(Spike Lee, US 2000, 135 min., 35mm)
Two decades before American Fiction received rave reviews in cinemas last year, Spike Lee delivered his own satire of Black representation in media. Pierre Delacroix (Damon Wayans) is a television writer at the dawn of the millennium. Overworked and frustrated, Pierre believes that the internet, home video, and the rise of the internet have hurt the popularity of his chosen medium. Castigated by his boss, Pierre decides to create a show so offensive and racist that the network will reconsider what they find entertaining. Pierre is shocked that his show, Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show, is an immediate success, but he rides this new wave of success and defends the show as satire. As the public starts to rail against the show, the situation at the network begins to deteriorate and Pierre is forced to consider the damage he has done. Part of a wave of films shot on early digital video, the film was made with a low budget despite featuring a cast that includes Savion Glover, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tommy Davidson, Yasiin Bey, and The Roots.
The George Eastman Museum is offering FREE admission for this film. Please note that this film is R-rated.
Discussion for Bamboozled
Recorded from 06/21/24