In all the movies that we’ve seen, I’ve admired the way the director sets the scene and mood at the beginning of each one. To do a quick comparison, I’ve noticed that the mood of most of the films we’ve watched have been light and casual, and I think I realize why. Since each movie has taken place in New York, the director wants to start the film with a very real feeling, like we are just walking down the streets on an average day. Now that I’ve made a point that covers many of the films, I’ll start with what was unnecessary in Do the Right Thing.
The neighborhood in Brooklyn, where the movie is set, gets a lot of KUDOS from me, because of the “real” sense that I was writing about in the first paragraph. I want to point out a couple of specific moments where it felt so real, so I can explain what I mean when I say “real.” The first moment is in the convenience store of the Asian man. The black man inside can’t find what type of beer he wants, and he’s taking it out on the owner. This fits the setting of Do the Right Thing perfectly, because it shows the mixture of cultures in this small area, and even though the area is majority black, they don’t necessarily have any influence on the businesses surrounding them.
A second example to support this lack of business-influence is in the Famous Pizzeria. My point was made clearly when it’s pointed out in the scene that there are no blacks on the Wall of Fame. It’s even pointed out that majority of the customers are black. The moment where the camera pans across the wall doesn’t exactly make it obvious what it’s trying to prove. I didn’t know what I was supposed to notice until he points out that none of them are black.
The scene to focus on, however, is one of the last scenes where not only the trashcan is thrown, but also the black man is killed. When the black man was strangling the Italian owner, there was a clear reason for the cops to intervene and take him off. However, once he was off, they continued to choke this black man. After the cops were told that he was in pain, they continued. Finally, it was too late, and dies. It was entirely unnecessary for the cops to take it THAT far. Therefore, I think this is the reason Spike takes it THAT far. He throws the trashcan to show that they can take it THAT far as well. The cops took an unnecessary, cruel measure, and the black community took an unnecessary, cruel measure in burning down the pizzeria. No one is innocent.
