205: Ernest Dickerson

Ernest Dickerson is a director, cinematographer, and writer who has played a key role in some of the best and most important film and television of the past four decades. He got his start in the mid-1980s as the cinematographer on movies by his NYU film school pal Spike Lee. Ernest show every one of Spike’s movies up through 1992’s Malcolm X—a historic run that included She’s Gotta Have It, Do the Right Thing, and Jungle Fever, just to name a few. Ernest struck out on his own with a hip-hop cinema classic, 1992’s Juice. The film, about four Harlem teenagers who slowly get dragged into a perilous situation, featured Tupac Shakur in his first starring film role—and also had cameos from hip-hop figures of the time like Treach, Queen Latifah, Red Alert, and Yo! MTV Raps hosts Fab 5 Freddy, Ed Lover, and Doctor Dre. A 25th anniversary edition of the movie, with tons of never-before-seen extras including an alternate ending, is available now. But that’s not nearly all of Ernest Dickerson’s story. He has directed other great films like Surviving the Game, Demon Knight, and the Snoop Dogg-starring Bones. And he has helmed notable episodes of great TV series like The Wire and The Walking Dead. His latest project, out now on the festival circuit, is Double Play. See http://theciphershow.com/episode/205/ for full show notes and comments.