Do The Right Thing

by Spike Lee

The phenomenon of Spike Lee continues with this revealing and engaging look at his outstanding career, his creative process, and the screenplay for his dynamic movie Do The Right Thing. Spike Lee burst full formed into the screen world with his award-winning, commercially successful independent film She's Gotta Have It. In the few short years following this stellar debut he has established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the film industry and in American popular culture. This book reveals Spike Lee as a Hollywood iconoclast and gifted visionary and takes us though the dramatic sequence of events that brought the movie Do The Right Thing to fruition. It is a testimonial to his developing genius, written in the stingingly funny and informed language of Spike Lee.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Shelton Jackson Lee, better known as Spike Lee, is an Emmy Award - winning, and Academy Award - nominated American film director, producer, writer, and actor noted for his films dealing with controversial social and political issues. He also teaches film at New York University and Columbia University. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983.

Reviews

[Anthony McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

SAVORING SPIKE'S 'JOINT'.
A special film deserves special attention. And this is one of the best and most important films of the last thirty years.

This book contains Spike Lee's extensive journal which gives a fascinating account of the promotion of his earlier "School Daze" flick and the preparation for the making of "Do the Right Thing" plus production notes for the latter; altogether running some 100 pages of insight into the craft of filmmaking.

There are also 30 pages of black and white Bill Lee photos of on-location shooting with detailed comments by the various participants associated with the production. Lee's second draft script is reproduced and added at the end are some neat storyboard designs for the film.

[Darin · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, this is a solid screenplay for a great movie. This script acted more like a blueprint with extra dialogue added on set. What makes this book so enjoyable is Spike Lee's journal. He explains how the ideas became the film and the production and casting meetings that went into its development. Since this ended up being his breakout movie, it is great to read the artist's thoughts as that project was developed.

[Dorkgod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a journal kept by Spike while writing "Do the right Thing." Very fascinating to get such an in depth look at one man's thought process from idea to screen.

[David Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a journal Spike Lee kept while writing and making "Do the Right Thing". He writes about watching the premiere of "Midnight Run" and hassling Robert De Niro afterwards because he wanted him to play the pizzeria owner, which the late Danny Aiello ended up playing. He writes about meeting Rosie Perez for the first time when she was a dancer in a club. There's the scene at the end of the movie when Mookie, played by Spike Lee, throws a garbage can through the pizzeria window. Take-after-take, Spike Lee couldn't break the window, and he writes about how embarrassed he felt (Danny Aiello told him he should go to the gym). This is an entertaining and honest account of a young film director feeling out of his depth making a studio movie on a tight budget ("tighter than chicken pussy" he says) before becoming world-famous after this incredible film.

A must-read for aspiring film-makers and lovers of the movie.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this for my Freshman Writing 101 class my first semester in college. It’s been decades since i read it and yet I still think about this book (and the movie) quite often, not surprisingly though. I don’t remember the actual writing of the book - only how it made me feel then and over the years. And because it’s been decades since I read it and I still think about it I gave it 5 Stars.
It was my first introduction, I believe, of a book dealing with racism written by a black author. It tipped my world upside down and opened up a whole new realm I never knew existed (white privilege at its finest...).
I was 18 yo, Living in Utah. My only interaction with a large group of Blak people from the United States was from the summer before when I hung out with a group of students from Los Angeles, CA over in the Soviet Union on a student exchange program. They became my friends and I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to treat them less because of the color of their skin.
Cut to a year later and the grad student teaching my writing class assigned our class this book (she was also White, btw, but wanted to get us thinking differently right off the bat. We read a lot that quarter but this is the only book I still remember from that class). It started the process of opening my eyes to how Black people were/are treated here in America. It was very sobering. Very humbling. Very infuriating.
I remember feeling angry and hopeless that I couldn’t change it which made me sad for everyone who actually had to live it. If I was feeling that imagine how people feel who have to live it?! It disgusted me and made me want to learn more, to do more. It was a great book to start my freshman year off and I’m grateful I got to read (and watch the movie).
Thank you Mr. Lee for writing this book and making this movie.

[Dankwa Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good “coffee table book”. Lots of great big glossy stills (photos) from the film. Besides the great photos one of the best parts of the book is the "Oral History by Jason Matloff" featuring pretty much everyone from the film, cast & crew, involved in the classic film.

Also included in the book a copy of the handwritten screenplay by Spike Lee. I didn’t think it would be, but reading the script to a film I know all so well was strangely compelling.

If you are a fan of the classic film like I am this is a must have.

