Performances urbanas no cinema de Spike Lee

Abstract

This work originates from my particular interest in the work of director Spike Lee. From this, we associate here his cinematic trajectory focusing on the intersection of urban nuances with performance theory. Spike Lee stands out for his ability to portray the historical social conflicts faced by the black community in the United States, which arises from conflicts in various urban areas such as the regions of Brooklyn, Harlem in New York, Boston in Massachusetts, and Atlanta, Georgia. Lee offers us in his films a reflection on the social and cultural dynamics presents in urban communities. Thus, the objective here is to point out in an interdisciplinary manner the particularities of Spike Lee's cinema and his audiovisual language, to trace discussions on performance theories, and to show how these two aspects come together to perceive urban performances. The analysis of Lee's films in this text does not extend to all of his works, which are indeed quite extensive both in film direction and in music videos. Therefore, here we focus on his productions throughout the first 9 years of his career, marked by 7 films, namely: Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads; She's Gotta Have It; School Daze; Do the Right Thing; Mo' Better Blues; Jungle Fever; and Malcolm X. These films, predominantly urban and often set in New York, often bring racism to the forefront as a central theme. However, since the purpose of this work is not to delve deeply into this discussion, we delve into other issues that elevate the city/performance discourse.