A yearning for closure explains some critics oppositional readings of the ending of do the right thing. Do the right thing bluray is an essential release for fans of the film. Peppered with new jack era slabs of wax from the likes of public enemy the iconic fight the power, summer party staples from e. Those that analyze the movie can get a whole other view of it as it transmits different. Critics wrote that spike lees film would inflame racial hatred, incite riots, and, perhaps worst. What is the meaning of the ending of do the right thing. Hed made a movie about race in america that empathized with. Jun 30, 2014 the first family even streamed a video message to the party, noting that do the right thing was the movie barack and michelle saw on their first date. Apr 01, 2012 do the right thing 1989 produced, written, and directed by spike lee is a day in the life of a brooklyn neighborhood and the racial tensions contained within. Jul 09, 1989 spike lees new film, do the right thing which depicts racial tensions on the hottest day of the summer in the bedfordstuyvesant section of brooklyn, ending with the killing of a black man. Under the influence of spike lees film do the right thing. While part of do the right things greatness has to do with the ambiguity of characters actions in the film, it may hold its primary place in film history because its a film whose primary theme what race means in contemporary america is painfully relevant today.
My father hated tv and movies, so i became my mothers movie. Jan 28, 2009 trailer for spike lees film starring danny aiello, ossie davis,john turturro,spike lee,giancarlo esposito, richard edson, ruby dee, bill nunn, paul benjamin, rosie perez, robin harris, frankie. Twenty years later, the trash can is still crashing through americas window. Do the right thing quotes, movie quotes movie quotes. Feb 19, 2001 do the right thing is one of the bestdirected, bestmade films of our time, a film in which the technical credits, the acting, and lees brazenly fresh visual style all work together to make a statement about race in america that is all the more powerful because it blindsides us. This film highlights the dynamics of a modern urban neighborhood through a cast of distinct personalities. Even radio raheem, the likeable, stylish giant who blasts the films opening theme and leitmotif, hiphop group public enemy s fight the power, from a large boombox, imposes his music on others. No one in do the right thing is necessarily heroic. There are many angry racial confrontations using provocative, coarse language and highlycharged racial taunts, including constant use.
Do the right thing spike lee film analysis senses of cinema. Do the right thing offers an ambiguous and unsatisfying conclusion that directs viewers to consider the unchanging state of racism in contemporary america. And each term, they react similarly to the scene in which mookie spike lee throws a trash can, igniting a neighborhood riot by breaking the window of the pizzeria where he works. I dont think do the right thing is rendered bad because of the onedimensional portrayal of women, but i do think it could be much more compelling if if the women had personality traits beyond being simply moral compasses and caretakers for the men in the film. This film was written, produced, and directed by spike lee. For my film analysis, i chose the 1989 movie do the right thing. Do the right thing 910 movie clip fight the power 1989 hd duration. As seen in the film, the story revolves around a popular pizza parlor, which is unhealthy.
The first selected scene begins with a record being played that brings in the sound of conga drums while the camera fades to the next scene where we find a group of puerto rican men who fit a perceived ethnic puerto rican image while the salsa music of ruben blades is heard loud. Do the right thing 1989 produced, written, and directed by spike lee is a day in the life of a brooklyn neighborhood and the racial tensions contained within. For more information, and to book your special event, call now. Parents need to know that spike lees do the right thing is an intense study of racism as it existed in an urban u. The film do the right thing, written, directed and produced by spike lee, focuses on a single day of the lives of racially diverse people who live and work in a lower class neighborhood in brooklyn new york. One paramount scene between radio rahim and mookie encapsulates these ideas. Mar 22, 2010 do the right thing, 1989, written and directed by spike lee. The second, from malcolm x, argues that violence is not violence, but intelligence when it is used in selfdefense.
Memorable quotes and exchanges from movies, tv series and more. This film has a main theme of peace and conflict competing with each other. The overarching sociopolitical themes of the film powers the conversation around it, but the underlying romances between key characters in do. Do the right thing still asks burning questions the. The notsohidden climate messages in spike lees do the. He details his early exposure to film through his mother on his 20 kickstarter project page, writing.
