The Remix

An intensive examination of the works of Spike Lee that seeks to understand the filmmaker by attempting to understand shared themes in his work, with each one building off of the one before it. The course will begin with an exploration of Lee’s handling of gender roles and of the relationship between an auteur’s work and his/her personal beliefs. We will then examine Lee’s fascination with black entertainers and their personal autonomy. This will transition into the shared universe many of Lee’s works take place in, with special attention to Brooklyn as its own distinct character in these films. This will take us into those Lee films that are centered on real life people and events. Finally, we will return to the concept of auteurship and question whether or not Lee’s past work and themes obligate him to make a certain kind of film in order to receive the same respect as a filmmaker.

Week	Films	Themes
1	School DazeShe’s Gotta Have It	Gender Politics and the Auteur’s Responsibility
2	He Got GameMo’ Better Blues Bamboozled	Artists, Athletes, and the Art of Exploitation
3	Do The Right ThingCrooklyn Clockers Red Hook Summer	Brooklyn, Continuity and Intertextual Conversation
4	Get On The BusMalcolm X A Huey P. Newton Story	History Recreated
5	Inside Man	The Blockbuster and Artistic Integrity