Watch This: This DO THE RIGHT THING Behind-The-Scenes Doc is a Classic in Itself

Almost as long as there have been films there have been documentaries about what happens behind the scenes. Some are amateurish, some are basically just commercials for the feature film, and a rare few are excellent works of art themselves. We have featured St. Claire Bourne’s work on these pages before. Well before Spike Lee asked him to document the making of 1989’s DO THE RIGHT THING, Bourne was a well known documentary filmmaker, and he has a clear idea about what he wants to say here. He wants to place the richness of the culture front and center and show the exertions and the beliefs of the people who are working to bring that culture to a place of prominence.

It is fascinating to watch the community come together around the production. We see Spike Lee as he guides large forces of people power and then, just as quickly, goes into intimate consultation with his actors about the tiniest aspects of their performances. We can see what a massive responsibility the director has on a film set, while also simultaneously considering the added weight of Lee’s task as he makes a film about social currents that are of such enormous import to the people of a neighborhood.

It’s a remarkable documentary and an inspiration to creative and cultural workers everywhere. We hope you enjoy it too.