Spike Lee, the writer and director behind Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, Inside Man and Da 5 Bloods, talks to Sight and Sound's Arjun Sajip about his career.
Born in Atlanta, Lee moved to New York as a kid and became one of the city's best-loved storytellers. In this interview he talks about his path through the film industry and the influence music, sport, photography and politics have had on his filmmaking.
This is interview is published alongside the new issue of Sight and Sound, available at newsagents and online now. Go to https://shop.bfi.org.uk/sight-sound.html to buy your copy and purchase back issues.
0:00 Intro
01:10 Screenwriting
02:20 The Double Dolly Shot and working with Ernest Dickerson
04:50 Films of his that have been misunderstood
07:30 Documentary film-making
08:15 Michael Jackson and Spike's music videos ... sorry ... short films
10:20 Stevie Wonder
12:30 Prince
14:00 Michael Jordan and the Mars Blackmon Nike campaign
15:37 Da 5 Bloods
17:42 Sight and Sound's Greatest Films of All Time poll
20:35 Great New York films
24:17 Working with his father, Bill Lee
25:00 Jazz: John Coltrane and Miles Davis
25:40 The influence of visual art
26:21 Licensing The Who and Abba for Summer of Sam
27:40 Race in Hollywood
31:50 Recent films Spike's enjoyed
33:15 Which actors he'd like to work with