Note: This book is markedly different from the other Do The Right Thing book by Spike Lee. You can read my review of that book at http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

[Ishaan Teja · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not the biggest fan of the movie when I first watched it. However, Spike Lee’s undeniable creative vision for this film must be appreciated. From the very beginning, as you read his journals, you see the blueprint and message of the movie in his mind. Overcoming the various obstacles and hearing his perspective on them reinforces just how hard making a film really is.

[Jessie Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVVVVED reading about the process that SL & co. went through to get DtRT made. If you’re a cinephile or if you’re a Spike Lee fan you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re both then you’ll love it! So glad to round out Black History Month with this book. Movies + culture + books = LIFE 🙌🏾

[Gracie]

a must-read for filmmakers of every stripe!

[DORIS · Rating 5 out of 5]

DO THE RIGHT THING.

[Matt Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a resource! Watching Lee working his way from concept to final product is fascinating. Also, Lee shows myself to be prideful, reflective, passionate, realistic, generous, and fair.

[Lenny Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just as good as the movie! Always Do The Right Thing Baby!

[Houston Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect read for black history month.

[Richie James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always remember to DO The RIght Thing

[Macy J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story

[Joe Costal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doctor...well, you know.

[Sen · Rating 5 out of 5]

no one DOES ask woody allen why he doesn't use black people in his films bru and yet here we are 💔 💔

[paulbjensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

88

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

You CANNOT even imagine how happy I was when this book arrived at my doorstep! Do the Right Thing is such an amazing movie - and it only seems right that this coffee-table book be used to celebrate it accomplishments.

Right off the back, this book is so entertaining because it features dialogue between all of the major actors/directors/producers of the film - and they don't always agree on what happened on the set! The back-and-forth between them make the book easy to read and hilarious. As soon as I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. Imagine an E-True Hollywood Story, but in book form. It was also very interesting to remember that it was not so long ago that Brooklyn was not the place for some of the white actors to be. Race issues have come a long way since Do the Right Thing was made, and it's awesome to read about some of the things that happened while everyone was on set.

The next section of the book focused on pictures from the movie. Actually, they basically showed you the entire movie through the photography and it is GORGEOUS! Each photograph is great enough to frame and hang on your wall. They tell the story beautifully and I loved turning each page to see what picture would come next.

Finally - and this is my absolute favorite part of the book - there is actually a photocopy of Spike Lee's actual handwritten script. I mean, for me, as an aspiring writer/screenwriter, this is invaluable. I love looking at some of the things that were crossed out, placed in. I loved reading what was supposed to be versus what actually was. I think this was the most perfect way for this book to end.

Trust me, if you like films. If you like Spike Lee. If you like Do The Right Thing. This book is a MUST-BUY!

Maria @GoodChoiceReading.com

[garfunkelgrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for a film class in college a decade ago, but still remember it. I'll never forget an interview Spike Lee did regarding the end of the movie. He stated white people often ask him why Mookie throws the trash can through the window at Sal's Pizzeria. He said no black person has ever asked him that question...

[Dankwa Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Do the Right Thing’ is my FAVORITE “Spike Lee Joint”. Don’t know why it took me so long to get this book, but it did. Probably because I owned, and poured over all of the extras on the 2 Disc DVD. What more could I learn right? Turns out a lot more. Yes the DVD was very detailed, but much insight is to be gained in this book mostly curated from his journals while making DTRT.

For most of all of his early films, Spike Lee published an accompanying book. This was also mostly before DVDs with all of their commentaries and extras. Even back then it seems that Mr. Lee knew that other filmmakers like me were interested not only in his films, but the stories behind them as well.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This large coffee-table type book consists of a 40 page oral history on the making of the film (with much of the cast and crew participating), a photo recap of the film, behind the scenes photos, and a reproduction Spike's handwritten script.

It's put together very well and the photos are beautiful, I just wish the oral history had been longer/more in-depth. Any behind the scenes film book now has to compete with Jan Stuart's "The Nashville Chronicles" for me, and this one just isn't quite as solid. It's well worth a look though, if you're a fan of the film and/or Spike Lee.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A volume that includes the shooting script and production notes for one of the most important American films of the past thirty years. It is striking how many of the concerns about racial antagonism in America that inspired the film's narrative remain immediate now.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read half. Maybe next time I watch the movie, I will read the other half.

[Emily Henriott]

liy....................

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone who loves movies. Only wish it was longer. Now I have to catch up with Lee's She's Gotta Have It and School Daze journals.