Do The Right Thing - Movie Analysis

Do the Right Thing is a beautifully intense film directed by the talented Spike Lee, which revolves around the very diverse community of the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn on a hot summer Sunday. Throughout the entire film, characters are faced with obstacles and injustices that bring up the grand question of what the “right thing” even is. One scene in particular sums up the whole premise of the film into a concise and poetic speech spoken by the one and only Radio Raheem. This scene is imperative to have in the film as well as for the viewers. Without this scene, the film itself would not have the same impact and possibly the same message it has already given all of its spectators.

Do The Right Thing, a movie directed by Spike Lee, filmed on a sunny summer day in a black neighbourhood in Brooklyn is what many consider a great movie. The movie portrays stories of many actors consisting from different palettes, where each has their own conflicts and struggles. It is a very entertaining movie yet it will leave you emotionally connected to the events that took place. It would not have reached its current success if it wasn’t for the unique cinematography. In the coming sections I will be talking about the shots, angles, lighting styles, symbolism and colour.

Mookie performed a heroic contribution as he shifted the fighting away from Sal and towards Sal's Pizzeria. In fact Mookie saved Sal's life in the midst of everything. In the middle of the chaos the Korean man says, "I'm black, you, me, the same." This reflects how people in society try to fit into certain groups that seem to be the right thing to do at the moment.

The two most influential civil rights activists in American history were Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. They supported equal rights for every race, but when comparing MLK’s “I Have a Dream’ and Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet,” one sees the similarities in their rhetorical styles and differences in their tone and message. As seen in “I Have a Dream,” MLK has a more civilized and peaceful solution to the nation’s problems; whereas in X’s he has a will to do whatever it may take to solve the problems.

There are many films in this world that tackle the topic of race. It is an unfortunate truth that leads to many options when choosing a film to show to the students of Coe College. With a large majority of the students at Coe being white, choosing a film that addresses the themes of racism in the 20th century is something that can be a sensitive subject. It is the reason that a film that addresses tension among different race on a block in Bed-Sty is the most appropriate for the audience at Coe College. The film Do The Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, challenges the characters in the film, along with the audience viewing the film to form opinions on sensitive subjects and to do the right thing in a difficult situation.Spike Lee uses the film, Do The Right Thing, to address racial tension in the 20th century through his use of color, camera framing and narrative.

Malcom X gives his speech during a time in American history when equality and civil rights between blacks and whites had not yet been established. Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X also fought for the civil rights of Black Americans in the 1960s, but using different tactics. Malcom X was angry that Congress had opposed bills that were intended to support the equality and civil liberties of African Americans. In the North, where Blacks were allowed to vote, White politicians came to Black communities with promises they did not intend to keep in exchange for black votes. Malcom X urged the African American community to fight in order to gain the equal rights they deserved, by either through immediate grant of the vote (the ballot) and if denied the vote, blacks should engage in violent opposition to the white rule (the bullet). Malcom X’s stature as a civil rights leader and prominent figure in the Nation of Islam helped strengthen these appeals.

Since the creation of the United States of America there has constantly been a problem with civil rights. Even though African Americans fought for their freedom and rights, they are still facing similar obstacles that they were in the past. There are no real great leaders of the civil rights movement today but in the peak of the civil rights era there were two frontman that advocated for African American rights. One was Martin Luther King Jr., and the other was Malcolm. Martin Luther King Jr’s approach was very different from Malcolm X’s because he used peaceful uprising, while Malcolm X was examined as more assertive. In response to Martin Luther King Jr’s “ I Have A Dream” speech, Malcolm X delivered a speech called “ The Ballot or the Bullet”. In this speech Malcolm is trying to explain the reasons black people needed to stand against the American government. In “ The Ballot or the Bullet” Malcolm X uses the rhetorical terms of ethos, logos and pathos to persuade his listeners and readers.

