Blackkklansman: An Eye-opener of a Film

     I loved this Spike Lee film, he rarely disappoints me. In this post I will pint out some things I found to be interesting, important or even just thought-provoking.

    In Blackkklansman we are shown a peek into two opposing groups’ lives (the KKK and the Black Panthers). I think Lee does an excellent job of commenting on the outrageousness of the KKK’s views and beliefs. From the beginning we are shown historic clips of the civil war and civil rights movement and the struggles for equality and freedom that African Americans have faced and continue to face throughout the years. At one point the two groups have meetings and we are shown what takes place during both of them through juxtaposition. You can feel the pain of the Black Panthers as they share stories of Jessie Jackson being murdered and all the struggles they have faced. While the KKK is boasting about pure bloodlines and outwardly showing racism and hate. This definitely opens one’s eyes to how different these groups intentions are. Another classic Lee move is how he shows that minorities are often against each other and if they would only realize they are both oppressed and would work together they could help each other fight their oppressor(s), in this case the black and Jewish characters. He does this in Get on the Bus as well. Another interesting point is when one of the characters states “We were born in jail.” This is obviously a nod to slavery and modern day slavery (prison/jail systems). I found it interesting how subservient Felix’s wife was even though she was clearly oppressed. She fit the 1950’s housewife motif and was brainwashed by her husband into thinking she had to serve him and his friends. Ultimately she was willing to do an extremely dangerous task for her husband who clearly only saw her as property. It was also interesting how she talked about heinous things involving racism in such an upbeat, nonchalant way. I got a feeling that the movie poked fun and the far right America we know today. Lee made the klan out to be very uneducated, which is where ignorance and bigotry usually stem from. At one point the camera pans across the guests in the KKK meetings and we hear someone say “I can make America great again”. This was definitely a nod to Trump. I wonder if Lee was just using his slogan to remind us of corrupt people in politics (Trump’s racist policies and ties with the KKK in real life) or if Lee was suggesting that Trump himself was at that table in the movie. Either way it was genius and a good way to connect the movie to today’s issues. And finally the clips at the very end were used to remind us that this isn’t just some fictional movie, but very real life issues that are still prominent today. 

    Overall, I enjoyed this movie and can’t believe I waited so long to see it. I watched this with my white partner and it opened their eyes to a few things they were unaware of which led to a discussion about race, politics, police systems, etc. so this movie definitely does a wonderful job in making you feel and learn things. 

-Quinn

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