In this article, Donal Bogle looks at how the portrayal of blacks an American film has developed and transformed and how it may continue to change. He highlights the change in political views, social drives and emergence of the new style of cinema in the 1990s present in movies such as Spike Lee’s Clockers. Bogle discusses how African Americans filmmakers created this new kind of cinema which placed a heavy emphasis on their culture. The new filmmakers and new stars helped to divert the African American cinema toward this new and more truthful direction. Bogle thinks the change in the style and presentation of these movies has helped to create a more truthful and influential film for its viewers.
Chan, Kenneth. "The Construction of Black Male Identity in Black Action Films of the Nineties." Cinema Journal. 37.2 (1998): 35-48 . Print.
Kenneth Chan’s review of Spike Lee’s Clockers analyzes how this film is different from similar movies of t this genre that attempt to explore and understand the African American male dilemma. Chan discusses the characterization of the black male and argues that to some extent, his character – that of an African American male- is supposed to calm and reassure an uneasy white audience. This dilemma that black males end up in shows the hypocrisy of our society where a guy such as the one played by Isiaah Washington in Clockers attempts to make ends meet with minimal success. In a moment of rage, his penned up anger at the institution drives to commit murder which of course ruins the rest of his life. So does society victimize black males to the extent that they are charged with felonies simply because that is the identity we associate with black males? This is what Chan discusses using Clockers.
Contemporary African American Cinema 2002: p.101-116. Web 19 Apr 2010.
This review examines six movies released in the nineties that represent popular contemporary works and exhibit qualities that define this period of African American film-making. It looks at the affect Clockers has had on African American cinema and how Spike Lee has heavily influenced the production of these kinds of movies. The review investigates how the movie’s intended audience has shifted from only African American in order to address a more diverse audience. Other elements and methods present in the movie also help to mediate Lee’s strong opinions to his movie viewers. The review discusses the roles of some major characters in the movie and how they help to reveal Lee’s key intentions and purposes for creating the movie.
Massood, Paula J. "Which Way to the Promised Land?: Spike Lee's Clockers and the Legacy of the African American City." African American Review. 35.2 (2001): 263-279. Print.
This review evaluates how Spike Lee infuses Clockers with the African American history in an urban setting while broadening the scope of hood films. Hood films refer to movies set in the ghetto with minority characters. Such films usually focus on the world of drugs, sex, and crime. Massood compares Lee’s Clockers to films like Boyz N the Hood to better understand how Clockers fulfills and transcends generic attributes of hood films.
McCarthy, Todd. "Clockers." Variety 4 Sept 1995: n. pag. Web. 19 Apr 2010.
The original screenplay was to be directed by Martin Scorsese who decided to direct Casino instead leaving the film Clockers to Spike Lee. The original screenplay focused on a white officer and his interactions with the drug and gun culture but once, Spike Lee took charge of the project, the script was shifted to focus on a young ‘clocker’ and the struggles he experiences. This particular source discusses Lee’s unapologetic style especially the close ups of victims of brutality and violence in the beginning sequence. Through his unique style, Lee shot a gangster film without utilizing any of the typical styles found in gangster films – the music is key in this comparison because Lee does not limit the soundtrack to hardcore gangster rap, but he also uses soul music.
Quart, Leonard. “Spike Lee’s Clockers: A Lament for the Urban Ghetto.” Cineaste Apr 1996: n. pag. Web 19 Apr 2010.
In this review, Leonard Quart investigates how the film Clockers displays the American ghetto in a very truthful and dark way. The movie was released around the same time other “ghettocentric” films were, but Spike Lee intended Clockers to be the final and most absolute movie from this genre. Quart discusses how the movie’s pessimistic and gloomy mood creates an intense and influential mood that helps to convey Lee’s depiction of the urban ghetto. However, even though Lee effectively creates a socially significant and emotional film, the movie did not receive much commercial success. Quart investigates flaws of the movies that may have caused this but mainly illuminates why the movie is such a significant and meaningful film.
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