JUNGLE FEVER
US, 1991, 132 minutes, Colour.
Wesley Snipes, Annabella Sciorra, Spike Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Anthony Quinn, Halle Berry, Lonette Mc Kee, Michael Vincent, John Turturro, Nicholas Turturro, Debi Mazar, Tim Robbins, Brad Dourif, Queen Latifah, Tyra Ferrell, Michael Badalucco.
Directed by Spike Lee.
Jungle Fever is an early film by Spike Lee. He had made an impression in the middle of the 1980s and made his mark with his 1989 Doing the Right Thing, a strong, sometimes hush, picture of racism in New York City. After Jungle Fever, Lee was to have a long career, starting with such films as Malcolm X and move into a range of dramas as well as documentaries.
Lee portrays Cyrus, a high school teacher, friend and sounding board for the central character, Flipper, played by Wesley Snipes. He explains jungle fever, sexual curiosity and arousal, untamed, and dangerously inter-racial.
The film opens with up a husband and wife in a sexual encounter, overheard by the daughter who questions them about it. The family is comfortably off, the father with a job in an architect’s firm, where the white bosses impose a white temp on Flipper. He is resentful, is not promoted and resigns. However, he realizes the possibility of cheating on his wife and proceeds to do so with the new temp, Angie. She is played by Annabella Sciorra the in a very sympathetic performance.
While the affair continues, Flipper’s wife throws him out, Angie’s father is violent towards her.
Although it seems to stop the action, there are quite a number of powerful sequences which still make an impression years later. For instance, Drew and a group of black women argue vociferously about black men and white women; a group of men from Italian backgrounds are aggressively discussing and discounting blacks and other minorities and their taking over everything in New York City, a form of jealousy; there are also a number of discussions about drug, addiction, and the lies that the addicts will tell to get money from their families. Samuel L. Jackson, in an early role, portrays the addict brother of Flipper. He and Flipper also have some sequences with their righteous parents, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, he a former minister who reads the bible regularly and speaks in biblical style.
John Turturro, who had appeared in Do the Right Thing, is very good in the central role as the Italian new Yorker boyfriend of Angie, Paulie, but who finds himself in a genuine relationship with a black woman. Anthony Quinn appears as his cantankerous father.
Stevie Wonder contributes a whole range of films of songs including the title and a film whose lyrics appear in print during the final credits.
The film has a very strong cast, Halle Berry in her first role as the addict companion of Samuel L. Jackson. Queen Latifah appears as a sullen waitress. Tim Robbins and Brad Dourif appear as the two executives in the architects firm.
In many ways, jungle fever could be seen as a key film of the early 1990s.
1. A Spike Lee film? His work and the 1980s, 1990s? His long career? Issues of race, marriage, sexuality, drugs? In the perspective of the U.S. in 1990?
2. The title, the explanation by Cyrus? The title song?
3. Brooklyn, New York City: streets, homes, offices, restaurants? The crack houses? Authentic feel?
4. The school, the songs by Stevie wonder? The range? The lyrics and the comment on behavior? The final credits and the words of the song?
5. The impact for American audiences, non-Americans? For black audiences, white, Italian, Latino? The emphasis on the different neighborhoods, physical, mental and emotional?
6. Themes of racism, situations, encounters, the strong dialogue sequences? With Drew and the women talking about black men and their attitudes towards white women? Angie’s discussions at home? The discussion between Paulie and his dad? The heated discussion in the shop between Paulie and the Italian group? The reasons for racism, colour, sexuality, curiosity, achievement and jealousy? Ignorance?
7. Wesley Snipes as Flipper, the flippant name? The opening with Drew, the sexual encounter, the response of the daughter, the frank talk? Comfortable home life? Flipper as an architect? Drew as a buyer for Bloomingdales? Their lifestyle and expectations? Love, the possibility for betrayal?
8. The office, the bosses, white, imposing Angie on Flipper? And then refusing his promotion? Flipper’s arrogant response, anger, the one boss following him down the corridor, one harsh, the other conciliatory? The reasons for the lack of promotion? His resignation? His decision to found his own company?
9. His not wanting Angie? Her background in the Italian community, at home, cooking for her father and brothers, her father’s affirmation, her brother’s laziness and taunting? Her working as a temp? The racial situation in the office, Flipper the only black person? Their working together, the attraction, the talk, the meal, sex, discussions about cheating, the sexual encounter in the office, the continuing affair? Motives of love, curiosity, Flipper’s later harsh talking to Angie and saying it was only curiosity? And imputing this to her? Angie being genuine? Drew and her throwing out Flipper’s clothes and papers? Angie’s father beating her?
10. Cyrus, best friend, teacher, talking, serving as a sounding board? And portrayed by Spike Lee?
11. Flipper’s parents? His father as a minister, in Georgia, and ousted from the church? His reading the bible to his wife, his biblical rhetoric in his conversation, judgmental, the role of God and the devil? Flipper at the meal, critical of his father, and of his invoking the devil. His mother and obeying her husband, accepting his pomposity?
12. Gator, his age, graduate from school, his addictions? Coming to the house, his father ousting him, persuading his mother to give him money, his childish and foolish dance and using it with his father and with Flipper? His continued lies? His companionship with the Viv, the drugs? Going to Flipper for money, Flipper giving, going to the apartment, speaking badly of Angie? The con, Flipper’s reaction? Avoiding his father, going to his mother, her refusal, his desperate rant and argument, his father coming in, his mother offering the statues for cash, his father with the gun, shooting his son? His reasons?
13. The scenes at the crack house, the crowds, the squalor, Gator and Viv? Flipper searching, the streets, the encounter with the prostitute, the clash with Gator?
14. Flipper and Angie at the diner, not being served, the insolent attitude of the waitress? Racism?
15. Drew and her anger, the race issue for herself and white parent, her daughter? The passionate discussions with the women? Her turning Flipper away? Yet, the finale, the sexual encounter, for its own sake and sending Flipper away? His walking his daughter down the street, a future? The previous walking down the street, his disgust with the prostitute and his daughter almost being knocked down?
16. Flipper and Angie, the empty apartment, continuing the affair? The final rift, Flipper and his harsh attitude, Angie and her resignation? Her going back to talk with Paulie?
17. Paulie and his father, his father’s demands, memories of his mother and the shrine, the shop, the group of idle men, the strong discussion about race issues, the issue of voting and responsibility, the taunts to Paulie about the kindly Orin, the black woman? Paulie talking to her in the street, the possibility of a date? His dressing for the date, his father’s trying to stop him, Paulie’s righteous outburst to his father? The group following him, bashing him in the street?
18. The New York story of prejudice, racism, people being judgmental? Race issues in the U.S. in the 20th century? The 21st century?
