Recently, I had the opportunity
to sit down with director
Spike Lee to interview him
for his new World War II film,
“Miracle at St. Anna“,
based on the James
McBride novel. Fun-loving
and joyful, Spike’s aged in a
very distinguished, gentle and
refined way. I was excited to
sit with him and hear his heart,
challenges and joys of working
on this type of film.
What was it like filming a movie
like this?
SL:
Challenging. I’ve never made a movie
like this. The only film I ever shot
that required location shots was
“Malcolm X’. We had to go to Africa
and Egypt. But here we shot on location
in Italy in Tuscany,
Apennines—right
at the linea gotica (Gothic
Line), and Bahamas. 95% of the
crew was Italian and did not speak
English. However, that was not a barrier
because the film was our connection.
How did
you choose the incredible cast for the
film?
SL:
Initially, Wesley Snipes was my choice
for the Stamps role, however, he had tax
issues (snicker). But I am very pleased
with the final cast choice. Everyone
that was supposed to be in this film,
was in this film. As well, the cast of
Italian actors, I must thank the casting
director in Europe. They brought
together some of the most dynamic actors
and actresses.
We saw
some of the usual suspects in this film.
How did they respond when you made the
call for them to participate in this
film?
SL:
Although, this is a World War II film,
when I called on Kerry Washington, John
Turturro, John Lequizamo and Joseph
Gordon Levitt to come and shoot a
one-day cameo, they said yes. That’s a
blessing and I thank them so much.
Had you
ever heard of the Buffalo Soldiers
before you signed on for this film?
SL:
Yes, I had. As well, James
McBride introduced me to some of the
Buffalo Soldiers and I sat with them
and let them tell me their stories.
I walked away believing that they
have every right to be bitter,
because their sacrifices were not
recognized or respected. They wanted
to come back to the U.S. and not see
“colored” water fountains and
segregated buses. That didn’t
happen.
Based
on where we are in this political
climate, the election is several weeks
away, what are your thoughts?
SL:
I never thought I’d live to see, in my
lifetime, an African American man on the
verge of becoming the 44th
President of the United States. I am
voting for Barack Obama!
How did
you choose Matteo for the role of
Angelo, he was magnificent?
SL:
Again the casting director in Europe was
great. They rounded up 5,000 boys tested
them and when they were down to 100
boys, they called me and I took a 12
hour train ride from Rome, where we had
our pre-production headquarters, and
joined the casting call. As soon as I
saw Matteo, I knew he was Angelo.
Although he did not speak a word of
English, he was quite intelligent and a
pleasure to work with.
Tell me
about the Nokia Project you’re working
on?
SL:
Well, Nokia approached me about doing
something unique and different in
collaboration with them. They wanted
people to submit video footage of images
of life, death and birth. Then I will
direct a short film comprising
YouTube-style videos created by
teenagers and adults captured by their
mobile phones. It should be complete in
October. I’m really excited about it.
There
was a line where Derek Luke’s Stamps
character says, “I feel freer here,
in this foreign land , then in my own
home”. Was this improvisational or
was it written in the script?
SL:
Although we did a lot of Improvisation
in this film, this line was scripted,
because a lot of the soldiers really
felt this way. As a matter of fact other
blacks felt this way namely, James
Baldwin, Josephine Baker, Miles Davis,
because they had the means and ways to
live outside of America.
Finally, share with me some of your
favorite war movies as a kid?
SL:
“The Train” with Burt Lancaster,
“Is Paris Burning“, “The Dirty
Dozen” with Jim Brown - which
was a revelation for me. I was a 10
years old when I went to the movies to
see this film
