spike lee

It was not a waste. If you noticed, directors tended to take one of two roads. One style was to imitate a scene that the Lumiere brothers would have filmed themselves, such as the train stop in the beginning, the focus being placed on the fact that life can be recorded, and not on what is being recorded. Other directors, such as Lynch, attempted to juxtapose the modern, and much "larger", style of filmmaking with the very basic camera. I found Lee's choice to be very interesting, even if it was not the most "exciting." It is the same as Dada. It isn't the final product, but the process that is important, and I think this is what Spike Lee was after. Maybe not though, as I am not Spike Lee.

Well, you are certainly entitled to that opinion. But here's what I saw. Lee at his best has always filmed the fundamentals; familial relationsihps, love, tragedy, hope, jealosy, beatrayal, david and goliath stuff. He's best when he gets down to the real basic themes.

I think this was an extension of that: a father has 30 seconds to film something, and he devotes it entirely to his daughter. Listen to him coach her behind the camera... Is is hopeful? doubtful? too forceful towards the girl? The answers to these questions tell us about the man himself. After all, I think this film is more about the directors than anyone else: it answers the question; what would this director or that director do if we striped away all their tools? What is their basest intention with film.

So, I was actually most intrigued by Lee's segment, and find it the most memorable. Mostly because it was so inexplciable: why take (waste?) 30 seconds to film this? I think the answer reveals a great deal about Lee as a filmaker.

On the other hand, this may have been hastened job... Lee may not have taken this project too seriously, or did not have too much time/money to invest in it.

I had the same reaction when I first saw the film, but now I'm not so sure. Using pre-sound equipment to make a movie about getting a baby to talk seems appropriate in a way, since films were silent in the Lumieres' day and I don't recall that the baby ever said anything... Eventually the 'baby' (filmmaking) did talk, and we ended up with 'the talkies'!

he should always be embarassed of himself. overrated as hell.

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becoming became; undoing undone.