"As the legendary filmmaker Zooms in from a cozy office space, I can see that every inch of every wall is covered in black-and-white photos of music legends. Portraits of Frank Sinatra, jazz pianist Hazel Scott, and James Brown stare me down as Lee, back turned, oversees the arrangement of two other pieces: the first, a vintage poster of High and Low, and the second, an image of its director, Akira Kurosawa, signed "To dear Spike" in textured white paint."
"Like any filmmaker the world recognizes by name, Lee's reputation precedes him. He's a writer and director who knows what he likes, and has no problem discussing what he doesn't. He's no longer the young upstart challenging the status quo, but he's still very much a disrupter, if only because he's holding onto tradition as the industry strives to replace it."
Spike Lee fills his office with black-and-white portraits of music legends and a signed image of Akira Kurosawa, arranging them deliberately in frame. He reimagines Kurosawa's High and Low and casts Denzel Washington as David King, a prickly music mogul who embodies themes Lee has grappled with across decades. The character functions as a sounding board for issues of tradition, influence, and industry change. Lee signals strong attachment to classic artistry while expressing skepticism toward generative AI. The new film appears glossier and more restrained than Lee's early provocations while maintaining disruptive, tradition-minded impulses.
Read at Inverse
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