Much Ado About Nothing… / Summer of Sam De Spike Lee]

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Much Ado About Nothing… / Summer of Sam De Spike Lee] Document generated on 09/30/2021 1:10 a.m. 24 images Much Ado About Nothing… Summer of Sam de Spike Lee Gilles Marsolais Quand la culture devient marchandise Number 98-99, Fall 1999 URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/25046ac See table of contents Publisher(s) 24/30 I/S ISSN 0707-9389 (print) 1923-5097 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this review Marsolais, G. (1999). Review of [Much Ado About Nothing… / Summer of Sam de Spike Lee]. 24 images, (98-99), 88–88. Tous droits réservés © 24 images, 1999 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ Summer of Sam de Spike Lee MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING PAR GILLES MARSOLAIS pike Lee s'est imposé avec Do déluge d'effers visuels et sonores, il S the Right Thing (1989) et procède à la description d'un groupe Jungle Fever (1991) qui se dis­ social d'une façon qui, même à travers tinguent par leur style enfiévré et le sa cocasserie, peut ressembler à un radicalisme de leur contenu, à une règlement de comptes tribal (imaginez époque où le militantisme semblait la réaction si Forcier se permettait de relégué aux oubliettes. Cette fois, focaliser de la même façon sur des Summer of Sam lessive littéralemenr «ethniques» du cru). On se souvient le spectateur à travers ses deux heures du rôle peu reluisant joué par les et vingt minutes, non par l'audace de Iraliens dans ses films précédents: son propos mais par la façon tonitru­ Spike Lee aurait-il des comptes à ante de l'aborder. régler ou cède-t-il à une facilité scé- Axé sur un fait divers de meur­ narisrique? tres en série commis à New York du­ De fait, au moyen d'une accu­ rant le chaud été de 1977 par le «Fils mulation de clichés et de situations de Sam» (alias David Berkowitz) qui répétitives dans lesquelles la caricature attaquait surtout des jeunes femmes emblématique des Gino finit par seules du Bronx et plus encore des s'enliser, en ressassant ad nauseam les couples surpris dans leur auto en train musiques-cultes disco et au prix d'une de forniquer, il vise à restituer le cli­ «analyse» à courte vue (sous-entendu: mat de peur et de paranoïa, alimenté inventée par les Blancs, la musique par les journaux à sensation, qui avait disco aurait décetvelé toute une alors gagné certains quartiers de la génération), Spike Lee dénonce les Grosse Pomme. L'aspect «documen­ travers de la société blanche qu'il juge taire» du fait divers authentique cède abrutie et infréquentable. Par contre, vite la place à l'illustration fantasmée il procède en proposant un renverse­ par Spike Lee d'une chasse aux sor­ ment de point de vue amusant: cières enrreprise au sein de la com­ Adrien Brody et John Leguizamo. l'événement ne concerne ici que les munauté italienne et fondée comme Blancs er aucun Noir n'inrervienr dans il se doit sur l'ignorance et les pré­ le récir, sauf un reporter (incarné par jugés. La musique occupe rour l'espace, au Spike Lee) chargé de le commenter. Cette battue prend forme sur l'avis point où elle dicte même les comportements Il en résulte au total un film dense, d'un responsable local de la mafia er à l'ini­ de tout un chacun. C'est ainsi qu'un punk mais lourd et impersonnel, traversé à la fois tiative de quelques adolescents attardés qui bon genre, Ritchie (Adrien Brody), gogo- par des moments de grâce et des passages à se constituent en un groupe informel boy à ses heures dans un club gay, se voit vite vide, laissant une impression générale de d'autodéfense. L'occasion est belle, dès lors, pointé du doigt à cause de sa différence er déjà vu. Ainsi, quand la bande-son nous en et Spike Lee en profite, de brosser un por­ livré à la vindicte de ce groupe disco. Ce choc laisse le loisir, on se surprend à établir des trait gratiné de la communauté italienne de deux «culrures» nous vaut une incur­ rapprochements, qui ne sont pas forcément du Bronx: une mafia locale décrépite, une sion «live» au club CBGB de la 42e Rue où des hommages, avec d'autres cinéastes et jeunesse à côté de ses pompes, branchée dis­ rappliquent les demeurés italo-disco endi­ d'autres films des années 70, dont Scorsese co mais totalement déconnectée de ses pro­ manchés (fans du fameux Studio 54) pour pour la typologie de certains personnages, et pres racines et du réel, qui n'a rien dans la coincer ce punk déviant. l'incontournable Saturday Night Fever. M tête mais tout dans les pectoraux mis en Spike Lee court plusieurs lièvres à la valeur par les tee-shirts moulants de l'épo­ fois. En toile de fond, il propose comme un SUMMER OF SAM que. La charge est féroce mais sujette à leurre le filon du tueur en série tout en se États-Unis 1999. Ré.: Spike Lee. See.: Victor polémique, d'autant plus que l'un de ces jouant du genre, randis que, à l'avant-plan, Colicchio, Michael Imperioli, Spike Lee. Ph.: «ritals» (Vinze/John Leguizamo), qui trou­ Ellen Kuras. Mont.: Barry Alexander Brown. il exploite la dimension musicale comme Mus.: Terence Blanchard. Int.: John Legui­ ve normal d'enculer la cousine de sa femme, porteuse de systèmes de valeurs. Aussi, à zamo, Mira Sorvino, Adrien Brody, Jennifer est surtout préoccupé d'avoir été vu par le travers un nombre important de person­ Esposito, Anthony LaPaglia. 142 minutes. tueur. nages auxquels il rente de donner vie par un Couleur. Dist.: Buena Vista. 88 N°98-99 24 IMAGES .
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