School Daze [P&S]

Overview

Much of School Daze is based on director Spike Lee's experiences while a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta. Laurence Fishburne plays what amounts to Lee's alter ego: a serious, self-involved student who tilts at such windmills as an insensitive administration and a deeply entrenched, social-climbing fraternity/sorority system. An inordinate amount of tension exists between the light- and dark-skinned African-American students; the lighter blacks are nicknamed "Wannabes," a reference to their emulation of upper-class white values, while the darker ones are labelled "Jigaboos." Characteristically, Spike Lee reserves a meaty supporting role for himself. He plays Half-Pint, a mixed-up freshman who willingly endures the basest of humiliations in order to be accepted by the "Wannabe" fraternity.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/30/2001
UPC:	0043396058347
Original Release:	1988
Rating:	R
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	2:01:00
Sales rank:	32,771

Special Features

Director's Commentary ; Talent Files ; Interactive Menus ; Production Notes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Spike Lee	Half-Pint,Half-Pint,Lizzie Life,Lizzie Life,Tanya,Tanya,Buckwheat,Buckwheat,Phyllis Hyman Quartet,Phyllis Hyman Quartet,Composer,Composer
Giancarlo Esposito	Julian,Julian
Kyme	Rachel Meadows,Rachel Meadows
Joe Seneca	President McPherson,President McPherson
Ellen Holly	Odrie McPherson,Odrie McPherson
Art Evans	Cedar Cloud,Cedar Cloud
Ossie Davis	Coach Odom,Coach Odom,Paula,Paula
Bill Nunn	Grady,Grady
James Bond III	Monroe,Monroe
Branford Marsalis	Jordan,Jordan
Kadeem Hardison	Edge,Edge
Eric Payne	Booker T.,Booker T.
Anthony Thompkins	Doo-Doo Breath,Doo-Doo Breath
Guy Killum	Double Rubber,Double Rubber
Dominic Hoffman	Mustafa,Mustafa
Roger Guenveur Smith	Yoda,Yoda
Kirk Taylor	Sir Nose,Sir Nose
Kevin Rock	Mussolini,Mussolini
Eric Dellums	Slim Daddy,Slim Daddy
Darryl M. Bell	Big Brother X-Ray Vision,Big Brother X-Ray Vision
Rusty Cundieff	Big Brother Chucky,Big Brother Chucky
Cilk Cozart	Big Brother Dr. Feelgood,Big Brother Dr. Feelgood,Big Brother Dr. Feelgood,Big Brother Dr. Feelgood
Leonard Thomas	Big Brother Gen. George Patton,Big Brother Gen. George Patton
Alva Rogers	Doris Witherspoon,Doris Witherspoon
Delphine T. Mantz	Delphine,Delphine
Terri Lynette Whitlow	Terri,Terri
Jacquelyn Bird	Jacquelyn,Jacquelyn
Traci Tracey	Traci,Traci
Sharon Ferrol	Sharon,Sharon
Laurnea Wilkerson	Laurnea,Laurnea
Stephanie Clark	Stephanie,Stephanie
Eartha Robinson	Eartha,Eartha,Roz,Roz
Jhoe Breedlove	Kim,Kim
Paula Brown	Miriam,Miriam
Tyra Ferrell	Tasha,Tasha
Jasmine Guy	Dina,Dina
Karen Owens	Deidre,Deidre,Sharon,Sharon
Michelle Whitney Morrison	Vivian,Vivian
Greta Martin	Greta,Greta
Frances Morgan	Frances,Frances
Monique Mannen	Monique `Mo-Freak',Monique `Mo-Freak'
Gregg Burge	Virgil Cloyd,Virgil Cloyd
Kasi Lemmons	Perry,Perry
Toni Ann Johnson	Muriel,Muriel,Cecilia,Cecilia
Paula Birth	Carla,Carla
Michelle Bailey	Tina,Tina
Samuel L. Jackson	Leeds,Leeds,1st Attendant,1st Attendant
Edward G. Bridges	Moses,Moses
Albert Cooper	Spoon,Spoon
Tracey Lewis	Counter Girl,Counter Girl,2nd Attendant,2nd Attendant
Kelly Woolfolk	Vicky,Vicky
Florante P. Galvez	Student in Bathroom,Student in Bathroom
Leslie Sykes	Miss Mission,Miss Mission
Reginald Tabor	Alpha Phi Alpha Member,Alpha Phi Alpha Member
Lester McCorn	Alpha Phi Alpha Member,Alpha Phi Alpha Member
William N. Ross	Alpha Phi Alpha Member,Alpha Phi Alpha Member
Keith Wright	Alpha Phi Alpha Member,Alpha Phi Alpha Member
Phyllis Hyman	Phyllis,Phyllis
Consuela Lee Morehead	Phyllis Hyman Quartet,Phyllis Hyman Quartet
Harold Vick	Phyllis Hyman Quartet,Phyllis Hyman Quartet
Joe Chambers	Phyllis Hyman Quartet,Phyllis Hyman Quartet
Laurence Fishburne	Dap Dunlap,Dap Dunlap
Tisha Campbell-Martin	Jane Toussaint,Jane Toussaint
Dennis Abrams	Eric,Eric
Angela Ali	Velda,Velda
Harold L. Boyd III	Alpha Phi Alpha,Alpha Phi Alpha
Robert L. Cole, Jr.	Alpha Phi Alpha,Alpha Phi Alpha
Julian Eaves	Actor,Actor
Gregory "Sugar Bear" Elliot	EU Band,EU Band
Jenario "Foxy Brown" Foxx	EU Band,EU Band
Ivan Goff	EU Band,EU Band
Daryl Hayes	EU Band,EU Band
Edward "Junie" Henderson	EU Band,EU Band
Rod Hodge	Alpha Phi Alpha,Alpha Phi Alpha
William "Ju Ju" House	EU Band,EU Band
Tim Hutchinson	Big Brother Lance,Big Brother Lance
Valentino "Tino" Jackson	EU Band,EU Band
Keith John	Singer at Coronation,Singer at Coronation
Derrek W. Jones	Alpha Phi Alpha,Alpha Phi Alpha
Karen Renee Owens	Deidre,Deidre
"Go-Go" Mike Taylor	EU Band,EU Band
Jane Toussaint	Actor,Actor
Kent Wood	EU Band,EU Band

Technical Credits

Spike Lee

Spike Lee	Screenwriter,Screenwriter,Director,Director,Producer,Producer
Grace Blake	Executive Producer,Executive Producer,Producer,Producer
Loretha C. Jones	Producer,Producer
Robi Reed-Humes	Casting,Casting
Monty Ross	Producer,Producer
Todd Mcnichol	Key Grip,Key Grip
Ira Spiegel	Sound Editor,Sound Editor
Peter Odabashian	Sound Editor,Sound Editor
Maurice Schell	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound/Sound Designer
Kevin Lee	Sound Editor,Sound Editor
Rolf Pardula	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Spike Lee's second feature boldly went where no film had gone before, to explore the subtleties of prejudice within the African-American community. Lee's petri dish for this experiment is a historically black college, and his subjects are the fraternities and sororities whose membership is largely determined by skin hue. With a large and lively cast, several energetically staged musical production numbers, and plenty of low comedy, Lee effortlessly illustrates his message -- that the most insidious kind of racism comes from within his community -- in a variety of ways. This was a huge leap in ambition over Lee's debut feature, the more ingratiating She's Gotta Have It, and like his brilliant Get on the Bus, which dealt with many of the same topics in the context of the Million Man March, it was sadly undervalued by filmgoers on its initial release.