Friends and family of a married Black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.Friends and family of a married Black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.Friends and family of a married Black architect react in different ways to his affair with an Italian secretary.
- Awards
- 6 wins & 11 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSamuel L. Jackson had just undergone treatment for drug addiction, and had only two weeks from his discharge from rehab to the start of filming. Jackson has gone on record as saying that Gator's ravaged look was not make-up, but actually the result of Jackson's own detoxification.
- GoofsAt the start of the film, Flipper Purify tells his boss that he objects to having a white secretary, and instead demands "a woman of color." That would have resulted in his dismissal, especially in a New York City company. Such a demand would have been in open violation of local, state and federal civil rights laws banning discrimination in hiring based on race.
- Quotes
Lucinda Purify: What happened to the color TV?
Gator Purify: Mama, I smoked the color TV!
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits are printed on roadsigns that move across the frame.
- ConnectionsEdited into 2 Everything 2 Terrible 2: Tokyo Drift (2010)
- SoundtracksBless This House
Music by May H. Brahe
Words by Helen Taylor
Used by permission of Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., ASCAP
Performed by Mahalia Jackson
Courtesy of Columbia Records
by arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
Featured review
With some interesting ideas about racism, some creative camera-work, and generally solid acting, there is enough in this film to make it worth checking out, albeit not enough to make it a great film. Spike Lee's depiction of a modern society build about racism lacks credibility, as it is hard to believe that the only thing the characters care about is racism-related. Lee's colour scheme hurts the film too, as the hues, in particular the oranges, are very harsh on the eyes, this distracting one from the on screen action. There are also some drug addiction subplots fitted in, to no certain advantage, and despite Terence Blanchard providing a nice multi-style score, it is used rather awkwardly throughout. Plus, there one large unanswered question: is Lee endorsing segregation and racism in the film? Believe it or not, in spite of these problems, the film has enough in it for adequate viewing. Seeing Halle Berry in her first big screen appearance is quite interesting, and Queen Latifah makes her debut appearance too as a waitress. It is very well shot, competently acted and it provides some things to think about, even if it is not too great overall stuff.
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Details
Box office
- Budget
- $14,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $32,482,682
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $5,332,860
- Jun 9, 1991
- Gross worldwide
- $43,882,682
- Runtime2 hours 12 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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