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Bamboozled (UK Premiere)
Spike Lee - US - 2000 - 135m - 35mm - drama
In English
Lee's latest film is a blistering satire of network television's pitfalls and prejudices, a humourous look at how race, ratings and the pursuit of power lead to a television writer's stunning rise and tragic downfall. Damon Wayans stars as Pierre Delacroix, a hip, young,
Harvard-educated writer who is the sole person of colour working for an upstart network with floundering ratings. Despite several attempts, Delacroix has yet to see any of his concepts go into production. Now his boss, the ratings-hungry, culture-vulture Dunwitty (Michael Rapaport), issues him a searing ultimatum: come up with a hot, trend-setting, headline-making, urban hit or get fired. Feeling doomed, Delacroix decides to present the most outrageous, unbelievable farce of stereotypical comedy he can imagine - harkening back to the old days of "black-face" minstrels with a variety show featuring Manray (Savion Glover), a homeless tap dancer, and his sidekick Womack (Tommy Davidson). Incredibly, Delacroix's spoof turns into a ratings bonanza, but for Delacroix, the runaway success of "Mantan The New Millennium Minstrel Show" is the start of a rapid unraveling. Courtesy of Entertainment Film Distributors
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