The escalating battle between filmmakers Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood may have reached a crescendo Friday afternoon when, just hours after he spoke with MTV News, Lee called Eastwood an "angry old man" in an interview with ABC.
"First of all, the man is not my father and we're not on a plantation either," Lee angrily said, referring to Clint's insistence that Lee "shut his face" over perceived racial inaccuracies in his WWII drama "Flags of our Fathers."
So much for taking "the Obama high road," eh Spike?
Now, we could argue all day about who is right and who is wrong in this war of words, but, according to "Flags of Our Fathers" star (and, it pains me to have to draw attention to this, but noted minority actor) Adam Beach, the real question for Spike Lee shouldn't be whether or not there were black soldiers at Iwo Jima, but whether he feels lucky. Well do ya, Spike?
"You don't mess with Clint Eastwood," Beach said, a knowing smile across his face. "You DO NOT mess with Clint Eastwood."
"[Clint is] as good as it gets," Beach continued. "So if you have something to say about Clint, talk to him mano a mano. You're going to understand that the guy has a lot more respect that any of us have ever grown up with."
I like and respect both Eastwood and Lee. Can we just agree to disagree in this fight or is the issue at hand -- racial representation in period films -- something so powerfully important that it continues to be worth fighting for? Sound off on your thoughts below.
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