DO THE RIGHT THING — Spike Lee and Ruth E. Carter find color in the dark

Spike Lee’s masterwork DO THE RIGHT THING is an incendiary look at racial tension, an empathetic portrait of a community...and one of the flyest-ever distillations of street style as the ’80s gave way to the ’90s.

Host Rico Gagliano learns how double Oscar-winner Ruth E. Carter (BLACK PANTHER) used bright color, afro-consciousness, and a whole lot of Nike sneakers to build a look as complex and political as the story. Guests include Carter, Spike Lee’s longtime cinematographer Ernest Dickerson...and a flashback with Spike himself.

Season 5, titled Tailor Made, dives deep into the worlds of film and fashion. Each episode tackles a landmark movie that captured a major fashion look of an era, and then decodes what that look meant—to the culture that spawned it, the people who wore it, and the audiences who watched it on screen.

Andrea Arnold's COW is now streaming exclusively on MUBI in many countries. To watch it and some of the other films we've covered on the podcast, check out the collection Featured on the MUBI Podcast. Availability of films varies depending on your country.

Links to the books mentioned in this episode: FREE STYLIN': HOW HIP HOP CHANGED THE FASHION INDUSTRY by Elena Romaro, SPIKE LEE'S DO THE RIGHT THING edited by Mark A. Reid, SPIKE LEE by Todd McGowan, and SPIKE LEE: DO THE RIGHT THING by Spike Lee and Jason Matloff.

MUBI is a global streaming service, production company and film distributor dedicated to elevating great cinema. MUBI makes, acquires, curates, and champions extraordinary films, connecting them to audiences all over the world. A place to discover ambitious new films and singular voices, from iconic directors to emerging auteurs. Each carefully chosen by MUBI’s curators.