Five for Five: The Films of Spike Lee

by Spike Lee, Terry McMillan, Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Few filmmakers have had as profound an impact on popular culture as Spike Lee. With his comic heart and deadpan political stare, he has entertained and challenged filmgoers since 1986 with a rapid succession of popular and critical successes that have portrayed the most serious issues of our time. In Five for Five, essays by Terry McMillan, Toni Cade Bambara, Nelson George, Charles Johnson, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Melvin Van Peebles and pictures by David Lee critique and celebrate Spike Lee's films from African-American perspectives. And Spike Lee, in an introduction to the book, tells his own story in his own words.

Genres: Film

224 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1991

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

[Sam Mansourou]

Spike! Spike Lee! S! SL! S!

[Will Leben]

Great little essays on each film by skilled, knowing writers. What I don't get is why the photos--the core of the book--are all blurry.

[Patrick Howard]

A nice read with nice imagery, although I would recommend either purchasing film-specific books or SPIKE, the larger photography compilation from ~2020.