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Beyond the Boundaries of Fantasia: An ancient imagining of the future of leadershipMain Menuhow to enjoy this albumYou Can Go Your Own WayI Know What Boys LikeSocrates' Last StandThe Song Remains the SameSpirits in the Material WorldA Political Thriller (c. 63 BCE)Born to Run"Caesar gained glory by giving, helping, and forgiving...Cato, on the contrary, preferred to be, rather than to seem, virtuous." - Sallust, Bellum Catilinae 54Golden YearsStranger than FictionMoney TalksHe Will Rock YouGetting to Know YouWho Runs the World? Girls!Meet the New BossI'm Every WomancreditsProject244106e9d2bdcdebde02dbbf69f852d44930279dSunoikisis leadership group
Step Three: Critiqueing Reception as Leadership (3:00)
1media/Screen-Shot-2015-12-09-at-6.05.10-AM.png2016-07-23T07:23:03-07:00Norman Sandridgeaede92262dbe9a4752784e60e5be78fe98ea4424887614image_header2016-07-26T09:38:36-07:00Mallory Monaco Caterine28ddfbab684215f8563f0c8d6bac0ae736007185Since the beginning of the American invasion of Iraq, there have been more civilians killed in Chicago than US military killed in Iraq. This shocking statistic is the starting point for Spike Lee's 2015 film Chi-Raq, in which the black women of Chicago, led by one Lysistrata, go on a sex strike in order to end the city's pervasive gang warfare. In adapting Aristophanes' play to modern-day Chicago, Lee turns a story about imperialist warfare into once about a racially-driven civil conflict, all while keeping the main plot mechanism -- sex strike and the battle of the sexes -- intact. Overall, the movie was well-received as a fresh, thought-provoking take on race, gangs, gun violence, and sex in urban America. Yet the leadership of the city of Chicago, including mayor Rahm Emanuel, fought against the movie production and title, concerned that it would be bad for Chicago's image. Others felt that Lee was simply capitalizing on tragedy, and what's more, reducing the power of women to their vaginas. This interview with Spike Lee and his co-writer Kevin Willmont gives some insight into their writing process, why they chose the Lysistrata as the vessel for their tale, and why they added certain pieces.
As you watch, consider: what else do Lee and Willmont change in order to fit Aristophanes into his agenda? What artistic choices do they make to deepen or advertise the connection between his movie and the Greek original? Is it a moving reception of Lysistrata? Is it a successful film?