Tyler Perry Vs Spike Lee: The Black Film Feud That Divided Two Cultural Icons (Documentary)

each artist should be allowed to pursue the artistic endeavor but i still think there a lot of stuff that's on today is kunri buffoonery we could do better we're talking about tyler perry at this point no no i mean look why the hell would i be worried about a spike lee or anybody else they all can go straight to hell one critic had said that you were malt liquor for the masses are you offended by that all the damage that's been done through the imagery throughout the history of television and movies [Music] black excellence is not only about setting the ball higher for our people but also setting the right example for our people representation of our people throughout society is crucial the long-standing pivotal factor is the betrayal of african americans in entertainment and on a big screen two men who have been at the center stage of this are spike lee and tyler perry both filmmakers have achieved the ultimate success in hollywood and over the decades have entertained their loyal fans with film and tv shows that showcase black culture for two icons who people assume have mutual respect for one another nobody would have expected them to be involved in a long-running feud that lasted for over a decade it was a rift that would spark a broader debate around how black culture should be portrayed on screens and created division between african-american audiences spike lee who was raised in brooklyn new york is known for cinematic classics like do the right thing school days and malcolm x since his inception into the film world he has made it a point to push limits and develop a distinct film in style we have to try to expand the scope of the type of black films that are being made because it seems to be in two genres basically where the the comedy or you know the b boy drug dealer shoot him up action his first film she's gotta have it with self finance for 175 000 a remarkable accomplishment for the times the black and white comedy drama served as a catalyst for spike lee to go on and tell more impactful stories and gave strength to an independent mode of production that had never been seen within black cinema tyler perry who was born and raised in new orleans started off in theater his first play i know i've been changed open to empty seats where he would have to sell popcorn to compensate for the losses but he eventually started touring all over the country to sell our audiences 13 years later he released his first film diary of a mad black woman which triggered his medea franchise and set him on the track to owning the largest film studio in the united states into being the first african american to own a major production studio spike lee joins the complex examinations of life love culture and politics within the african-american community he has explored race relations and has confronted issues such as colorism and police brutality [Music] they're symbolic masterpieces that aim to drive conversations and uplift the community the brooklyn night has introduced many talented actors who we are fond of today giving us memorable first impressions what's the difference between my character and hollywood characters black people who are mine i feel are true and a lot of times there's a false because they know nothing about black people and their ideals about black perry's peop serve to mainly entertain by portraying black families in a comedic way i don't know why the hell i let you live in my house because you can't afford to see you by your damn self perry is best known for his medea franchise in which the mogul himself dresses as an elderly gun-toting black lady his films rely heavily on popular caricatures of black characters behaving in an outlandish man which end with a positive life lesson for people to take away these two opposite ways of representing the community are exactly where both of their differences collided differences that would lead to verbal blows in 2009 when the notably outspoken league criticized perry's work for being cornery and buffoonery each artist should be allowed to pursue the artistic endeavor but i still think there a lot of stuff that's on today is kunrin buffoonery and i know it's making a lot of money we could do better we're talking about tyler perry at this point no no i mean look [Applause] [Music] he was claiming that tyler's films were setting black america back in progress and put him on blast for making content he knew we'll receive high ratings despite the damage that it could cause for the community these are negroes we are talking about not some lab mice in a cage we are not one monolithic group of people we do not all think look and act alike miss goldfarb curry fired back at the filmmaker during a 60 minutes interview hey to tell you yeah it's so insulting it's attitudes like that that make hollywood think that these people do not exist and that's why there's no material speaking to them speaking to us you know that pisses me off it really does over the next 10 years the two cultural icons will go back and forth sending shots at each other over interviews and various other media sources and all the damage has been done through the imagery throughout the history of television and movies it's only black people that do this to each other i've never seen jewish people complaining about seinfeld i've never seen italian people complaining about the sopranos it's only us as negroes that do this to each other i've never ever ever said i'm speaking on behalf of 45 million african-americans this is my opinion and my opinion alone that is my answer to spike lee go to hell why the hell would i be worried about a spike lee or anybody else they all can go straight to hell everything i need to say about tyler praise been said the man's a brilliant businessman god bless him what do you mean by god bless may god bless him he told me go to hell i say god bless them [Music] this created a divide within african american film goers it created a debate around who was the most righteous out of the filmmakers and whose art forms were the most deserving of respect from the community lee's work has by no means been free of criticism over the years the way he has portrayed his characters in the past has been questionable but it is fair when it comes to spike's work at least the positive has often outweighed the negative and criticism of perry's work ain't