Do the Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee Essay examples

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 â€Å"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). The film depicts the lives of those who live on a city block in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York where Sal’s Famous Pizzeria is located. Racial and ethnic hatred is shown through the characters who frequent the Italian restaurant. Sal’s son, Pino, wants to move the Pizzeria into their own neighborhood away†¦show more content†¦This, and Radio Raheem’s ghetto blaster, lead to the brawl that occurs soon after in the movie. The police are called, which ends in the death of Radio Raheem and, in turn, lead s to the restaurant being set ablaze by Mookie, who has watched everything occur since the very beginning. Reid explains that â€Å"the scene †¦ lacks any constructive critique of the socioeconomic processes that promote misunderstanding between ethnic and racial working-class groups† (102). The film brought on several conclusions from the audience. Bell hooks believed that white viewers would be assured that they are not ‘racist’ because they do not exude the same racism as Sal and his sons and even though it may â€Å"legitimate racist folks†, it also permits nonracist modes of interpretation (103). This can be seen in the incident of the two pizzeria owners, who, when commenting on the ending, focused on the destruction of the pizzeria, and not the death of Radio Raheem. When informed of this, they both have different reactions – one with that of forgetting about the death because of all the violence occurring, the other embarrassed and real izing that they did not have to kill him, they just did it out of their own anger and racism. The terrifying thing is that Do the Right Thing resulted in two incidents between Italians and African-Americans. In both instances, an African American died due toShow MoreRelatedDo The Right Thing Directed By Spike Lee1572 Words   |  7 Pages In the film, Do The Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, is a story of African-Americans and Italian-Americans that live in local residents. This film takes place on the hottest and longest day in Brooklyn, New York. Lee represents himself, Mookie, an African-American delivery boy at a pizzeria. Throughout the film, Lee establishes two main characters that illustrate â€Å"the right thing†, starting Salvatore is known as Sal, an Italian who owns a pizzeria. Radio Raheem is an African-American enjoys hisRead MoreDo The Right Thing Is A Beautifully Intense Film Directed By The Talented Spike Lee1029 Words   |  5 PagesDo 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 â€Å"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 isRead MoreThe Sixth Seal By Ingmar Bergman And Do The Right Thing Directed By Spike Lee Essay2531 Words   |  11 Pagestypes of film classifications do not impede a director from incorporating both elements into the overarching structure of the film. However, some films such as the widely acclaimed formalistic film, The Seventh Seal, stick extremely well within their film medium. A few films that exemplify tendencies of both formalism and realism are The Seventh Seal directed by Ingmar Bergman, North directed by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock, and Do the Right Thing directed by Spike Lee. These films all have a similarRead MoreSpike Lee - Auteur Essay1069 Words   |  5 PagesWoody Allen. The director I have chosen as an auteur is Spike Lee. Lee’s Life: Spike Lee is an American film director who has directed, produced, written and acted in Spike Lee films such as Malcolm X, Jungle Fever, Inside Man and Love Basketball. Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia where he attended Morehouse College and made his first student film Last Hustle in Brooklyn, he then graduated from New York University in 1982. Lee grew up in a well-off, respective African American familyRead MoreAuteur Theory Continues to be an Important Part of Filmmaking The auteur theory is an idea or600 Words   |  3 Pageschose for my thesis is Spike Lee. Spike Lee entered the film industry under a different light. He chose to go outside of just producing entertainment and instead create thought-provoking art. This decision, alone would cause Spike Lee to establish his own vision through his films. The two films, by Spike Lee that I chose for my thesis are â€Å"Do the Right Thing† and â€Å"Malcolm X†. Each of these films delivered a strong message, yet in two totally different storylines. Do the Right Thing focused on the segregationRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Spike Lee 1475 Words   |  6 PagesSpike Lee is an Afro-American director who has developed more fame and importance in the last 20 years. He portrays his stories in a way that nothing is fictitious and many of them are written about some real events. Lee has co-produced many of his films and has acted in some small roles within them. According to IMDb (2016), Lee s work consists of: 26 films, 30 television programs, 45 commercials, 15 short films, starred in several films, and was a producer and writer of many other works. AlthoughRead MoreEnglish 102 Violence, good or bad? Intolerance and violence are interconnected, as they are both1100 Words   |  5 PagesPleasantville, directed by Gary Ross, and Do The Right Thing, directed by Spike Lee, are two admirable films that explore the world of intolerance and violence. In Pleasantville, the colorless town has their world turned upside down as people and things begin to gain color through unknown knowledge that has recently been introduced. As a result, a powerful window-breaking scene is shot where the â€Å"noncoloreds† destroy what can be considered the safe house of the â€Å"coloreds†. Similarly in Do The Right Thing, theRead MoreDo The Right Thing?1523 Words   |  7 PagesDo 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 RightRead More Do The Right Thing Essay537 Words   |  3 Pages Director and actor Spike Lee presents his quot;truthquot; 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. The disturbing scene where different nationalities badger their opinionsRead MoreDo the Right Thing Analysis1576 Words   |  7 PagesHussein Abdallah First Paper 26838 Flm101 Technical Critique of 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