The shock of the movie is that its core dramathe killing of black. There are many angry racial confrontations using provocative, coarse language and highlycharged racial taunts, including constant use of nr. The first selected scene begins with a record being played that brings in the sound of conga drums while the camera fades to the next scene where we find a group of puerto rican men who fit a perceived ethnic puerto rican image while. Jackson, and is the feature film debut of martin lawrence and rosie perez. Aiello has the pivotal role, as sal, and he suggests all of the difficult nuances of his situation. Do the right thing 1989 movie trivia proprofs quiz. Do the right thing tells an honest, unsentimental story about those who are left behind. Do the right thing analysis magnificat marymount commons. Take this short and crisp quiz on do the right thing 1989 movie.
In loose terms, do the right thing is the story of mookie spike lee, a young. Jun 28, 2015 do the right thing was shot on stuyvesant avenue in bedstuy over eight weeks in the summer of 1988. Before a handful of commentators most notably david denby and joe klein used the civil unrest at the conclusion of do the right thing as an occasion to scold lee as a provocateur and radical, he was, as jason bailey has recently argued, regarded as a black woody allen. Apr 26, 2017 i dont think do the right thing is rendered bad because of the onedimensional portrayal of women, but i do think it could be much more compelling if if the women had personality traits beyond being simply moral compasses and caretakers for the men in the film. Spike lees third feature, do the right thing, returns to movie theatres this. A comprehensive database of do the right thing quizzes online, test your knowledge with do the right thing quiz questions. Even radio raheem, the likeable, stylish giant who blasts the films opening theme and. Each term, my film students watch spike lees do the right thing 1989. Mookie from the movie do the right thing 1989, written by spike lee. The very theme of private property in public space was a crucial one in the. Spike lees do the right thing remains explosive and vivid. Do the right thing by spike lee 1989 on june 30, 1989, spike lees comedydrama do the right thing debuted in movie theaters all over america. Spike lees film do the right thing is an examination of race, a dominant theme in his films.
The extremely hot summer day, unhealthy food and poor decisionmaking played a part into the climax of this film. Though the action is limited to one moreorless idealized block in bedstuy, the scope is panoramic. In may of 1989 i walked out of the screening at the cannes film festival with tears in my eyes. The first family even streamed a video message to the party, noting that do the right thing was the movie barack and michelle saw on their first date.
In do the right thing, the djs morning address follows the stagelike. Do the right thing the current the criterion collection. And in some ways, i feel that this is an almost petty complaint, given how. Do the right thing was shot on stuyvesant avenue in bedstuy over eight weeks in the summer of 1988. However, this ordinary day takes place on one of the hottest days of the summer.
Do the right thing, 1989, written and directed by spike lee its hard to believe it now, but on its initial release, do the right thing caused a genuine public uproar. The greatest opening credits in movie history youtube. The film ends with two quotations that demonstrate the dichotomy of the films theme. Evokes emotion spike lee, the director of do the right thing 1989, makes sure the audience understands how the heat is affecting the characters on the day the film takes place, and to do this he uses color. Jan 29, 2016 do the right thing offers an ambiguous and unsatisfying conclusion that directs viewers to consider the unchanging state of racism in contemporary america.
Lee, dickerson, production designer wynn thomas, and their crew worked hard to create a vibrant. May 27, 2001 i have been given only a few filmgoing experiences in my life to equal the first time i saw do the right thing. Mainstream american films dont often tackle race and racism headon, and when they do, they often end up trying to find easy answers. I have been given only a few filmgoing experiences in my life to equal the first time i saw do the right thing. It takes place in brooklyn in a predominantly black neighborhood on the hottest day of the summer. One common theme in do the right thing is the juxtaposition of love and hate that exists among individuals in the neighborhood. Radio rahim shows mookie his two new rings which read love and hate. The opening scene with the female dancing aggressively in a boxing. What is the theme of the movie do the right thing by spike.
