Apple’s Beats Music has created a new documentary for the 25th anniversary of Do the Right Thing that reunites director Spike Lee with several members of the landmark film’s cast and crew, and returns fans to the Brooklyn street it all made famous.
Do the Right Thing 25 Anniversary: A Beats Music Experience was released on Beats’ YouTube page on August 14. In it, Lee tours the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood that was the setting of Do The Right Thing with actor Danny Aiello, who played played pizzeria owner Sal, and production designer Wynn Thomas. Lee tries to identify specific shoot locations and checks in with several folks in the neighborhood, many of whom have live there for decades.
The 23-minute doc culminates with a block party sponsored by Beats featuring appearances by Dave Chappelle, Wesley Snipes, Mos Def and a performance of “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy.
What you don’t see in the film are Beats By Dre headphones. Instead, the brand gets plenty of airtime during the Public Enemy portion, where you spot fans passing around double-sided placards featuring PE’s logo on one side and Beats on the other.
“You were putting together a film that spoke to all the inequities of the New York City area, and asked us to come along and make an anthem for it,” said Public Enemy frontman Chuck D in a moment with Lee. “We were honored with the task.”
The anniversary doc is Beats’ second video in recent months. Back in June, the company released a short film surrounding the World Cup that featured soccer stars including Neymar, Daniel Sturridge and Jozy Altidore, as well as appearances by Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.
