Spike Lee

[bcholmes]

I was Googling Malcolm X bio stuff today, and that got me in a mood to re-watch Lee's Malcolm X. I bought a copy several years ago, but I think I've only seen it once.

Coincidentally, I recently bought and watched a copy of Inside Man, one of my favourite heist films. Also by Lee. There's a scene in each film that's almost identical.

In Inside Man, Denzel Washington plays Detective Keith Frazier, who is the lead detective on a bank robbery. Frazier figures out that the robbery isn't a normal robbery, and he pushes and cajoles the head robber. Finally, to prove that the thieves mean business, they kill one of the hostages. Frazier suddenly becomes consumed. There's a shot: Frazier exits the police command vehicle, and we see him centred in the camera frame, walking forward. In fact, the actor is on a dolly with the camera, and the camera is dollying backward. The effect is that although the main character appears to be moving forward, at the same time there's a complete stillness about him. He's not walking; he's gliding. The effect makes him look intense. Single-minded.

Tonight, I noticed that Lee used the same kind of shot in Malcolm X. Malcolm, on his way to the church where he'll ultimately become assassinated, seems... I dunno. On automatic pilot. The same device is used. Washington, this time playing Malcolm X, moved down the sidewalk. As in Inside Man, the actor is on a dolly, and he's gliding. The distance between the camera and the actor remains constant. The background falls into the distance. Same intense, single-minded look.

I find it really interesting to see such clear examples of directorial devices.