Uplift the Race [Paperback]

Spike Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 15, 1988

Spike Lee rises again. This time, he and Lisa Jones document his transition from struggling independent to mainstream filmmaker with the making of the Columbia Pictures film, School Daze. No longer working with a small cast and a painfully tight budget, Spike Lee and his crew find themselves working in a swirl of university politics, a cast of thousands, big musical production numbers and the not-insignificant pressures of coming up with a hit in the majors. He "uplifts the race" by demystifying the process of producing an entertaining commercial film that, at the same time, delivers a stinging - yet funny - critique on American culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lee, the writer-producer-director who took the movie industry by surprise with his highly successful 1986 independent film She's Gotta Have It, returns to the screen this month with his bigger-budgeted School Daze, filmed on location. In the movie, Lee draws on his experience as a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta from 1975 to 1979, stating that the action "takes places at a fictitious, predominantly Black College in the South. The student body is divided into two factions: The Haves and the Have-Nots. This division is based upon class and color." Scripts are like "blueprints," he writes, and, with that in mind, he presents his screenplay with a code indicating scenes never shot and those deleted during editing. He includes reminiscences and statements by others connected with the production and a section on his career in the music-video field. The result is a hefty package of inside info and filmmaking know-how that should fascinate industry professionals as well as film students and fans.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (February 15, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671644181
• ISBN-13: 978-0671644185
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,011,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this film!, April 3, 2006

By 

NeverSayNever "NSN" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uplift the Race (Paperback)

I remember buying this book at an independent bookstore in Boston about 15 years ago. Because I'm a navy brat, during all of our moves, I ended up losing the book. So I am definitely happy that I have the opportunity to purchase this MUST HAVE once again. I will also be able to read the script with a new perspective, since I am older and wiser now. And yes when I first saw the movie...I was too young to be looking at or even reading about School Daze, but I found the story so intriguing even at that young age. I remember my parents allowing me to see the dance sequence and then telling me to go back upstairs because the rest of the movie was "too adult"...well the movie remained in the house so I eventually snuck and looked at it...and continue to view it to this day...I even have the special edition DVD which is another MUST HAVE. I ended up attending a historically black university, partly due to my parents, A Different World, and of course SCHOOL DAZE.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love the movie you gotta have this book!, March 14, 2004

By 

Michelle (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Uplift the Race (Paperback)

School Daze is my favorite film of all-time. You can imagine how pleased I am to have a book about making the film. The book contains so much valuable info. Spike discusses being kicked off the campus of Morehouse Univ. in the middle of production, his struggles with Island Pictures, and the big jump from directing a film independently (She's Gotta Have It) to a bigger budget & all that comes with it. It also features commentary from some of the stars of the film such as Laurence Fishburne, Tisha Campbell, Joie Lee, Doris Witherspoon & Roger Smith. It also features pictures & the original script (you will notice alot of good stuff was cut from the final film). Definitely a must have!!