad or deeply personal: “25th Hour” (2002) and 1994’s “Crooklyn.”
“A Conversation with Spike Lee”
Public appearance Auraria campus. May 1, 7 p.m. 1 hour, 30 minutes. $20 general admission, ($5-$10 faculty and students); at the Events Center, adjacent to the historic Tivoli Brewery Building. Parking available in lots R, D, Tivoli, TAPS and PTC for $5, parking. Event tickets available at the Starz FilmCenter box office at the Tivoli, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway. 303-820-FILM or .
“The Work of Spike Lee”
Mini retrospective Starz FilmCenter at Tivoli, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway. April 27-30 “Malcolm X,” 3 p.m. April 27; “25th Hour,” 7 p.m. April 28; “Crooklyn,” 7 p.m. April 29; “Do the Right Thing,” 7 p.m. April 30. $6- $9.50. 303-820-FILM or .
