USA: Oscar nominated movie director Spike Lee gets ready to film "Strange" musical

Record ID: 863598

  • Title: USA: Oscar nominated movie director Spike Lee gets ready to film "Strange" musical
  • Date: 16th July 2008
  • Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA (JULY 9, 2008) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) FILM DIRECTOR SPIKE LEE SAYING: "I'm very nervous but for me nervous is good. I like challenges so even last night I saw the show, I was sitting in front row in the mezzanine. I had never seen show from up top. It's a whole different outlook and I said we need a camera here and one here. It's still forming in my mind. The formulation is still happening as to how we are going to do this." NEW YORK, NEW YORK, USA (JULY 9, 2008) (REUTERS) PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LEE SAYING: "I told Stu and Maya from the beginning, we are not trying to make this (Passing Strange) into a Spike Lee joint This is something great in itself . This is great already, cinematically we are just going to augment this and still preserve what they have done at the Public and the Belasco."
  • Embargoed: 31st July 2008 13:00
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  • Location: Usa
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  • Country: USA
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  • Reuters ID: LVADCKA4C82JR6VP9I8YKP6U470E
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  • Story Text: Film auteur Spike Lee gets ready to film hit Broadway musical "Passing Strange."
    Academy award nominated director Spike Lee is all set to take on Broadway, in a whole new role.
    Lee's cameras will capture the Tony Award winning musical "Passing Strange" in August.
    The musical, which opened at Manhattan's The Public Theater last summer, opened on Broadway in February of this year to rave reviews.
    The musical is an attempt to blend a rock concert and a Broadway show, a feat that is accomplished successfully judging by rave reviews and awards.
    Lee said he was looking forward to working on a new genre.
    Said Lee,
    "I'm very nervous but for me nervous is good. I like challenges so even last night I saw the show, I was sitting in front row in the mezzanine. I had never seen show from up top. It's a whole different outlook and I said we need a camera here and one here. It's still forming in my mind. The formulation is still happening as to how we are going to do this."
    The show will be filmed several times with an audience and several times in an empty theater. Lee said he did not want his famous 'Spike Lee' stamp on the final result.

    "I told Stu and Maya from the beginning, we are not trying to make this (Passing Strange) into a Spike Lee joint This is something great in itself . This is great already, cinematically we are just going to augment this and still preserve what they have done at the Public and the Belasco."
    Lee was recently in the news for sparring with director Clint Eastwood, over Eastwood's two films, 'Flags of Our Fathers' and 'Letters from Iwo Jima.' Lee had earlier claimed Eastwood undermined the African American role in the historic battles but at the press conference, he said he had made his peace with Eastwood.

    "Me and Clint we are cool we are very cool. Hey I got nothing but love for Clint Eastwood," said Lee.
    The film version of the Broadway musical is slated for release later this summer.
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