Spike Lee on Do The Right Thing, Michael Jordan and Prince | The Sight and Sound interview

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