Despite receiving some great reviews on his latest film, 'Django Unchained,' director Quentin Tarantino can't count on fellow director Spike Lee as one of his fans. During a recent interview with Vibe, Lee said he would not watch Tarantino's new spaghetti western.
"I can't speak on it 'cause I'm not gonna see it," the 'Red Hook Summer' director said. "The only thing I can say is it's disrespectful to my ancestors, to see that film."
Over the weekend, Lee continued to express his opinion towards the new film on Twitter, igniting a conversation on slavery and Hollywood with his followers. On Saturday, Lee tweeted, "American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western.It Was A Holocaust.My Ancestors Are Slaves.Stolen From Africa.I Will Honor Them."
He later added that he was merely stating his opinion and was not discouraging others from seeing the film, which opened on Tuesday, December 25, 2012.
According to the New York Times, the director, whose recent project deals with race and class in the Brooklyn neighborhood, has had issues with Tarantino's work before. He has especially taken offense to Tarantino's use of the n-word in his latest film, featuring Jamie Foxx, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson.
In 1997, when Tarantino's 'Jackie Brown' was released, Lee said, "I have a definite problem with Quentin Tarantino's excessive use of the n-word. And let the record state that I never said that he cannot use that word-I've used that word in many of my films-but I think something is wrong with him," according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Tarantino's use of the n-word in 'Django Unchained' has stirred up some controversy. Despite this, Salon reported that the film is doing "surprisingly well in the box office, breaking the opening record for an R-rated release on Christmas Day."
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