The nation's largest Italian American coalition of anti-bias activists, blasted Director Spike Lee for his hypocrisy in recent statements he made about the movie, "Django Unchained" and announced it would induct Lee into its "Hall of Shame" for his history of bigoted themes running through his films.
"As an anti-bias group, we certainly don't support or condone whatever objectionable language or portrayals may have been made in 'Django Unchained' about any ethnic group," said ONE VOICE President Andre' DiMino. "But to have
Spike Lee criticize a fellow filmmaker for negative portrayals in movies is grossly hypocritical."
DiMino referenced Lee's notorious track record of vile and negative portrayals of Italian Americans in numerous movies he has made including "Summer of Sam" which is perhaps the most horrific portrayal of Italian Americans in modern cinema.
"When it comes to Italian Americans,
Spike Lee has NEVER done the right thing," DiMino further noted. "One wonders if
Spike Lee is indeed a racist who hates Italians and why he harbors a grudge."
For his constant negative portrayals of Italian Americans, ONE VOICE announced it will induct Lee into it's' "Hall of Shame" following conclusion of an archival project of his most offensive scenes. Among the movies and/or portrayals to be archived:
"Summer of Sam" - Inundated with profanity and littered with anti-Italian prejudicial slurs, this movie rapidly descends into a panoply of negative character portrayals, with Italian Americans as mobsters, drug dealers, drug addicts, racists, deviants, buffoons, bimbos, and sex-crazed fiends. One reviewer, John Savers, suggests Lee's vile portrayal of Italians was done deliberately. He stated, "It did not take long to get the impression that a number was being done on the Italians," "the women are often laughed at and being promiscuous," and, "this film is resoundingly focused on low life Italian grouping". Mr. Saver states this film has little to do with the Son of Sam but the subject was "used as a pretext to HAMMER ITALIANS" http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrhzlf_summer-of-sam-tophat_shortfilms
"Do The Right Thing"- portrayals of racist Italian American Pizzeria owner (
Danny Aiello) and his son Pino (
John Turturro).
"Jungle Fever"- An Italian American secretary (
Annabella Sciorra) has an affair with her African American boss, then gets a violent beating from her violent Italian American father (
Frank Vincent), when he learns she is seeing an African American man.
"She Hate Me"- Jack, an African American, is an unappreciated corporate whistle-blower (
Anthony Mackie), who somehow becomes a stud hired to impregnate lesbians at $10,000 each. Jack is approached by and "obliges" a Mafia princess (
Monica Bellucci), the beautiful lesbian daughter of stereotypical, Don-Corleone-imitating, father mob boss (
John Turturro), who sends thugs after Jack to break his legs.
"Inside Man" - Lee's movie about a bank robbery features a racist Italian American cop (
James Ransone).
"Miracle at St. Anna"- Lee once again flipped historic reality of the Nazi slaughter of 566 Italians by knowingly and falsely portraying Italians as collaborating with the slaughter. When confronted by concerns of Italian veterans groups over this falsification, Lee in a 2008 article in The Guardian arrogantly responded: "I am not apologizing for anything. I think these questions are evidence that there is still a lot about your history during the war that you [the Italians] have got to come to grips with."
DiMino noted "Summer of Sam" and "Miracle at St. Anna" were especially "insidious" since Italians and Italian Americans were, in reality, victims of assault and murders in both instances. "Lee falsely flipped reality into an opportunity to launch some of the worse cinematic attacks on Italian Americans ever seen."
ONE VOICE is different from all other Italian American groups in that its sole mission is to fight bias, stereotyping and discrimination against Italian Americans. ONE VOICE Founder and Chairman, Manny Alfano issues a regular email newsletter, "The Alfano Digest," to more than 5,000 individuals and Italian American organizations nationwide. For info on ONE VOICE: iaovc.org, Twitter #iaonevoice and on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Peter James Zielinski
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