Spike's peak: A sharp new look at Spike Lee's 1989 film'Do the Right Thing'

Spike Lee's"Do the Right Thing"exploded onto screens in the summer of 1989, and nothing the Fort Greene-based filmmaker had done prior was any preparation for it."She's Gotta Have It"and his sophomore movie,"School Daze,"each were warmups for Lee's drama about love, hate, racial strife and moral outrage on a Bed-Stuy block during a sweltering New York summer.

The movie, with its depiction of police brutality, a riot and dialogue that name-checked Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Eleanor Bumpers and Howard Beach, lit up editorial pages and sparked conversations about Lee's political intentions. It wound up on many critics' lists of that decade's best films.

Cameramen follow Lee, as Mookie, as he heads to Sal's Famous Pizzeria.

Written and directed by Lee, who co-starred along with veterans (Danny Aiello, Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis) as well as talented then-newcomers (Samuel L. Jackson, Rosie Perez, John Turturro, Bill Nunn),"Do the Right Thing"is still as incendiary, savvy and visually dazzling as it was 21 years ago, when it was hatched, partly as Lee read Daily News headlines and mulled over his masterpiece.

Danny Aiello and Giancarlo Esposito, who played Buggin' Out, the neighborhood revolutionary, work out a scene in rehearsal with Lee.

Now a new coffee-table book takes readers back to those Brooklyn streets."Spike Lee: Do the Right Thing"(AMMO Books, $39.95), by Lee and Jason Matloff, showcases gorgeous behind-the-scenes photos by David Lee (the filmmaker's brother), along with a reproduction of Lee's handwritten script, lively interviews with cast and crew— including the film's great cinematographer, Ernest Dickerson, who crafted its memorable look — and stills from the movie, which was nominated for two Academy Awards.

In his introduction, Lee writes about how he still gets shouts of"Hey Spike, do the right thing!"on the street and notes that the goal"was to make a bold film, not just with subject matter, but how it looked, sounded, and quality.

"We did what we intended to do. That's what I call a winner."

jneumaier@nydailynews.com

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