The author of Do the right thing and Malcolm X turns 66 today: we have selected for you five streaming films within a career full of commitment.
He turns 66 today Spike Lee, one of the most important authors of contemporary cinema. From the mid-60s he began a unique artistic journey, made up of civil commitment carried out with a unique and “angry” style that changed the rules of contemporary cinema. In the five film in streaming chosen to celebrate its history and art, we would have also liked to include the sophisticated and corrosive Mo’ Better Blues (id., 1990), which is not available on the Italian platforms. The titles below nonetheless represent all of Lee’s expressive power, a filmmaker who is never conciliatory or willing to step back in the face of the flattery and money of the Hollywood industry. Enjoy the reading.
Five streaming masterpieces directed by Spike Lee
- Do the right thing
- Malcolm X
- He got Game
- La 25a Ora
- BlacKkKlansman
Do the Right Thing (1989)
The film that gives voice to the black community of New York is a concentrate of direction, editing, soundtrack by Public Enemy and unprecedented screenplay. Danny Aiello, John TurturroSpike Lee himself to other formidable actors make of Do the right thing a turning point, fiery and courageous, capable of shaking consciences and inflaming the debate on racism and prejudice in America in the 80s. Oscar nominations for best original screenplay and Danny Aiello as supporting actor. Fight the power. Available on Google Play.
Malcolm X (1992)
The torrential biopic about the civil rights leader marks Lee’s break into mainstream cinema. And the great author obviously realizes it in his own way, mixing a powerful staging with an epic narration. But the greatness of Malcolm X lies in the test of the protagonist Denzel Washington, in our opinion one of the best in the history of American cinema. Only Oscar nomination for him, sensational mistake not to give him the statuette. One of the best and most heartfelt film biographies ever made. Masterpiece. Available on Google Play, Amazon Prime Video.
He got Game (1998)
The film dedicated to one of Lee’s great sports passions, namely basketball, is at its heart a family drama that once again stars a monumental Denzel Washington and the NBA star Ray Allen. Set almost entirely in Coney Island, He Got Game it is a lysergic, haunting and wonderful film. With a final match between father and son that tells of a human divide that is impossible not to love. Another feature film to be delivered to posterity. Also in the cast is a splendid one Rosario Dawson at the beginning of her career and a very sweet one Jovovich mile. Available on CHILIGoogle Play, Disney +.
La 25a Ora (2002)
Another cult film by Lee, a New York elegy and the first major production to deal with the pain following the attack on the Twin Towers. A great Edward Norton ago of La 25a Ora a title to remember, but also a group of notable supporting actors among which Brian Cox e Philip Seymour Hoffman I am no less. Criminal melodrama of unprecedented emotional depth, with at least a couple of legendary sequences such as the protagonist’s furious monologue in the mirror or the open and painful ending. A Spike Lee only apparently more conciliatory. Available on CHILI.
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
The masterpiece of the second part of Lee’s career which gives him the first Oscar nomination for directing and the statuette for adaptation. based on an incredible true story, BlacKkKlansman it’s a sulphurous and once again angry comedy, shot with devastating psychological finesse and a couple of old-fashioned directorial moments for Lee that raise the tone of the staging to sublime heights. John David Washington e Adam Driver they are lively and corrosive protagonists of a magnificent film, a slap in the face to the racist America of yesterday but above all of today. From unconditional applause. Available on Google Play, Amazon Prime Video.
