Jungle Fever (1991)
Directed by: Spike
Lee.
Written by: Spike
Lee.
Starring: Wesley Snipes (Flipper
Purify), Annabella Sciorra (Angie Tucci), Spike Lee (Cyrus), Ossie Davis (The
Good Reverend Doctor Purify), Ruby Dee (Lucinda Purify), Samuel L. Jackson
("Gator" Purify), Lonette McKee (Drew Purify), John Turturro (Paulie
Carbone), Frank Vincent (Mike Tucci), Anthony Quinn (Lou Carbone), Halle Berry
(Vivian), Tyra Ferrell (Orin Goode), Veronica Webb (Vera), Michael Imperioli (James
Tucci), Nicholas Turturro (Vinny), Michael Badalucco (Frankie Botz), Debi Mazar
(Denise), Tim Robbins (Jerry), Brad Dourif (Leslie), Theresa Randle (Inez).
There are
parts of Jungle Fever that are as great as anything Spike Lee has ever done.
And there are some parts that, well, aren’t. Jungle Fever is another of Lee’s
films that deliberately courts controversy – that wants to challenge and
disturb the audience, and make them leave the movie at the very least thinking
about everything that Lee has done in the film. To a certain extent, it’s Lee
in his “let’s throw everything at the wall and sees what sticks” mode – and
more sticks than doesn’t.
The film
stars Wesley Snipes as Flipper Purify, a successful black architect, living in
Harlem with a beautiful wife Drew (Lonette McKee) and a young daughter he
adores. He wants to be made a partner in his firm – but his bosses (Tim Robbins
and Brad Dourif) aren’t convinced – and speak in the way racist liberals speak
when they don’t want to sound racist. When Flipper is introduced to his new
assistant – Angie Tucci (Annabella Sciorra), from Benson Hurst – he doesn’t
realize right away that this is the woman who he is going to throw everything
away for. Yes, the pair start an affair – that starts in a terrific scene, where
the pair of them are working late over Chinese good, and flirt with each other
in a playful way – until they are having sex on the desk. Had it ended there,
perhaps what happens next could be avoided – but, of course, it doesn’t.
They
other major plot thrust to Jungle Fever is about the crack epidemic – that has
hit the Purify family because of Flipper’s older brother Gator (Samuel L.
Jackson). Gator shows up either to Flipper’s or their parents (Ossie Davis and
Ruby Dee) when he needs money – always with a good story. As long as they give
it him, he’s a happy, laughing, dancing fool – but he can turn ugly when things
do not go his way.
Do these
two plot threads fit together in Jungle Fever? I’m honestly not sure – they
don’t seem to have much to do with each other, and when Lee brings together in
the final moment of the film, the result is more, well, ridiculous – how
Flipper makes the leap he does in that moment in his mind is beyond me. And
yet, as separate plot threads, they work in isolation from each other. Lee has
a lot of observations about interracial relationships – but despite what you
may have heard about the film, he really is not against them. Lee clearly
doesn’t like the one at the center of the movie between Flipper and Angie,
because that one isn’t based on anything more than myths, stereotypes and
curiosity. At one point, Ossie Davis gives a long speech about the history of
these stereotypes dating back to the slavery days designed to humiliate his son
and his new girlfriend. Lee’s attitude is perhaps not that harsh – the film
also clearly does not like Ossie Davis’ character, who it is hinted at has more
darkness that he lets on – but it’s not far from it. What is clear though is
that these two people don’t really know each other – they don’t throw away
their entire lives (both Flipper and Angie lose their family as a result of
their relationships) because they’re in love. They’re more curious than
anything. But Lee does show another potential interracial relationship between
Angie’s ex-boyfriend Paulie (John Turturro) and a customer of his Orin (Tyra
Ferrell) that perhaps has a chance. They like each other after they get to know
each other as people – and are going into that relationship with eyes wide
open. That one may work, because it’s based on something real.
I do find
it interesting that the interracial relationship he doesn’t like is between a
black man and a white woman, and the one he likes is the reverse. One of the
most memorable scenes in Jungle Fever involves Drew assembling all of her
friends – a group of black women – who discuss their own feelings of insecurity
and sexual desire, and how it relates to the black men in their lives – and the
white women so many of them (especially the successful ones) are with. This is
perhaps the most honest, sustained sequence involving only female characters
Spike Lee has ever put on film – and it addresses the same stereotypes Ossie
Davis’ speech does – but in a more real, less preachy way, and its fascinating.
In some
way, it feels like the drug subplot of Jungle Fever is grafted on unnaturally
to the rest of the film. I wouldn’t want to lose that – it gave Samuel L.
Jackson one of his very best roles (his breakout really) – one in which he was
so good they invented a prize at Cannes for him that year, and also gives a
great role to a young Halle Berry. It also gives us one of the most virtuoso of
all Spike Lee sequences – a delirious trip to hell by Flipper has he descends
into the darkness of a crowded crack house in search of Gator. It is the single
best scene in the film – and one of the best Lee has ever directed. This
timeline was especially timely back in 1991 – the height of the crack epidemic
in America – and perhaps what links the two storylines together is that Lee
perceives them both as a threat to the black community.
As great
as most of Jungle Fever is – there are elements that don’t come off quite as
well. Lee never really figures out the central relationship in the film – he
thinks it’s all based on stereotypes, and whether true or not, it doesn’t make
the central relationship any more interesting because he is essentially filming
a metaphor. For her part, Sciorra seems to understand Angie better than Lee
does – and that gives her character an extra dimension that wasn’t there on the
page – and makes her the most interesting character in the film. It’s another
reason to be mad at Harvey Weinstein – because of what he did to Sciorra, what
could have and should have been an amazing career was derailed. She’s great
here. Snipes doesn’t quite figure out how to make Flipper into a real person,
instead of a stand-in character – a character meant to represent something
larger than himself. He’s fine in the movie – the steady lead needed to ground
it – but he’s never quite a real person.
And what
can you say about the final scene in Jungle Fever. It doesn’t really work, it
comes out of nowhere, and is such an overdramatic moment that you almost have
to stifle a laugh of shock when it come son. Lee is a talented, smart
filmmaker. I give him the benefit of the doubt that he gets the reaction he
wants there – I just have no idea why he would want it. Was there not a better
way to end this film?
And yet,
despite my reservations about it, I have to say that Jungle Fever is still a
great film. It may have aged a little more than Do the Right Thing, but it’s
still relevant and provocative today. Watching it today, it is still a
challenging film – one that sticks with you, flaws and all.
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