The purpose of the assignment was to analyze its cultural context. Love and hate in do the right thing introduction to film. Spike lees new film, do the right thing which depicts racial tensions on the hottest day of the summer in the bedfordstuyvesant section of. At the climax of spike lees 1989 drama do the right thing, the eternal battle between love and hate teeters. The characters that we follow throughout the film, on a single sweltering. Trailer for spike lees film starring danny aiello, ossie davis,john turturro,spike lee,giancarlo esposito, richard edson, ruby dee, bill nunn, paul benjamin, rosie perez, robin harris, frankie.
Our online do the right thing trivia quizzes can be adapted to suit your requirements for taking some of the top do the right thing quizzes. Early on, there is evidence of racial tension between blacks and whites when local teenagers spray water onto an angry white mans antique car. The little known story behind do the right thing mental floss. Do the right thing is an exceptional film, a movie that wisely deprives you of the cozy resolutions and epiphanies so often manufactured by hollywood.
Do the right thing used many intense reds and other warm colors in the settings, but also used color filters to give off the yellowishoranges with many of the scenes being shot outdoors spike lees use of desaturation of color also played a major part in the different scenes shot in the apartment, pizzeria, and street scenes. Do the right thing is a 1989 american comedydrama film produced, written, and directed by spike lee. The enduring urgency of spike lees do the right thing at thirty. Spike lees new film, do the right thing which depicts racial tensions on the hottest day of the summer in the bedfordstuyvesant section of brooklyn, ending with the killing of a black man. It is a very wellmade film, beautifully photographed by ernest dickerson and wellacted by an ensemble cast. Health can have an influence on our mindset and can play a major part into someones genes or ethnicity.
Forming a critical sense of race with spike lees do the. The second, from malcolm x, argues that violence is not violence. What is the theme of the movie do the right thing by. People can just watch it and enjoy the different scenes, many of which are played for comedic effect.
This theme of the battle between love and hate reoccurs throughout do the right thing and through the films climax and resolution. It comes closer to reflecting the current state of race relations in america. His inspiration for opening do the right thing with footage of perez dancing on a soundstage came from the 1963 film bye bye birdie, and annmargrets famous opening number therein. Critics wrote that spike lees film would inflame racial hatred, incite riots, and, perhaps worst of all, doom the mayoral campaign of david dinkins.
Do the right thing 1989 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. These scenes are familiar in the america of spike lees do the right thing 1989, in which a crowd, witnessing the death of radio raheem bill nunn, chants the names of the fallen as well as the sites of clashes between the police and civilians. What is the theme of the movie do the right thing by spike lee. Party hearty and teddy riley my fantasy, and deep slow jams from perri and al jarreau, its the perfect background for. Jan 24, 2010 what is the theme of the movie do the right thing by spike lee. On the hottest day of the year on a street in the bedfordstuyvesant section of brooklyn, everyones hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence. Those that analyze the movie can get a whole other view of it as it transmits different messages about the black community and race relations. Do the right thing 1989 salvatore sal fragione danny aiello is the italian owner of a pizzeria in brooklyn.
All agree that the burning and looting of sals pizzeria is the climax of the. It stars lee, danny aiello, ossie davis, ruby dee, richard edson, giancarlo esposito, bill nunn, john turturro, and samuel l. Do the right thing is one of the bestdirected, bestmade films of our time, a film in which the technical credits, the acting, and lees brazenly fresh visual style all work together to make a statement about race in america that is all the more powerful because it blindsides us. In order to understand why this film is, the main theme, portrayal of cultures, stereotypes and racial issues must be identified. The best movie quotes, movie lines and film phrases by movie quotes. Spike lee and do the right thing analysis essay 1508.
Do the right thing is more than just a film on police brutality or racial identity, it is about the beauty and ugliness that exist, not only in a low income community. Do the right thing i chose this film because it reminded me of our first lesson in this class about race and ethnicity. Set on the hottest day of the summer, the film examines various personal, social and economic issues through the eyes of an ensemble of neighborhood characters. Do the right thing works on different levels which makes it still relevant today. With danny aiello, ossie davis, ruby dee, richard edson.
934 1208 44 564 1424 894 1341 1070 616 380 136 925 636 485 220 619 172 18 519 414 694 1138 795 749 443 683 326 223 467 4 1453 1290 199 1305 563 643 1438 978