In an attempt to enlighten audiences with a powerful message about the cancer that hate and violence can bring to a society; writer, director, Spike Lee brings Do the Right Thing to the screen. Fusing a powerful story with creative film making, Lee gives us an insider’s look at life on a blistering summer day in Brooklyn.

The film Do the Right Thing is a very relevant on issues of race. The film shows how there is tension between all races. The film shows racial tension between the communities in the hottest day of the year. The heat is a theme in the film. Heat in general gets people on edge and raises tension. The film relates to W.E.B. Dubois work “The Soul of Black Folk.” Dubois (1903) work includes the concepts of the veil and double consciousness. The African Americans in the film deal with the idea of a veil. Mookie the protagonist deals with the idea of double consciousness.

On the hottest day of the year, racial tensions were building as different subcultures in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn voiced their opinions about some people of other races living in the neighborhood. Italian-American pizzeria owner Sal Fragione worked in his restaurant with his sons Pino, Vito, and his pizza deliveryman, Mookie. Buggin' Out, one of Mookie's friends, was thrown out of the pizzeria after he confronted Sal about his displeasure with Sal's Wall of Fame only containing pictures of Italian-American celebrities. This incident only increased the tension between the Italians and their customers. Another one of Mookie's friends, Radio Raheem, talks to Mookie when he is making one of his pizza deliveries. Radio’s

Mookie (Spike Lee) is an young African American who lives in the neighborhood with his sister Jade and works as a delivery man at a local pizza shop, “Sal 's Famous Pizzeria.” Sal is the Italian-American owner of the pizza shop where Mookie works along with Pino and Vito, Sal 's sons. Mookie and Vito are friends, but Pino is portrayed to be prejudice towards Black people. Pino and Vito often get into heated altercations because of their different racial views. Pino absolutely despises working in Bed-Stuy and wants nothing more than to move the business to their own neighborhood, but Sal disagrees. Sal 's character is unlike his son Pino 's. Sal 's is depicted to be a nice man with good morals and sees everyone as equal. He has run a respectable business in the neighborhood for 25

Mookie (Spike Lee) is a young hardworking teenager living in a black and Puerto Rican neighborhood. He lives with his sister Jade and girlfriend Tina. Trying to support his girlfriend and their newborn baby, he works vigorously as a sole black employee of pizza deliveryman for a local white-owned pizzeria down their neighborhood. The pizzeria 's Italian-American owner is an aged man named Sal. Unlike most of the area 's white businessmen, Sal decided to stay

“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all.”(Martin Luther King Jr.). Violence and racism are both important motifs in, Do the Right Thing (Lee, 1989). They are prominent in almost every scene of the film and lead to the climax when Radio Raheem is killed by the police. Spike Lee used many different directorial techniques in his movie. Heat and music were an example of this and were prominent throughout the movie. They were clever ways that Lee got across his ideas, they brought the audience into the movie. They helped immerse you in the movie and made you feel as if you were feeling the

In the film “Do The Right Thing” by Spike Lee, cinematography and editing serve as critical components to emphasize the racial tensions between the various characters. Set in a predominantly black neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, the action of the film consists of a series of unfolding events that take place over the

Malcolm X’s “The Ballot or the Bullet” was one of the most significant and powerful speeches delivered during the Civil Rights era. X, an advocate for civil rights, was also an influential leader who sought to end the complete and utter degradation of Black Americans. Conflicting with the peaceful and nonviolent Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was another important leader at his time, X believed in using any means necessary, including violence, to accomplish his goals. Because of his controversial methods, X was seen as a radical, causing many to disagree with his tactics. Without a doubt, X was definitely a great leader and excellent orator, regardless of his disputable views. He understood the influence of language and used that to his own advantage, as he created and delivered an inspiring speech to achieve his purpose. In “The Ballot or the Bullet,” X’s appeal to emotion, critical tone, and his overall consideration of his audience convinces Black Americans to hasten their fight for equality.