Klansman At The Oscars

In the early 1970's, a police officer by the name of Ron Stallworth infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. While pretending to be a white supremacist might not be too hard, it’s certainly a little tougher for a man of colour, which Stallworth most definitely was. Stallworth spent nine months undercover by pretending to be a white man over the phone, talking to various members of the Klan, including Grand Wizard David Duke, leader of the KKK at the time. Although the brains of the operation, Stallworth could not go to the Klan's meetings in person, therefore a white undercover cop was used to go to meet these men in the flesh. Together, these two men formed one pure, white, and aryan blooded Ron Stallworth.

After reading Black Klansman by the real Ron Stallworth in 2015, writers David Rabinowitz and Charlie Wachtel got in contact with Ron, proposed their idea, and wrote the script together. After pitching their idea to producers Shaun Redick and Ray Mansfield, who at the time were in pre-production for Jordan Peele's Get Out, the movie was in motion. Jordan Peele eventually joined as a producer which, after Get Out's success, allowed director Spike Lee to join the fray. Three years after reading Stallworth's book, BlacKkKlansman released on August 9th, 2018.

BlacKkKlansman follows Stallworth's story, and it does it in the best way imaginable. The story is fast-paced, jumping from one moment to another, sometimes skipping weeks or even months, yet the writing always feels natural. Since the movie is about Ron's interactions with the KKK and the investigation, we only ever see information relevant to those 2 things, rarely ever seeing into our protagonist's life. The only exception to this is Ron's love interest and their interactions together, yet even those scenes feel well paced and not squeezed in just for the sake of it like Zendaya's character in The Greatest Showman. Patrice's role (Laura Harrier) in Klansman brings us further into its narrative, giving us just enough insight into Stallworth's ideals and personality, yet never bores us with unnecessary details.

Ron speaking to David Duke over the phone as other officers listen in.

Not only is the writing superb, but it's a mystery that BlacKkKlansman did not win best editing. Throughout the movie, there was never a boring or bland moment, each shot having a specific purpose while never lingering for too long. When we are shown items within the narrative, such as Stallworth's Klan membership card, we simply see it on the screen without any weird shots trying to show us the items over the shoulders of these characters, as if it was scanned and inserted into the film. Another similar technique is used when he is discussing albums with Patricia, we simply see the album covers slide into frame, showings us what we need to see and leaving very shortly after, making a simple shot into a slideshow of bright colours and beautiful covers.

Ron and Patricia discussing albums and shows as they slide in and out of frame.

Enhancing BlacKkKlansman's stunning visuals and story is its soundtrack. Intertwined with excellent songs such as Too Late To Turn Back Now and Ball Of Confusion, Klansman's soundtrack always keeps the story on a steady pace. Using the absence of music, Lee was able to put the focus on the action within the scene. Whether it being a tense moment as an undercover cop takes a lie detector test or a comedic phone call with a Klan member, we are drawn in to what is happening as we hear the clicking of typewriters around the room or the rattling of a gun as it's waved about. When the scene is backed by music, it takes nothing away from the visuals yet adds onto them, bringing the movies atmosphere to life. Giving off the perfect 70's mystery vibe, many of the songs on the album, such as Ron's Theme and Klan Cavalry, bring the movies visuals to mind by simply listening to them.

At the 91st Academy Awards, BlacKkKlansman was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, in the end only winning for Best Adapted Screenplay. While winning an Oscar is already a great achievement, Klansman most definitely deserved more. Its editing trumped Bohemian Rhapsody's, Spike Lee's direction matching most of the other nominees and, as a whole, towered over all the other Best Picture nominations. It's a shame that BlacKkKlansman didn't win more, as the incredible and funny true story absolutely deserved them.