Many people were outraged that “Green Book,” another movie about a white savior rescuing a Black man, won Best Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards on Sunday night. However, Spike Lee had the best reaction of them all.
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After the always outspoken filmmaker won his first competitive Oscar last night for Best Adapted Screenplay for “BlackKklansman,” he was in the press room and asked if his Academy Award win made up for “Do the Right Thing” being snubbed and famously losing to “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1989.
“I’m snake-bit,” Lee replied. “Every time someone’s driving somebody, I lose!” He then laughed and said, “They changed the seating arrangement!”
Lee wasn’t the only person who outraged about the win for “Green Book.” Twitter has been slamming the win, especially for the filmmakers not thanking the musician on stage.
Producer Nick Vallelonga said in the press room, “You get nervous up there. Mahershala thanked Don. If you’re discussing the Don Shirley family thing, that falls on me. Don Shirley himself told me to not talk to anyone. … He was an amazing man. He told me, ‘If you’re going to tell the story, you tell it from your father and me.’ And also he told me, ‘Don’t tell it until I pass away.'”
He also added of the musician’s family, “We invited them to all the screenings and to discussions. I was personally not allowed to speak to his family, per Don Shirley’s wishes. … Don Shirley and my father had an amazing story together.”
The outrage doesn’t stop there. Trump was also enraged by Lee’s acceptance speech where he said, “Before the world tonight, I give praise to our ancestors who have built this country into what it is today along with the genocide of its native people. We all connect with our ancestors. We will have love and wisdom regained, we will regain our humanity. It will be a powerful moment.” He said the 2020 presidential election was just “around the corner” and “let’s all mobilize. Let’s all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let’s do the right thing! You know I had to get that in there.”
This obviously got to Trump, who tweeted, “Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!”
See the reactions below to “Green Book,” Spike Lee and Trump.
