Do the Right Thing
This week's film is Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. In addition to the film, I'll inlcude one reading on electronic reserve, but I'd also like you to take a look at this poem by Ai, "Riot Act, April 29, 1992," which speaks to some of the issues in Lee's film.
5 Comments:
Maybe this is a little harsh, but I hated this week's movie. I liked the quotes at the end, but the film dragged, and everything from the characterization of people to the way the shots were sometimes at a diagonal drove me crazy. I hated how the retarded character was portrayed almost comically, I couldn't identify much with any of the characters, and that makes it very difficult to effectively communicate the message. Maybe I just didn't watch in the frame of mind that Lee intended and am being too harsh, but if I hadn't watched this for class, I would have turned it off.
~Karen
I enjoyed Do the Right Thing because of the strong conflicting binaries Lee creates. These are all over the place, but a few that stood out:
Music: Sam L. Jackson's radio station and Radio Raheem. I think the radio station was called 108 The Love or something. Radio Raheem was always blasting Public Enemy: agressive music, perhaps verging on hate filled. This plays into Radio's Love / Hate brass knuckles - presenting that binary very strongly.
Jobs: The only characters to have jobs were the non-blacks and Mookie. The three guys sitting around (Sweet Dick) are confused by this fact. They wonder why the Korean Family can be so successful and yet they aren't. Is it because they are lazy and merely sit around all day, or is it because they are black? I think Sweet Dick says its because they are lazy. At the end, the Korean guy convinces the men that "We're the same," and they spare his business. This is a complicated issue - one that Lee never answers, but must be interpreted by the viewer.
Doing the Right thing: Da Mayor's advice is interpreted by many characters differently. When he saves the boy from being run over, the boy's mother is angry at him, even though it would appear he did the right thing. In the moment, Mookie probably believed throwing the garbage can through Sal's window captured the injustice and hatred he felt from Radio's death. But was it the right thing?
MLK / Malcom X Quotes: These quotes summed up the movie perfectly - the advice of two great black leaders. However the words of wisdom are difficult to understand, and almost seem to contradict. Even more potent was seeing their picture tacked to the wall of the burned out pizzeria. In that captured image, they've put aside their differing ideologies and are smiling together. This contrasts powerfully with the surroundings - the outcome of riotous hate.
These contrasting binaries are what makes DTRT such a great work. Racism and its effects are never black and white, yet the stark outcome of violence blinds people. Lee understands this, and this is why he is an influential filmmaker.
-Tim D
I don't know how anyone can take this movie seriously. Its basically like watching that movie Friday with Ice Cube - it pretty much just follows the life of a bunch of African Americans in an inner city. I found that there really wasn't much plot and character development. Rather than feeling like we were part of the movie like most movies accomplish, this movie made the audience feel like they were very much on the outside looking in as spectators. I also found the movie to drag on in many parts. There was, however, some interesting camera work as mentioned earlier with the diagonal camera angles. This cinematography really added to the uneasiness of the scene.
-John R.
Avery said:
I agree with Dashaun 100%. I could relate to many of the events that happened in the movie maybe because I am African American. I feel that some people don't view this movie with a open mind. I enjoyed thid movie just the same as I enjoyed the other movies in this class. I feel that Spike Lee made this movie to bring many issues that blacks were facing in the their community. He addressed a issue that people don't like talking about Racism and the stereotypes that people have for different cultures.
I enjoyed this movie simply for the realization of how life is in black neighborhoods. It was interesting how the setting of the movie took place all in one day like the movie "Friday" with Ice Cube. I thought Lee was exaggerating when Buggin Out made a big deal about there being no blacks hanging on the wall of fame. Other than that it painted a pretty good picture.
-Christopher Dunlap
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