Tristique Nulla Massa
LIGULA MANGA No. 001 2 3
“Here we are. This is our
music, right? Jazz is our
music. lt’s black music. We
will go and watch some
crossover stuff that’s
created by other
people, but we don’t come
to see our own, man.”
CHAPTER 001
Story of Jazz
Spike Lee’s 1990 film Mo’ Better Blues Having played the trumpet myself in
features a dazzling cinematic
experience of jazz, sex, crime, love,
middle school, I was able to relate to this
movie in some way...Even though I was
family and friendship all in New York third chair in my class. It brought me
City. The film’s protagonist, Bleek back to a time when I too would check
Gilliam (Denzel Washington), is a and grease my valves, worry about
simple man whose whole life revolves
“It’s because of my father that
hurting my lip (did not help wearing
braces) and play through the pain if I
had, and follow along with the rest of the
was introduced to jazz at a
very young age. I was brought
up in a jazz household.”
—Spike Lee
around his trumpet. We see early in the
film that Bleek’s mother is pretty strict
on the rules she sets for her son’s daily
practice of his instrument, as Bleek just
wants to go out and play baseball with
his friends but his mother refuses. His
whole attitude seems to change once he
grows older, as we see twenty years later
he disciplines himself to devote a
specific amount of time to his practice.
Perhaps from having his mother in the
back of his head, or maybe he’s too far band. It was almost a meditative
into it now. experience watching this man become
so obsessed with his art form. He was
able to drown everything but his music
out from the world around him. So much
so that it affected all of his relationships.
Where the movie shines was in its music
and Denzel’s performance that really
captured the excitement of Brooklyn’s
Jazz scene.
LIGULA MANGA No. 001 4 5 CHAPTER 001

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New Y x

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As we continue to view and
analyze Spike Lee’s films we
see a trend in his authourship
of certain themes of sex,
violence, music, and black
ity
culture predominantly in New
York City.
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nc

ole
V i
In Mo’ Better Blues, these themes
present themselves to Bleek’s
character and
ultimatley he’s forced to suffer
certain consequences from each
one. At the end of the film, Bleek essentially loses everything. he’s lost his ability to play, he’s lost
his lover(s), confidence, and pride. at his last performance he is unable to play. therefore he
he’s able to accept love in a form other than music. living a happily ever after with indigo. The
traditon is then passed onto a new generation in bleek’s son.
LIGULA MANGA No. 001 6 7 CHAPTER 001

The film was also heavily criticized for its portrayal of Jewish nightclub owners Moe and Josh
Flatbush. In what was referred to as a “dangerous form of anti-semetic sterotyping.”
LIGULA MANGA No. 001 8