Stone’s View of ‘Malcolm’ Dispute

Asked whether the recent seizing by financial backers of Spike Lee’s film “Malcolm X” for going over budget was tantamount to Hollywood censorship, director Oliver Stone said:

“Spike did enter into a contract--a legally binding agreement that you will make this movie at such-and-such a price. Now, rightly or wrongly, (film financiers) didn’t see a ‘Malcolm X’ movie being as popular around the world as ‘JFK,’ ” Stone said. “I don’t call that censorship. I call that a legal dispute over a contract.”

Stone’s comments came Monday night at UC Irvine, three nights before fellow director Spike Lee was to speak on “Malcolm X” and other aspects of his career at the campus’s Bren Events Center.