Understanding Do The Right Thing

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.

In the film, Do the Right Thing, director Spike Lee presents the audience with the theme of racism. The title represents the everyday choices that we as Americans of various ethnicities, cultures, and race. Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing allows the viewers to decide for themselves the right thing to do about racism. Everyone has the choice to be accepting of cultures, or people different from them. The film portrays how an Italian American named Sal has a neighborhood pizzeria in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York. The neighborhood is primarily African American, but there is a diverse amount of other cultures made up of, Hispanics, European Americans, also there is a store owned by Koreans. This film displays the discrimination between the races and how this can lead to violence.

Director and actor Spike Lee presents his "truth" about race relations in his movie Do the Right Thing. The film exhibits the spectacle of black discrimination and racial altercations. Through serious, angry, and loud sounds, Lee stays true to the ethnicity of his characters, all of which reflect their own individualism. Lee uses insulting diction and intense scenes to show how severe racism can lead to violence.

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.

The movie, " Do the Right Thing", by Spike Lee is a hard-hitting drama that deals with violence and racism in today's society. This film is set in a primarily black neighborhood in close to the present time. Right in the center of this neighborhood stands a pizza parlor that is owned and operated by one of the most important characters in the movie, Sal. In the beginning of the movie, Sal is shown arriving to work with his two sons Pino and Vito. Right from the start, Sal is portrayed as a hard-working, kind, and devoted individual. Just the fact that he owns his own business in these rough and tough times shows that he is a smart, efficient, and dedicated man. Later in the movie, we learn that Sal did, in fact, build his pizzeria by himself from the ground up, brick by brick, and board by board. The fact that Sal gets to share his creation and hard work with his sons make it all the more special to him. After Sal has finished his pre-opening preparations Sal's Pizzeria is open for the day.

In the film “Do The Right Thing” by Spike Lee, cinematography and sound 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 course of one hot summer day. Heat, serves as a catalyst to the film’s rising tensions and makes up one of the key symbols in the film. The purpose of this paper is to examine two elements of film; cinematography and sound, in Do The Right Thing, and analyze how these elements develop meaning and understanding of the film.

In Spike Lee’s film Do the Right Thing, we dive head first into a world of racial and social ills. The movie is set in the African American and Puerto Rican neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, on the hottest day of the year. We follow a young man named Mookie, who lives with his sister Jade, and works as a pizza delivery guy for a local pizzeria owed by Sal. Sal’s “Wall of Fame” is soon questioned by a man named Buggin’ Out, who believes that Sal should place some pictures of African American celebrities on his wall to represent the African American society he serves. Sal refuses and Buggn’ Out attempts to

Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989) portrayed an important social problem of the time period – interracial rivalry. The movie was one of many ghetto action films made during the era. In the article “Producing Ghetto Pictures” by Craig Watkins, he says that the movies of the ghetto film cycle committed much of their storyline to that of the relationship between young, poor black males and the ghetto (170).

In spite of the fact that Do the Right Thing and Jungle Fever are both associated with social and political issues, they tend to navigate through various racial viewpoints using different cinematic elements. Spike Lee uses a variety of techniques in his film to bring awareness to events occurring in today's society. For example Do the Right Thing, is a film that tackles down the social issue of prejudice as well as the controversial issues between Italian-Americans and African Americans in New York City. The whole movie unravels around the “Wall of Fame” located inside Sal’s Pizzeria, which only features Italian actors. One day a local customer name Bugging Out, demands to have black actors, since after all the pizzeria is located within a black neighborhood. Soon enough the “Wall of Fame” becomes a symbolic representation of racism and hate which leads to a riot involving an explicit scene of police brutality. On the other hand Jungle Fever, tends to emphasise on the subject of interracial couples, as well as the controversy between Italian-Americans and African Americans and of course the usage of drugs. The movie is based on Flipper, an African American architect who has an affair with his secretary Angie, who is an Italian-American. The climax of the movie occurs when Flipper’s wife Drew, finds out about the affair and from then on society begins to reject Flipper and Angie because of social norms. Forcing them into a corner where they later learn that they were driven

In Spike Lee 's Do the Right Thing, the story takes places in 1989, another year in the long struggle for equality for African-Americans. The film portrays the racial tensions between locals of the neighborhood and an Italian-American family in the majority Black and Hispanic neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant (Bed-Stuy) in Brooklyn, New York. Spike Lee shows us what a day in the life of the Brooklyn neighborhood consists of and throughout the movie he portrays several different aspects of a modern urban neighborhood, using the many unique personalities of the characters in the movie.

Do The Right Thing (1989) is a classic film written, produced, and directed by Spike Lee. The focus on the movie is set on racial issues, and the entire movie takes place on the hottest day of the year in the Bed-Stuy section of Brooklyn. Lee does an incredible job demonstrating the tautness between the races on the block specifically among the African American race and American Italian race. Lee’s use of symbolism among the characters, mise-en-scene, and shot composition in his film Do The Right Thing from beginning to end illustrates the struggle between peace and conflict.

A mirror can not lie. It reflects an exact image of whoever looks into it. It shows a person what works and what is in desperate need for change, which means that a decision must be made every time one comes upon their reflection— accept what is seen or take the steps to make the change. Spike Lee gave the world a mirror when he created the film “Do the Right Thing.” He showed the world exactly much change is needed. The body of society is wrinkled with centuries of injustice, scarred with generations of suffering, and burdened with lifetimes of painful memories. Society is in need of healing. Lee shows us how to go about this healing by using a cycle of agitation and resolution in each pair of scenes. In order to begin to solve America’s race problem the conversation must have a balance of agitation and resolution.

A mirror can not lie. It reflects an exact image of whoever looks into it. It shows a person what works and what is in desperate need for change, which means that a decision must be made every time one comes upon their reflection— accept what is seen or take the steps to make the change. Spike Lee gave the world a mirror when he created the film “Do the Right Thing.” He showed the world exactly much change is needed. The body of society is wrinkled with centuries of injustice, scarred with generations of suffering, and burdened with lifetimes of painful memories. Society is in need of healing. Lee shows us how to go about this healing by using a cycle of agitation and resolution in each pair of scenes. In order to begin to solve America’s race problem the conversation must have a balance of agitation and resolution.

particular practices. Depending on the theme and intent of the director, films have a substantial contribution to the human civilization. Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee is a1989 American comedy-drama that highlights the racial tension in the ancient society. The film depicts a typical day for Lee in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn when strains between the whites, Indians and African Americans were on the rise. The production of the film took place when the issues regarding the African Americans were largely ignored. Therefore, the setting of the video in a black dominated community illuminates the style as well as outcomes of good and bad (Townsend). It addresses the stereotypical notions that defined Africans as dangerous and violent by portraying a picture of hospitable characters. Other than bringing the lifestyle of African American to the limelight, it has significant relevance

The main theme of the film, “Do the Right thing,” by Spike Lee Joint is racism. The neighborhood is segregated into variety of groups, from Italians, African Americans, Koreans, and Latinos. This film lets the viewer’s know regardless of the race they are all humans. Da Mayor, one character from the film said, “thank god for knees, elbows, and hands.” He didn’t focus on the race, but in fact that they all are individuals. That is what makes this film so important.