Samuel L. Jackson's Cannes glory
Tuesday, June 9, 2020 at 10:00PM ;)
If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn't happened, Spike Lee would have presided over this year's Cannes jury. When the festival made public their selections for 2020, I wondered which of those titles would have been rewarded by Lee's jury. It was particularly interesting to consider the director's jury presidency because he's had a somewhat contentious relationship with Europe's most prestigious film festival. Back in 1989, many believed Lee should have won the Palme d'Or for Do the Right Thing (they were right) and, when he came out empty-handed, there was a storm of controversy over the jury's decisions. Two years later, that polemic was still on people's minds as the filmmaker presented Jungle Fever at the Croisette.
Spike Lee would go on to win the Grand Jury Prize for his third film in competition, 2018's BlacKKKlansman, but that wasn't the first time one of his movies had won a Cannes prizes. 1991's aforementioned Jungle Fever managed to win a most unusual prize thanks to Samuel L. Jackson…
Samuel L. Jackson has long been a star now, but his movie success came later in life than one might expect. While studying marine biology in Morehouse College, Atlanta, Jackson joined an acting group, gaining a taste for the performing arts in the process. He'd go on to change his major and pursue a career in acting that started on stage but quickly moved to television and cinema. In 1973, Jackson got his first film role in the blaxploitation flick Together for Days. The part was a supporting one and that would be a constant during the first decades of the actor's career. For a long time, the only sizeable roles that Jackson could get were found on stage. In fact, it was after a performance of A Soldier's Play that he was introduced to Spike Lee, the man who would become one of his most important collaborators.
The director would cast him in some of his earlier pictures, including School Daze and the calcinating Do the Right Thing, but none of those movies proved to be enough to make the actor famous. That would change in 1991, when, after coming out of rehab, 42-year-old Samuel L. Jackson played a small but important role in Lee's Jungle Fever. That picture about interracial relations is a bit of a mess, but its cast is beyond great, every actor sinking their teeth into meaty roles with delirious abandonment.
Among them, Jackson shines brightest, imbuing the character of a self-destructive drug addict with charm, visceral authenticity, and even some humor. As erratic as he is watchable, Jackson's like a hurricane that tears through the mercurial melodrama of the movie with furious intensity. His scenes with Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis' as his bereaved parents are of particular excellence, twisting the picture into a tragedy of operatic proportion.
Reeling from the bad press of the Do The Right Thing controversy and rightfully astounded by Jackson's work, the Cannes jury of 1991 made a somewhat unprecedented decision in the festival's history. From 1979 to 1981, there had been an expansion of the acting categories, allowing for the specific awarding of supporting actors and not just leads. That was a short-lived experiment and, by 1982, Cannes went back to only giving Best Actor and Actress prizes, with no space for the recognition of performers in more limited roles. That temporarily changed during Jungle Fever's year, when the jury decided to go against the festival's rules and handed out another Best Supporting Actor prize, though not a matching trophy for actresses. Samuel L. Jackson was the winner of that honor.
This unexpected success made Jackson a star to watch and he naturally received awards buzz to move into the fall and winter, including a victory at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. After Jungle Fever, his roles got bigger and showier and a few years later he was an Oscar nominee for his work in Tarantino's Pulp Fiction (1994). The rest is history. While recent years full of collecting paychecks on autopilot as Marvel's Nick Fury might have made people forget it, Samuel L. Jackson is one hell of an actor. Whenever he challenges himself and gets a project worth his salt, the results are astounding.
That being said, it's difficult to imagine Jackson's career turning out as it did without Lee's support and the amazing showcase that is Jungle Fever. The juries of Cannes may be wrong more times than they're right, but that '91 Best Supporting Actor trophy is one of their best decisions.
Maybe Spike Lee's jury would have made similar choices this past month had COVID-19 not happened? We'll never know. At least not for the 2020 slate. Spike Lee will preside over next summer's Cannes jury instead. Lee's latest feature, Da 5 Bloods is coming to Netflix on June 12th. Don't miss it.
