 The films estimated budget was $34 million. Budget battles plagued  the production from the beginning. Initially, director  Spike Lee (qv) had requested $33 million for the film, a  reasonable sum considering the size and scope of the project but far  greater than his previous budgets. Additionally, his five previous  films combined grossed less than $100 million domestically. As a  result of this (and the studios reluctance to fund black