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Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Directed by Spike Lee.
Directed by Spike Lee · Shot by Ernest Dickerson · Music by Bill Lee · 129 min
How it was made
- Spike Lee wrote the first draft in fifteen days while still working on Do the Right Thing.
- Most of the on-screen musicians were actors trained for the film; Denzel Washington and Wesley Snipes both underwent musical training with saxophonist Branford Marsalis and trumpeter Terence Blanchard to convincingly handle their instruments in performance scenes.
- Drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, a genuine member of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, was the one real musician kept in a core acting role.
- Lee deliberately excluded drug use from the story to push back against stereotypical depictions of jazz musicians.
- The film's original title, Love Supreme, referencing John Coltrane's 1965 album, was dropped after Coltrane's widow Alice withdrew permission over the film's content.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Spike Lee
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