nothing new many people have said that the writer director's movies are filled with stereotypical characters that exploit the black community one of those critics just happened to be spiked i read something the other day one critic had said that you were malt liquor for the masses are you offended by that why would i be upset with people who don't get it and when i tell you i have these messages by the millions from people of how my movies and work have spoken to them or their family so the ones who don't get it are not as important to me as the ones who do on the flip side others have claimed that spike is just a hater and is bitter of perry success he has been known to go at other directors in the past like quentin tarantino and clint eastwood so it is easy to see how this claim could hold some weight some of the resentment might stem from how perry has received funding so easy to create movies that in spice eyes are tasteless and like substance anything perry attaches his name to seems to automatically be given the go-ahead a position which the jungle fever director has never found himself in on one project he even resorted to starting a kickstarter campaign to appeal to his loyal audience for financial backing something that the medea creator wouldn't even have to think about doing you've got a lot of money you don't need to do this why would you go to kickstarter i think it's interesting first of all first of all you don't know how much money i have you never see me for never seen before in your life i've been doing kickstarter before there was kickstarter that's how i raised my my first and she's going to have it the whole hollywood game has changed now studios only want to make 10 pull films that could open on the same day globally and make trillions of dollars one thing perry does have is an amazing business model people can say what they want about the billionaire's quality of his films but he clearly knows what his audience wants and delivers it at the same time spike lee has always been mindful of telling the right stories in the right way and less concerned with turning over crazy profits at the box office there's still a limit to how much money they're going to spend on a black film if eddie murphy's not in it there's a there's a limit about how many theaters they're going to put it in there's a limit on how much they're going to spend on prints and advertising i told warner brothers from the get-go that this film had to be an epic there's no way malcolm x could be a two-hour film the subject matter demanded that there's no way that we wanted to skimp or the compromise you know some the magnitude of the story uh denzel took a huge cut i took a huge cut but we just you know took my salaries here but we wanted to get to get this film made does tyler perry's money-making machine mean his work should be free from being scrutinized and doesn't mean no one has the right to check him for the messages and representation he puts out into the world a lot of defense that perry shoots at his critics is that he makes art for black folks to enjoy and speaks black folks language let me tell you what medea brown all these characters are are bait disarming charming make you laugh bait so i can slap my dear in something and talk about god love faith forgiveness family any of those things lee wasn't going to give him a pass for that and his comments led them into a 10 year few of course our stories will be different doesn't mean that one is less important than the other they're just different stories it wasn't until 2019 that the pair looked like they finally settled their differences when lee surprisingly appeared on the red carpet of the grand opening ceremony of tyler perry's studio in atlanta i'm glad to be here it's an honor this historic night this is a historic night in in cinema you speak so much about black excellence and this man is gone from being homeless this man has gone from seeing his mother hit because he was sexual abuse he's gone through so much this american dream this american dream it was lee paying respect to perry's remarkable feat of now owning the largest production studio in the country and being the first african american to do so lee reportedly reached out to perry after he saw the media mogul's interview on oprah he then went over to tyler's home and they both hashed out their differences both of them getting back on good terms was a joyous moment as a lot of people thought these legends may never see ada again the both of them made it crystal clear that this view was over when tyler named one of his 12 purpose-built sound stages after spike lee himself paying homage to a fellow director who paved the way for people like him regardless of any issue they might have had in the past tyler later stated that out of all the criticism he received in his career it was spikes that stung the most as he was always someone he admired yeah we're mad cool now yeah you're mad cool yeah my criticism of him was was just the imagery for me it was just taste he has a ways to see stuff i see it differently he's doing a great thing we got no drama no friction and one day we might work together these two cultural giants went from feuding to now being back on common grounds one trail blazer critique and another turned into a cultural debate on race and representation on how black stories should be told people can only imagine what these guys could have achieved together if they never had their quarrel despite their differences in what people might think of them in their work both of them are certified film legends in their own right and have opened the doors for many by telling black stories spike and perry deserve their flowers and respect and they now have the chance to heal old wounds and make up for lost time and maybe we could have a collaboration between the two of them in the near future [Music] you

Channel: Reel Go-Getters

Views: 16,899

Keywords: tyler perry, spike lee, do the right thing, madea, tyler perry studios, spike lee joint, school daze, spike lee movies, tyler perry movies, black cinema, african american movies, black representation, reel black, tyler perry net worth, she's gotta have it, tyler perry forbes, oprah tyler perry, tyler perry spike lee beef, madea goes to jail, madea family reunion, jungle fever, bamboozled, crooklyn, old boy, tyler perry story

Id: HReLCJ4ihDk

Length: 14min 32sec (872 seconds)

Published: Wed Aug 31 2022