Brothers and collaborators John David and Malcolm Washington did not come to play at the Criterion Closet. As “The Piano Lesson” writer, director and star Malcolm said at the beginning of his visit, “We’re here to do some shopping.” And they did so shopping, filling their bags with some of cinema’s greatest delights, beginning with Polish auteur Krzysztof Kieślowski’s invaluable 10-film series, “Dekalog,” Andrei Tarkovsky’s “Mirror” and the film’s “Menace II Society.” Hughes brothers. “
“I actually learned a lot from Allen Hughes,” John David said of the “Menace II Society” co-director. “The influence and importance of sound and music and how they can really change the mood or the scene in a way I’ve never stopped to think about before.”
He also praised the work of John Cassavetes, specifically “Faces” and “Opening Evening,” and called the naturalism on display “very inspiring.” Calling it one of the “great cinematic love stories,” Malcolm acquired the collections of Jacques Demy and Agnès Varda.
“These two incredible artists,” he said of the married filmmakers. “One thing I love about cinema is the dialogue between artists, and not just between them. (Composer) Michel Legrand brings them together in many ways, but if you look at ‘Umbrellas of Cherbourg’ and you look at ‘Do the Right Thing,’ you see artists in dialogue.”
Further praising Spike Lee, Malcolm asked Criterion to add more of his films to the collection and offered him praise for his work on “Malcolm X.” The film stars his father, Denzel Washington, in a performance that earned him his third Oscar nomination.
“’Malcolm X’ is the greatest achievement of American cinema that I have ever seen,” Malcolm said. “There are so many incredible artists doing incredible work. Massive Zel of course, Angela Bassett, Ernest Dickerson, Terence Blanchard with one of the best scores (that boss) and Spike. “Spike will forever be in the pantheon.”
The brothers continued discussing the opening of the film, which incorporates footage of the beating of Rodney King, an event that took place while “Malcolm X” was being edited. Before running off, John David made one last quick grab at Jim Jarmusch’s “Ghost Canine: The Means of the Samurai.”
Watch Malcolm and John David’s full Criterion Closet tour below.
