Lee Daniels is anything but typical. He’s made sobering character studies (“Precious”), historical and political epics (“The Butler”), and even supernatural horror films (“The Deliverance”), so when it comes to his choices in the Criterion Closet, it’s not surprising to learn his range of influence would be so eclectic. Daniels himself calls the space a “candy store” at the top of his video, signaling a visit that will see him lean into his varied taste and take home selections that encompass Italian surrealism, the work of John Waters, and 1950s noir. First in the bag for Daniels was Essential Fellini, a box set that features 14 of the beloved filmmaker’s work.
“Fellini is my god, my hero,” said Daniels. “Fellini made it possible for me to think that I was a filmmaker because none of his stuff makes sense really, at the end of the day, but it does make sense. And I don’t make sense.”
Expanding on this thought as he grabbed Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing,” Daniels added, “I feel like I’m definitely influenced by European directors, by Spike Lee — Black directors — by gay filmmakers. A little Euro, a little ghetto, a little homo.”
After picking up Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s erotic arthouse piece “Querelle,” a film Daniels describes as “insane,” he went on to discover a copy of Waters’ crime comedy “Female Trouble,” starring drag performer Divine. As he reflected on the film’s impact on him, he was reminded of first seeing it in theaters with family members and how it cemented what he wanted to do with his life.
“I think that was another turning point. I think I was 19, in Philadelphia, and I took my mother and my aunt to see this. And at the end of it, you know, my aunt, a little old Black lady, slapped me in the face,” Daniels said. “And I knew at that moment, I knew for sure I wanted to be a director because that’s — I wanted to make people feel the way she felt. To me, it’s not about just feeling good. It’s about, ‘What have I experienced?’ And it made my aunt experience something she had never seen before.”
Another memorable viewing experience for Daniels was when he saw the 1974 rom-com “Claudine,” starring Diahann Carroll and the late James Earl Jones in one of his greatest performances.
“‘Claudine’ reminds me of my mom. My mom was elegant — is elegant. She raised five kids on her own. And, after my dad was shot and killed — he was a police officer, killed in the line of duty — my mom took us to see this in Philadelphia, West Philly, at the Locust Theatre,” said Daniels. “I couldn’t believe I was seeing my life on screen. We all walked out of the theater holding hands. And I didn’t understand what filmmaking was at the time, I think I was probably nine when this came out, but I saw my mother smile after my dad’s death, and I wanted to make her…smile. So I think that this is it. It’s very dear to my heart.”
Watch Daniels’ full Criterion Closet video below.
