Spike Lee’s latest movie Da 5 Bloods about four African American veterans returning to Vietnam in search of the remains of their team leader, releasing this week on Netflix, couldn’t be more timely. Peter Bradshaw described it as “an explosion of satire and emotional agony about … the fact that black deaths count.” “It’s a rip-roaring adventure yarn, a modern-day remake of The Treasure Of The Sierra Madre and a deeply heartfelt tribute to the black men who risked their lives for their country overseas, only to find their country barely valued theirs once they returned home.”
African-Americans at the time complained they were disproportionately drafted, assigned to combat units and killed in Vietnam. In the early years of the war African-Americans, approximately 11 percent of the civilian population, made up 16.3 percent of draftees and 23 percent of combat troops. Yet few Vietnam War movies reflect their experience.
Spike Lee has been outspoken in his criticism of Trump describing him as Agent Orange and “that Klansman in the Oval office”. He says: He will “go down in history as the worst president of the United States Of America”. “If this guy wins (in 2020), the world is in peril. Not just the United States Of America. The world.”
Spike Lee was born 20 March 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia, his mother a teacher of arts and black literature and his father a jazz musician and composer. He was making films in college and never stopped with his company producing 35 films since 1983, earning multiple awards.
He’s (probably) a final degree Sun Pisces in an expansive opposition to Jupiter in Virgo and trine an innovative Uranus and sextile Mars in argumentative, outspoken Gemini. His Mars is also in a frustrated and do-or-die determined square to Pluto. He’s got a couple of Yods of Sun sextile Mars inconjunct Neptune; and Pluto sextile Neptune inconjunct Sun Mercury – a unique individual, who uses his outsider status to good effect.
Spike Lee’s Pluto is conjunct Trump’s Mars for an inflammatory chemistry of hostility and dislike; with his Saturn opposition Trump’s Uranus for more tension.
He looks aggravated this year with his Solar Arc Sun Mercury conjunct his Mars, and his Solar Arc Mars conjunct his Uranus. Though that may be more social and political than responses to his career. He’s on a good roll ahead with tr Pluto in a successful trine to his Jupiter from March 2021 through to late 2022 and beyond since tr Pluto moves onto a super-confident opposition to his Sun/Jupiter midpoint in 2022/23 and then forms an influential sextile to his Mercury Sun in 2023/24.
PHOTO CREDIT: ANDERS KRUSBERG / PEABODY AWARDS
Thank you very much Marjorie, saw it this morning, recommend it highly!
Thanks.. agree…v nice
It’s a fabulous film, the cast are so good.
Thank you for this!
I wonder if it will follow the usual pattern of US films about the long term impact of the Vietnam War where the Vietnamese are reduced to bit part players and stereotypes. Hollywood has virtually written them out of their own tragedy over the decades. Hat tip by the way to Max Hastings book on the Vietnam War which emphasised the sufferings of ordinary Vietnamese at the hands of all the various regimes and countries involved in the conflict.
A gifted and talented man who has made many thought-provoking films.
The brilliant “Malcolm X” which was snubbed for the hideous “Scent Of A Woman”, at 1993’s
Oscars seem very timely in light of the terrible events taking place in AmeriKKKa today.
Malcolm would be nodding his head in grim satisfaction, wherever he is now.