A Visionary Piece of Cinema Examining The True Cost of Justice
A brief introduction to the momentous film "The Spook Who Sat By The Door"
REVIEWSARTSEVENTSHISTORY
8/4/20264 min read
Called “A panavision version of American Armageddon” by film studios, highly suppressed by the American government (yet included in the FBI’s teaching curriculum), and popularized by the late Nipsey Hussle, the film The Spook Who Sat By The Door is a singular piece of cinema that truly embodies the idea that “existence is a form of rebellion” while also completely transcending that in the scope of its message. Based on a Sam Greenlee’s novel of the same name, Directed by Ivan Dixon, and starring Lawrence Cook, the the film delves into timely subject matter exploring obsequiousness vs rebellion and loyalty; to ones culture, county, community, and neighborhood. It's a vision into resistance, militancy, and the cost of freedom in the desegregation era that continues to reverberate into the modern age. The multilayered, complex, and moving story also probes into topics such community vs individualism, living under the microscope of tokenism, achievement and meritocracy, identity, and the burden of living up to ones morals.
Ultimately, its a stark and gritty narrative that succeeds in its honesty and clear eyed vision that portrays revolution as a necessary and just response to the black American existence. The film is a meditation of the kayfabe of the peaceful American society, which exposes the contradictions of revolution and its glorification. Its an endorsement of the ideas that freedom is never given but earned, and that it requires constant,vigilant effort to maintain equality in a system build upon subjugation. The film was less a blueprint for revolution but more of an examination of the cost of freedom and a vision of a future where equality would be achieved by any means necessary.
It clear why the film scared the government and the powers that be: it showed a real glimpse into the tactics of successful uprisings based on worldwide resistance movements of it’s era. At the time of its release, it was considered and misunderstood to be an instruction manual for a revolution, but its truly is a multi-facted examination of American society. Despite this rudimentary analysis of the film, there are parts that explicitly condemn racial based hatred and violence and instead endorses the supposed American ideals of liberation for all.
The story is one with a uniquely compelling narrative and arch, birthed through wisdom of lived experience of its author. It deeply explores the inexhaustible resolve required to organize for justice and the toll that can take on an individual, community, and country. Violence in the film is neither glorified or vilified, but shown as the language of the oppressors being reflected against themselves. As in real life, the concepts of loyalty, responsibility, and kinship vacillate between being burdens and assets in a world where collateral damage is a feature of the system. The protagonist, Dan Freeman, exploits are both realistic and grounded in practical guerrilla war tactics that Sam Greenlee studied during his time working as an intelligence officer for the US Government. The main characters are multi-dimensional, acting on a whirlwind of conflicting motivations and shifting priorities.
Not only is film’s narrative focused on radical subject mater, but so was the camera during its production. Budget issues necessitated clandestine filming techniques when working to capture its Chicago setting. Richard Daley refused to allow the production to take place in the city, but he film crew shot multiple sequences in documentary style with a handheld camera to capture specific landmarks such as the elevated train lines. Daley’s unwillingness to allow filming in his city led to the production team to move to Gary Indiana, where the Mayor was sympathetic to the cause and supported the filming with vehicles, labor, and a set for the majority of the film.
The film was sold to producers as a “standard black action flick” but was so radical that is caused it to catch the attention of the FBI and then later taken out of distribution due to government pressure. Theater prints were being destroyed by American agents, and the master copy was hidden in a vault and purposely mislabeled to preserve it from those who would destroy it. This led to it gaining a legendary status among cine-files and revolutionaries alike, and awareness of the film became a sort of secret handshake among those working for justice.
Herbie Hancock created the film score with his Mwandishi band to create an eerie soundtrack that captures the paranoia and disharmony of being a clandestine freedom fighter against your own government. The soundtrack album was also suppressed and it has become somewhat of a holy grail for crate diggers of the jazz fusion persuasion.
Overall, the film is a monumental work both as a standalone piece of cinema as well as a philosophical statement on the individual’s responsibility to work for collective freedom. Dan Freeman has a variety of eminently quotable lines that espouse upon and expose the reality of American society, from the unique perspective available only to someone who has operated on both sides of the systems of oppression. Its a visionary piece of work, and required viewing based solely on its entertainment factor, but is also a enlightening delve into the psyche and sacrifice of resistance fighters of past struggles for justice while it continues to inform the modern era of movement leaders to this day.
Catch a free screening of the film at Another World in Brooklyn, New York on August 7th at 6pm as part of their Black August event series.