Facing Blackness

Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee's Bamboozled by Ashley Clark

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by Ashley Clark

Type

Essays

Subject

One Film > Bamboozled

Keywords

Spike Lee

Publishing date

2022

Publisher

Film Desk Books

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 129 pages
4 ¾ x 6 ½ inches (12 x 16.5 cm)

ISBN

979-8-9864463-2-5

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Book Presentation:
“In Facing Blackness, Ashley Clark traces the contours of Bamboozled, guiding readers through Lee’s intricate representation of race, politics, and popular culture. Clark moves beyond straightforward film criticism to situate the film within a complex history of blackness and American entertainment, making a powerful argument for its ongoing relevance and vitality. Thoughtful, rigorous, and witty, Facing Blackness is a thoroughly engaging analysis of this monumental film that is imperative reading for fans of Spike Lee and cinephiles more broadly.” —Racquel Gates, author of Double Negative: The Black Image and Popular Culture

“The value of Facing Blackness isn’t that Clark renders the film less challenging, but that he has thought through its implications in ways few, if any, have yet attempted. In so doing, he has shown that to understand Lee’s art, one has to deal with Bamboozled. It is, as Clark puts it, ‘the central work in Lee’s canon—the house on fire to which all roads lead.’ Facing Blackness doesn’t extinguish the fire, but rather maps the roads.” —Keith Watson, Slant Magazine

“Clark’s in-depth analysis of Bamboozled brilliantly validates and elucidates the importance of a forgotten cinematic treasure. This is essential reading for anyone interested in black film, black history, or America’s dark past.” —Kaleem Aftab, author of Spike Lee: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It

About the Author:
Ashley Clark is a writer, critic and film programmer. He was born in London, lives in Jersey City, and works in Manhattan. Facing Blackness, initially published in 2015, is his first book. This revised second edition contains a new foreword.

See the publisher website: Film Desk Books

See Bamboozled (2000) on IMDB ...