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From 'She's Gotta
Have It' and 'Malcolm X' to his forthcoming release, '25th Hour',
Spike Lee has had a prolific career.
Few independent
filmmakers can match his claim to helming 16 features before the
age of 45 and establishing a reputation as one of the industry's
most influential directors.
While his work
has never shunned controversy, Lee's latest project looks set to
attract bouquets and brickbats in equal measure.
Unsavoury
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| Ed
Norton in '25th Hour' |
In '25th Hour'
Ed Norton stars as a convicted drug dealer who spends his final
day of freedom tying up the emotional loose ends in his life before
heading to jail for seven long years.
The idea of a film
taking place over a 24-hour period came from the source material,
David Benioff's novel of the same name, which was published
in 2001.
And the fact that
the main character was so unsavoury did little to faze the battle-hardened
Spike Lee:
"I don't
choose which films to direct based on how sympathetic the characters
are," insists the director, "A lot of times unsympathetic
characters make the best movies, have the best stories. That's how
I choose my projects."
Impactful
For Academy Award
nominee Ed Norton, recently seen in 'Fight Club' and 'American History
X', '25th Hour' is "a story with a cautionary intent."
"He's a
great actor," says Lee about his leading man, "It
was easy to think of Ed in the lead role. We've expressed interest
in working together over a long period of time. It's all about timing
and it worked out."
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| Spike
Lee: "Every film is impactful" |
"Every
film is impactful," he elaborates further, "You
grow, you gather a group of people who become an intense family
over a short time and, hopefully, the end product is something you're
going to be proud of."
Accolades
'25th Hour' is
one of Lee's strongest films to date and the 44-year-old American
star was recently honoured in London with a special award from BAFTA.
Previous recipients
of BAFTA special awards include Sir John Mills, Audrey
Hepburn and Dame Maggie Smith.
Lee's response
to such accolades? "I love filmmaking. I hope I never get
jaded," he told BBC London, "It's hard work
y'know, and the stuff you have to go through is a pain in the ass,
but I love it."
'25th Hour' is
released in London in February 2003.
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Entertainment
correspondent Brenda Emmanus talks to Spike Lee.
With exclusive footage of '25th Hour' featuring Ed Norton,
Brian Cox, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Barry
Pepper and Rosario Dawson. 
Listen live
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through amazing shots of London from high up in a helicopter!