Reader Comments (20)
Samuel L Jackson has willfully chosen to forgo ever pushing himself beyond his comfort zone performance wise. He has said he does not adjust his performance for directors so they get what they paid for when they cast him. He'll only make sense as an honorary Oscar recipient.
Jungle Fever feels like Spike Lee started writing one amazing movie, then decided to write a different amazing movie halfway through the process. I think most of the film is unquestionably amazing, but I have problems viewing it as a cohesive whole. There are two great family dramas dueling it out in this movie. As amazing as Jackson is, my MVP is Lonette McKee as the hurt, confused, and just sexy as hell wife. This is a hot couple making loud love in the mornings. An affair on either side just seems foolish and hurtful because it doesn’t seem to make much sense. The scene where she and a group of Black women talk about white women is so hilarious and real, but ultimately heartbreaking when McKee’s character comes to the realization that details aside, something that meant so much is now gone. But on the flip side, the story of the ravages of drugs on a family where religion is ever present, but not saving anybody is just as good as the rest. A masterwork of a combination, that maybe could’ve been two individual masterpieces.
Val -- I couldn't agree more, though I'd add that there's a third film going on inside JUNGLE FEVER and that's the romance between the characters of Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. While there's a lot to love about the tale of the jilted wife and the family tragedy of drug abuse, that romance plot doesn't work and it's the one that the movie spends most time in. It ends up feeling incredibly incoherent, full of potential that's left unfulfilled and muddled. I love the cinema of Spike Lee but, some obvious disasters aside (OLDBOY), this might be the greatest disappointment in his filmography.
Still, I love the cast. Jackson, Lonette McKee, and Ruby Dee are my MVPs, but the other actors do wonderful work too. Even when going off the rails in terms of structure and writing, Lee is a stupendous director of actors.
/3rtful - While the actor said that, I don't think that's an accurate assessment of his career. Jackson might say he doesn't change his approach, but looking at his work in movies like Jungle Fever, Eve's Bayou, and Django Unchained, we find very different performances that are adjusted to the tonalities demanded by their scripts and direction. I often think artists are terrible at describing their own work, it has to be said, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
Personally, I'd have given him two Oscars. Best Supporting Actor 1991 for this and Best Actor 1994 for PULP FICTION. I confess I'm a big fan of his.
Thanks for the feedback.
Claudio, good article as always! Samuel L. Jackson makes me deeply depressed. He indeed has insane raw talent as an actor, and at the start of his career, he was astounding. But I'd argue he's given twenty years of either very lazy or full-on bad performances outside of Django, in which he was truly inspired again. He was fun again in the original Kingsman movie too. But his career ultimately feels like a true snooze. He's rarely challenged himself or created a fresh, dynamic character, or has attached himself to an interesting, original project. It bums me out. Sorry, we agree to disagree on SLJ. Peace.
Claudio - I think you’re absolutely spot on about that third movie. The romance is the element that drags the whole thing down, but I think that was part of the design. I was around 12 when this movie came, so forgive me if I’m confusing details, but I don’t think Lee ever intended to show the romance in “romantic” or even good terms. I remember reading hearing that he and Annabella Sciorra had very different takes on the idea. She seems to have felt that there could have been a solid, loving relationship there without all of the outside societal pressure, and I think Spike Lee said, rather bluntly, that she was just wrong. I don’t know enough his personal views to say if this is just in regards to these characters, or if should be taken as a statement on his view of interracial relationships as a whole (at least back in 91). In regards to the film, it does seem to be least interested in the couple, and things do take a step back when the focus is on them.
Great article, per usual, and always great conversation here. Thanks everyone (especially Nathaniel) for making this a great space for movie lovers.
I really like Jungle Fever (even if I admit that it’s very messy!) Samuel L. Jackson is my MVP but I’m also a fan of the work by Ruby Dee and Anabella Sciorra here - perhaps a controversial opinion but I also like Wesley Snipes in this very much, even if his finest performance of the year is in a different film (New Jack City).
