Secrets Behind The Making Of Mo' Better Blues

Joie Lee Wasn’t Comfortable Getting Undressed In Front Of Her Brother

In an interview with People from 1990, Joie Lee stated that going topless in front of Spike in her first leading role in one of his films was uncomfortable. But she wasn’t surprised at the request to drop her top for one of the love scenes. Nudity, in an artful way, has always been a big part of Spike’s films, and according to Joie, a part of who her brother is:

“When we were kids, Spike was more uninhibited than I was. He’d run around naked, but I wanted privacy from my brothers.”

Cynda Williams Never Listened To Jazz, Just Gospel

Despite playing Clarke, the jazz singer with big dreams and a very complicated love life, Cynda Williams didn’t mess with jazz music until she did the film. As she told I Rock Jazz in 2013:

“I was very much a church girl; that’s where I would spend all of my time. You wouldn’t find me in any clubs of any sort. I started going out dancing once I moved to Los Angeles but I wasn’t one to go to clubs and sing or listen to jazz because I was singing gospel in church so I wasn’t really a part of that scene at all.”

The Anti-Defamation League Went After Spike Lee Over The Film

Mainly because of his characters, Moe and Josh Flatbush. They were the Jewish owners of the fictional nightclub The Bleek Quintet performed at in the film. Prominent Jewish organizations felt the greedy characters brought up “an age-old and highly dangerous form of anti-Semitic stereotyping,” and called Lee a hypocrite. However, he never apologized. He said that being expected to paint all his characters, from a variety of racial backrounds, as perfect, upstanding individuals is unfair and unrealistic. “I stand behind all my work, including my characters, Moe and Josh Flatbush.”

The Film Was Originally Going To Be Titled, A Love Supreme

However, Alice Coltrane, John Coltrane’s widow, denied Lee usage of the title, which is the name of John’s 1965 studio album. As Lee told Wax Poetics a few years back:

“She read the script and thought there was too much profanity in the film, and she preferred that we not use that title, but she would still let us use the song. The recording was much more important than the title.”

It Was The Last Film Scored By Bill Lee

Bill Lee, Spike’s father, scored four of his son’s films. But Mo’ Better Blues would be the last time the father-son duo would collaborate. In fact, their relationship tanked afterward. Bill blames it on his second marriage to a White woman. While Spike hasn’t spoken publicly about their issues, Bill sure has, saying in 1994 “I don’t have anything to do with Spike now. We haven’t talked for two years.” Hopefully, these two are on better terms since they were pictured on the red carpet for the anniversary screening of Do The Right Thing last year.

The Film Is Dedicated To Robin Harris

Although he had a small role in the film as jazz MC Butterbean Jones, Mo’ Better Blues was dedicated to Harris, who passed away in March of 1990, after the movie completed production. He died of heart disease.

Denzel Washington And Wesley Snipes Had To Lip-Sync For Their Lives

No, Washington is not a talented trumpeter, and Snipes didn’t have previous experience with the sax. To play Bleek Gilliam and Shadow Henderson, both men had to learn how to mimic the playing of both instruments. The actual music was played by Terence Blanchard and Donald Harrison. According to IMDb, Washington “later admitted that he was lucky if he could play three notes of a simple tune prior to filming.” Both men killed it!

The Do The Right Thing Poster Can Be Seen In The Mo’ Better Blues Movie Poster

In case you hadn’t noticed, the original poster for Do The Right Thing can be seen behind the image Spike Lee’s character, Giant, is showing off on the official Mo’ Better Blues poster.

The Motivation For The Film Was Spike’s Love Of Jazz

After doing such an important film like Do The Right Thing, what motivated Spike Lee to follow that up by making a film about love and jazz music? It was the right film to do at the right time, according to Lee. Plus, he genuinely loves jazz.

“I always knew I would do a movie about the music. When I say the music, I’m talking about jazz, the music I grew up with. Jazz isn’t the only type of music that I listen to, but it’s the music I feel closest to.”