The Spook Who Sat By The Door

The framing of two wooden sculptures with a hand-drummed, percussive soundtrack underscores the African cultural, historical and contemporary references that influence the motivations of characters like Dan Freeman, and scenes where African American empowerment is asserted. The slate accompanying the percussive track and image of the sculptures, informs the audience of the fact that this is a “Bokari” production. The aggregation of the onomatopoeic pronunciation of this title, the exhibited sculptures and the extra-diegetic music, reveal the film’s African-inspired expression of the Black Power which informs its narrative developments. In an affirmation of this premise, the percussive aural cue is introduced for a second time when Freeman unambiguously marks the moment the film becomes openly expressive of its Black Power politics for the first time, by his rhetorical question and statement, “You really wanna mess with whitey? I can show you how. I can show you how” (00:35:46 minutes). This pronouncement follows a brief display of Freeman’s fighting skills through which he finally wins the attention of the Cobras.

Consequently, he can thus begin the process of training and re-education.

This music continues over scenes of him teaching the Cobras judo, how to make bombs – everything he has gleaned from his training in the CIA, which the audience was presented with through the film’s establishing scenes. As such, any doubts about Freeman’s militarism or that he might be an “Uncle Tom” are laid to rest. He has infiltrated the CIA and is now exhibiting the execution of the ultimate guerrilla tactic – using what was available and accessible to him in order to build his weapon against white US America. He has learnt how the law works, how to assemble a bomb, and how to shoot. Most importantly, he has received this education from the top US spy agency at the time, with its state-of-the-art methods, equipment and psychological tactics.

In a pedagogical manner, the film, through Freeman’s lessons to the group, informs the audience on the ways in which an African American revolt against white America would succeed. In one such example, Algeria, Kenya, Korea and Vietnam are used as models of successful guerrilla warfare tactics when Pretty Willie (likening the bomb-making exercise that Freeman is giving to a high school chemistry class), expresses his doubts about what they are doing there (in this instance making bombs using locally and easily obtainable

products).

Furthermore, the association of Africa with the film’s brand of black nationalism is reiterated in a conversation he has with Dahomey Queen in their first encounter. He tells her that she reminds him of a queen from Dahomey, which he saw in a book and which he says was a great nation in Africa. She seems unimpressed with the African reference, which he obviously means as a compliment because he later says, “you’d look good like that” when suggesting she wears her hair natural like the said queen. Before the scene ends, however, the audience knows that she is starting to accept and appreciate the compliment because she asks,

“You really got a picture in a book of a queen that look like me?” (00:13:41 to 00:15:44 minutes). What is revealed through this conversation is that Dan Freeman not only possesses the characteristics of a top spy, he also endorses a Black Power politics that is accented by Pan-African, cultural black nationalist philosophies. This is demonstrated by his awareness of and interest in African American connections with Africa and its diaspora beyond the example of freedom and the methods with which to achieve this that decolonisation has set.

From when she is next featured to her final scene, Dahomey Queen is represented either sporting a short afro, an African-print caftan, a head-wrap and beaded jewellery, in combination with each other or separately on different occasions. In this way the viewer is literally shown that Freeman’s words had made an impression on her.

In another example which reveals his Pan-Africanist/Black Power outlook, Freeman suggests a West Indian restaurant when he and his girlfriend, Joy (Janet League), are discussing potential places to dine. He thereby displays his desire to support black-owned businesses and organisations, which as previously posited connect with the asserted cultural black nationalist agenda.⁹¹ Furthermore, Dan Freeman is discreet about his real political leanings and is so good at masking them even the CIA are unable to detect his true political agenda. For example, according to one of the agents, in terms of security (i.e., the chances of him being their much-feared “black nationalist agitator”), he “checks out” because he is found to be “a-political” (00:20:20 minutes). Thus, the viewer eventually comes to know that in addition to his displayed qualities (via either verbal or visual depictions in the film), Freeman is aware and informed about African contemporary and historical references, which the CIA is unaware of, and is supportive of black enterprise.

The African American association with the conditions of being a colonised nation are again affirmed when in the scenes which mark the rebellion, Freeman and his team hijack a

91 See The Spook 00:19:57 minutes.

local radio station where he ends his broadcast by announcing “the beginning of our war of liberation” (01:19:13 minutes). The message underscoring this war is “. . . whitey go home.

We don’t want you in our neighbourhood either. We will control our nation” (00:20:08 minutes). In keeping with the conceptualisation of African Americans being a nation within a nation (i.e., a “colonised people”), Pretty Willie is assigned the role of “minister of information” when Freeman lets him know that the group needs a “propagandist.” It is fitting that Freeman chooses him because besides the revelation that he often writes and publishes black empowerment texts, he is always wearing West-African print dashikis and beads, with a hat in the Black Power colours. In other words, he is already visually propagating black nationalist philosophies by choosing to wear such fashions. His home also reflects a cultural black nationalist disposition. There is a Black Power flag hanging on his wall, some African masks and an ashtray sporting the Black Power colours. There are pictures of black faces around too. His living space and body therefore epitomise his new role, namely, being a visual embodiment of what it means to be “conscious,” and as articulated by the contemporary James Brown, to be “black and proud.”

In the final scenes, it is made apparent that Freeman’s cover has been blown and his former university mate-turned-police officer, Dawson (J. A. Preston) lies in wait for him at his apartment. After a verbal confrontation, they fight and Dawson is killed. Freeman does not emerge unscathed however, and it becomes clear a short while later that he has sustained a gunshot wound. When the rest of the Cobras come to help him remove Dawson’s body, Freeman has put on an African print dashiki whose colours and design disguise the blood from his wound, which the others do not seem to have noticed. As this is the last outfit we see him in and also the first time he wears Africa-centric attire, it seems the film is for a final time boldly stating its brand of black nationalism, symbolising too the potentially inevitable convergence of shed blood and sacrifice with these politics. Moreover, by way of asserting this and reasoning away the scene’s ultimate display of “black-on-black” violence which has resulted in death, the film simultaneously articulates the degree of Freeman’s militancy and dedication to the cause of African American liberation. For he declares that, “Anybody that gets between us and freedom has got to go – now that’s anybody. Now remember, don’t quit.

Until you either win or you die” (01:39:32 mins).

As he starts to succumb to his bullet injury, in the extra-diegetic audio, the audience hears reports of how there are eight more uprisings across North American cities. “The president has declared a state of national emergency,” it announces (01:41:21 minutes). After this, the focus is now a close-up of Freeman holding his drink, looking pensively out of the

window. He lifts his glass in a toast to what one assumes is the city outside, but when the shot changes to show his point of view, the audience is instead shown the two carvings featured in the opening frame of the film on his coffee table. Chicago is in the background and the credits roll.

It is not clear whether or not he dies, but his toast has a sense of finality and judging by his expression, he seemed to be in pain. Although he may die from the injury, Greenlee has made sure that his audience knows that the “revolution” could continue for much longer since the fighting units all over the country have been trained to replace leadership in order to sustain the fight, and to use guerrilla warfare tactics.

Dan Freeman (a man whose surname is by no coincidence one which was commonly used by manumitted enslaved people) and his form of resistance is a powerful, armed African American response to the “colonising” institutions of white US America. The presence of African elements to these ends makes it a useful contributor to the quality of this variety of black empowerment.