Agreed that writing off the last 20 years of his career is unfair - Django Unchained has already been mentioned, but this period also contains (in my opinion) his greatest performance to date - Black Snake Moan in 2007 - the film won’t be to everyone’s taste but he’s absolutely excellent and anchors the problematic and “grindhouse” tone to something deeper and more human (Christina Ricci and S. Epatha Merkerson also put in great work too).
The 1989 Cannes Film Festival was many years ago. I think it is a disservice to say Spike Lee was denied a Palme d'Or for Do The Right Thing without a little more detail.
The most consistent tale I have heard behind the defeat of Spike Lee's frontrunner at Cannes is that Jury President Wim Wenders was dismissive of Mookie and questioned the character's motivation. Another juror, Sally Field, privately met with Lee and told him of Wenders's remarks.
Lee did not respond well. Decades later he admitted his response was "stupid" and "very immature." Lee was quoted at the time, “Wim Wenders had better watch out cause I’m waiting for his ass. Somewhere deep in my closet I have a Louisville Slugger bat with Wenders’s name on it.”
The off putting outburst lingered and certainly played a role in Do The Right Thing failing to gain recognition by multiple award-giving groups. Even the NAACP Image Awards skirted the film and gave its Best Picture prize that year to Lean on Me, a feel good bio pic about an inner city school principal.
Sorry, I find Samuel Jackson's performances over the years same-old, same old. But kudos to Claudio who writes well and beautifully justifies his stand like he did with the Viola piece (again I beg to differ as that performance in Widows wasn't even anywhere near her best).
I wish he'd do one more daring role and give his career something in it's later years,Seems like he isn't bothered though.
He's stronger than all five of the '91 Supporting Actor nominees.
Sam Jackson is a frustrating case for anyone who grew up with his pre-Marvel/paycheck roles. He's still one of my favorite actors if only because he'll sometimes do something like Django Unchained to remind us that he's still got it. My opinions on him/his artistry had soured for a while after his words on how he works with directors, but he's undeniably talented and I think one of our greatest actors when he tries.
Even with his recent spate of auto-pilot performances, there's still his amazing work in Jungle Fever, Eve's Bayou, Pulp Fiction, Fresh, Jackie Brown, The Caveman's Valentine, Black Snake Moan, and Django Unchained among others.
I'm still hopeful that he'll take another substantial/challenging role and give us an exciting performance, maybe Spike Lee or Tarantino will be the ones to give it to him since he still works with them often?
One of the best posters of the 90s.
For once . I agree with /3rtful I tend to stay away from movies he is in/
I have to defend SLJ in Captain Marvel. Yes, it's a character he'd been playing for 10+ years, but the writers gave him more to do than ever before. He had great chemistry with Brie Larson in their buddy comedy/action roles. It's by no means his most challenging part nor his best movie, but I don't think he was on autopilot at all.
Cash: Of his five times playing Nick Fury for more than cameo level screentime?
5. Iron Man 2
4. Spider-Man: Far From Home
3. The Avengers
2. Captain Marvel (If the Globes divided Supporting like they did lead.)
1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Not as worthy as Stephen in Django Unchained, but I'd take it if it meant The Judge wasn't an Oscar nominee.)
Hands down one of the greatest supporting turns ever; he conveys the heartbreak and horror of addiction so authentically. Surely there was trepidation over recognizing a Black actor portraying a crack addict.
My BSA lineup:
Larry Fishburne, Boyz N The Hood
Samuel L. Jackson, Jungle Fever (WINNER)
Tommy Lee Jones, JFK
Harvey Keitel, Thelma & Louise
Ben Kingsley, Bugsy
Best poster i have ever seen
That Wim Wenders questioned Mookie tells you everything you need to know.
Jackson is astonishing and kudos to Halle Berry for going after Vivian when Spike assumed she could only do Drew.
Live this article.
Gotta watch some of Jackson and Lee's earlier works
He really deserved an Oscar nomination, and maybe the award itself, for DJANGO UNCHAINED. His performance was galvanizing.