SPIKE by SPIKE LEE himself...monograph celebration of a film icon's life and legacy to date

SPIKE
SPIKE LEE
Chronicle Chroma
$50.00 hardcover, available now

Rating: 4.5* of five

The Publisher Says: A career-spanning monograph, SPIKE is a visual celebration of acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee's life and work to date.

Spike Lee is a world-renowned, Academy Award-winning filmmaker, a cultural icon, and one of the most prominent voices on race and racism for more than three decades. His prolific career has included over 35 films, including his directorial debut She's Gotta Have It (1986), his seminal masterpiece Do the Right Thing (1989), and his Oscar-winning film BlacKkKlansman (2018). Spike Lee's provocative feature films, documentaries, commercials, and music videos have shone the spotlight on significant stories and have made an indelible mark in both cinematic history and in contemporary society.

Featuring hundreds of never-before-seen photographs by David Lee, Spike's brother and long-time still photographer, this comprehensive monograph includes behind-the-scenes, insider images that underscore his creative process and his significant impact on the culture at large. Also included here are his beloved commercials with Michael Jordan for Nike, which helped launch the billion-dollar Jordan brand product empire, as well as his music videos with Prince and Michael Jackson. From earlier films like the critically acclaimed Malcolm X (1992) starring Denzel Washington, to more recent films such as Da 5 Bloods (2020) featuring the late Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee's work continues to resonate now more than ever.

STRIKING DESIGN: Featuring gold foil deboss on a vibrant fuchsia front cover, SPIKE boasts a bold and beautiful, eye-catching design. The custom blocky, typographic design is inspired by the LOVE/HATE brass rings that Radio Raheem wore in Do the Right Thing and that Spike wore at the 2019 Academy Awards.

GIFT FOR CINEMA LOVERS: This is a must-have collector's item and ideal gift for any cinephile and fan of one of the most prominent and influential filmmakers in history.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: You know and I know that one friend who loves movies, do pardon me films, is the right one to receive this as a #Booksgiving gift.

It is very much worth the price of admission. I happen not to be the biggest fan of Auteur Lee's work, but his impact and his great gift for telling stories are inarguable. The importance of his career, and the strength it took to make that career, make for good reading.

Given to someone whose appreciation is more vivid and intense than my own respectful admiration of the man, this is a Yule-maker. The gift that will be treasured and gloated over and fondled and enjoyed on every aesthetic level for ages.

The beginning was outstandingly fresh. The voice we hadn't heard; the perspective no one like me, an old white guy even then, could look away from or fail to believe was speaking truth.

The reward came in 2019...no one doesn't love to be told how wonderful you are at the career you love doing in front of a global audience. Applause from all corners. The actual success of your life's output validated. I hope that's the moment he relives when his internal highlight reel is unspooling.

The man himself.