How Spike Lee can turn a block in Brooklyn and create such a powerful story is beyond me. Lee’s Bedford-Stuyvesant may be primarily a black neighborhood however, there is so much more to it. You have the Korean couple that at one point of the film argue that they are indeed black. Puerto Rican characters reveal themselves as the film progresses. The despotic white cops and of course the Italians: Sal and his two sons. These pieces form Lee’s neighborhood but more importantly, they are the players he uses to make everyone face the difficult question: when, if ever, is rage and hate right?
Setting, editing and music play big roles as Lee shows the devolution of Sal’s relationship with the neighborhood. Of all different settings why would Lee pick a hot summer day? The environment parallels the plot of the story. The intense heat leads to aggravation and frustration, which in turn reflects the chaotic events that ensue. I don’t think a crisp autumn or a rainy spring day would amplify the plot the way a hot summer day did.
Moreover, the use of cuts as well as shot reverse shot really help show the racial tensions between certain characters. After Mookie talks to Pino about his favorite people the scene culminates with a race rant. This is a series of shots where the camera cuts and then zooms in on a character that says a multitude of racial slurs and stereotypes about the previous character. Through the editing the rant becomes this powerful cycle of hate, which ends with Señor Love Daddy (aka Mace Windu) saying “Time out! Time out! You need to cool that shit out and that’s the double truth Ruth!” (Who’s Ruth? o_O).
Finally, music plays a key role from the moment the film began with that never ending 4 minute opening sequence to “Fight the Power.” Music helps reflect what is going on the film from Radio Raheem’s boom box to Love Daddy’s radio show. I don’t think the film would be as powerful as it was if Radio Raheem was Mute Raheem. Imagine if Brother and Radio Raheem switched places! That would be so weird.
Even though President Obama will never read this blog post I must commend him. Taking a girl to a movie like Do The Right Thing and then talk about the meaning behind it after, very classy date indeed. But really, why does Mookie throw the garbage can? After all he was Sal’s friend, wasn’t he? Sal even saw Mookie as a son…that’s an incredible rude thing to do to a father figure.
Do The Right Thing deals with the notion of racial tensions and what’s the right thing to do in these complex racial conflicts. Another immensely powerful scene that exemplifies this motif is when Radio Raheem explains his knuckle rings, “LOVE” and “HATE.” As Raheem shows there is a constant battle between these two forces. Moreover, as Mookie throws the garbage can he screams the word ‘hate’. Like many of my other classmates, I believe Mookie threw the can to divert the crowd’s attention away from hurting Sal and his sons, and instead attack the pizza place. It’s as if he was throwing everyone’s hate into the restaurant.
But I don’t think why Mookie threw the can is the key question here but rather, did Mookie do the right thing? Mookie’s face tells it all. Before he went to get the garbage can his face didn’t show hate or anger, but frustration and helplessness. In that frustration he turned to the garbage can. Then after the chaos develops, when he’s sitting on the curb with his sister his face screams “oh my god…” He is stunned and overwhelmed by the chaotic forces he unleashed. Thus, what I think Spike Lee wants us to leave his film thinking is “if only…” If only Sal didn’t have such a quick temper. If only Radio Raheem respected Sal’s wishes and turned down his radio in the restaurant. If only…
