Did The Directors Of ALI (2001) & RAY (2004)...

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rip.dilla
rip.dilla Members Posts: 17,412 ✭✭✭✭✭
edited December 2010 in Lights, Camera, Action!
... being white guys (Michael Mann and Taylor Hackford respectively) do a good job on these two films about two GREAT BLACK ICONS?

I've seen both of them and they both have a largely African American cast. Did they capture the ESSENCE and CULTURE of Blacks in these films.

Speak on it people.
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  • rage
    rage Members Posts: 5,858 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2010
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    They did a great job in capturing the essence and culture of the respective historical times and figures...you can't capture the essence of "black people". Black people arent some monolith that can be represented in one fell swoop.
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  • Ekscape
    Ekscape Members Posts: 1,842
    edited December 2010
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    rip.dilla wrote: »
    ... being white guys (Michael Mann and Taylor Hackford respectively) do a good job on these two films about two GREAT BLACK ICONS?

    I've seen both of them and they both have a largely African American cast. Did they capture the ESSENCE and CULTURE of Blacks in these films.

    Speak on it people.

    wait... why don't you go watch them your self before making this thread?
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  • rip.dilla
    rip.dilla Members Posts: 17,412 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited December 2010
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    Ekscape wrote: »
    wait... why don't you go watch them your self before making this thread?

    I have.

    I heard Spike was originally pencilled to direct Ali, but didn't go through for some reasons. Prolly 'cos he had done a biopic before (Malcolm X)

    And I don't think he'd had gotten the same budget handed over to Mann.

    I also read both him (Mann) and Will had to cough some dough 'cos the production costs were rising.
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] rubbed off from friction Posts: 0 ✭✭✭
    edited December 2010
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    The user and all related content has been deleted.
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  • antoseeg
    antoseeg Members Posts: 306 ✭✭✭
    edited December 2010
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    I believe Ray did. Ali was more of an inspirational movie and didn't really delve into who Ali really is. It kind of just showed him as a ? and a hero. They left out some of the self-hating racist things he said about Joe Frasier being black and they made him seem like a tool for the Nation Of Islam instead of a ? .
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  • #Kew
    #Kew Members Posts: 299
    edited December 2010
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    rip.dilla wrote: »
    I have.

    I heard Spike was originally pencilled to direct Ali, but didn't go through for some reasons. Prolly 'cos he had done a biopic before (Malcolm X)

    And I don't think he'd had gotten the same budget handed over to Mann.

    I also read both him (Mann) and Will had to cough some dough 'cos the production costs were rising.

    I read somewhere that spike said will got to choose the director and since he was hung up on winning an oscar he chose Mann over him to "play it safe'...
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  • master_mentor
    master_mentor Members Posts: 222 ✭
    edited December 2010
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    #Kew wrote: »
    I read somewhere that spike said will got to choose the director and since he was hung up on winning an oscar he chose Mann over him to "play it safe'...

    Ali wanted that definately Will plays him and gave the studio the freedom to choose the people they wanted.
    Michael Mann and Spike Lee were both interested in the job, where Spike's focus were more on the historical/political figure Muhammad Ali and not the boxer.
    Kerry Washington said once about Spike that he is focused to deliver a overall great picture and doesn't care much about the actors.
    I think that was the keypoint why they choose Michael Mann. He could show Will the path from Fresh Prince to becoming Ali. Plus he did a great job with Hurricane.

    The movie was great and inspirational, but it was not a classic like Malcolm X. Will did the best acting performance of his career...
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