Thursday, February 20, 1997
Never one to take the easy route, director John Singleton
tackles the story few dare to tell in his upcoming historical
film, "Rosewood."By Emily Forster
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Some people are inexplicably inclined to do things the hard way.
Director John Singleton, for example, is taking the tough way down
an already tough road. The youngest person ever nominated for a
Best Director Oscar, Singleton refuses to make a formulaic film and
he refuses to direct in a formulaic manner.
"It takes a lot to look within yourself, to look around and then
convey that," Singleton says. "Doing that is not a necessity,
though. It’s a choice. A lot of directors aren’t very personal
about what they do. I just choose to be very personal about what I
do. I choose to be passionate about it."
Singleton’s choice is obvious in all of his films, including his
latest, "Rosewood," which opens this Friday. Initially, though,
this choice led Singleton to base his first film out of USC film
school on his life. The result was "Boyz in the Hood," a
ground-breaking look at the hardships of life in South Central Los
Angeles. The film provided a candid look into the modern African
American experience in America and was honored with two Oscar
nominations. Singleton tapped into his life experiences again,
first with "Poetic Justice" and then "Higher Learning," but neither
of these films received the same reaction as "Boyz in the
Hood."
Now Singleton steps away from his life with "Rosewood," a
fact-based film following the tragic 1930’s massacre of a primarily
African American town, Rosewood, by a neighboring white town.
Although this film does not capitalize on Singleton’s personal
experiences, he is still doing things his own way.
"The survivors of the incident trusted me to tell their story in
a respectful fashion," Singleton says. "I didn’t make it about the
white guy, you know what I mean? A lot of Hollywood filmmakers
would have. This is a story about the people who lived in an area
on both sides, and I did it in a very well-rounded fashion."
By not making the story the way most Hollywood filmmakers would
have, Singleton retained his directorial dignity, but lost the
opportunity to make "Rosewood" a star-studded film. Singleton does
not lament over the film’s lack of big stars, but he is aware that
the cast would have been different were the content of the film
less controversial.
"At first we wanted a lot of stars and stuff, but the decision
was made by me that we should have people who looked right for the
era," Singleton says. "A lot of stars didn’t want to do the movie
because they were afraid of the material, how strong it was. If you
look at most ordinary American films, they’re pretty safe.
Basically, they’re the same movie. But this movie is in your face.
It’s a part of history where a lot of people don’t want to go."
Singleton was not afraid to confront this part of history. After
learning about the 1994 court decision to grant reparations to the
men and women whose ancestors were terrorized in Rosewood,
Singleton began conducting interviews with survivors to see if a
movie could come out of the dramatic tale.
"I met the survivors of the incident and I really felt like I
had an obligation to try to tell their story," Singleton says. "I
think it was very emotional for them to talk about it. One of the
survivors, Minnie Lee Langley, was very elderly  in her early
eighties. As she told her story, you could feel her pain, and this
had happened to her as an eight-year-old girl. They wanted me to
tell their story."
Singleton’s endeavor to tell the story of Rosewood was supported
by the survivors as well as encouraged by the central Florida towns
where "Rosewood" was filmed. They were thrilled to have Singleton
bring the filming to their area.
"We didn’t have anybody who was upset at us for shooting,"
Singleton recalls. "We brought jobs down there so people were
really happy for us to be there. The irony of it is, here I am, a
young black man from Los Angeles directing all these people who
were like crackers from the South, and they are one generation
removed from the people who had done this. I think that’s some
strong irony."
Equally ironic was the fact that the extras on screen befriended
each other off the set. The cast of the white town and the cast of
the black town were given a chance to get to know each other.
"The interesting thing is that a lot of those people never would
have had the opportunity to meet the people that worked on the
movie," Singleton says. "This movie brought together a lot of
different types of people and fostered a dialogue by these people.
Everyone who was involved in it, in making this picture, has been
changed. I think a lot of that will transcend over to people
watching this film. I think anyone who watches this film will be
changed."
But changing people through film is nothing new. According to
Singleton, it is the nature of movies.
"It’s just another good thing that comes out of making movies,"
Singleton says. "Movies are more than just entertainment. Films are
the only medium that you can go and see with an audience of like
500 people, and then all have a collective experience. There’s
nothing like it. You can’t get it watching TV, sitting on your
couch. There’s something about seeing a movie with an audience that
is so precious and so dear. I’m just happy I can be a part of
that."
As much as Singleton loves the industry, he claims he will never
opt to make a film in Hollywood for the simple reason of putting
himself in a position of financial gain. He just wants to make what
moves him.
"It’s so easy to take the easy way out and do what everyone else
is doing. But I don’t want to do that. I’m not about that. I’m not
about doing what’s expected."
FILM: "Rosewood" will be released this Friday.
"I didn’t make it about the white guy … A lot of Hollywood
filmmakers would have."
John Singleton
SHAWN LAKSMI/Daily Bruin