Peopling of New York City, Spring 2012

If ethnicity were paint, Spike Lee has crafted an aesthetic masterpiece on the canvas of Bedford-Stuyvesant, representing a myriad of ethnic inhabitants coexisting on one block of the inner city Brooklyn neighborhood. The characters that animate the scorching street that the movie takes place on each represent a certain perspective of the immigrant experience, and are distinct in their cultural background as well as their socio-political viewpoints. The African-American community is heavily represented on the block, a realistic representation, as the neighborhood is predominantly black. The other ethnicities function either as foils to the black community or as competing forces in the struggle for power in the community.

Mookie, the relatively complacent Sal’s Pizza employee, keeps to himself and focuses on “getting paid,” essentially, getting by. The whole neighborhood is kindheartedly represented as impoverished, and Mookie’s fractured family and low-end job only bolster this view. Da Mayor, the neighborhood drunk, retains some form of wisdom and carries on life peacefully, despite previously hardship. His behavior is contrasted with that of Buggin’ Out, whose feverish outbursts at anything hinting at racist shed light on the almost revolutionary nature of young African Americans against the established system. In this respect, Radio Raheem may be one of the most important figures in Do The Right Thing. Carrying around a massive radio, blasting politically infused, rough rap, Radio Raheem can be seen as the neighborhood prophet, a forerunner to the protest and political activity soon to erupt out of the community. His stereo plays to the tune of Public Enemy, blasting lyrics from the song “Fight The Power.”

The importance of his song becomes apparent as the tensions between Sal, the owner of neighborhood favorite Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, and the politically active African Americans escalates. In fact, the brawl that ensues between the established whites and the revolting blacks is over Raheem’s radio. The camera provides close ups of the infuriated faces of both clashing parties, the music impossibly loud in the background, until a brawl breaks out that engulfs the entire community. Soon, the racially unjust police, break up the fight, killing Radio Raheem through a lethal choke-hold in the process. Throughout the entire movie, the issue of poverty and the inactivity of black men to take charge financially, start a business, and harness some political power, has been repeatedly explored through the contrast of Korean grocery shop owners and Italian-American small business owners and the either inactive or barely getting by black community. Racial inequality and the tensions that result from the viewpoint dominate the African American community as well. Finally, the frustration over the issue, and the revolting spirit of those seeking to dismantle the establishment, as well as the death of Radio Raheem, pushed the entire community to destroy and burn down Sal’s pizzeria.

Interestingly enough, Mookie sparks the destruction of Sal’s establishment by throwing a garbage can through his window—Mookie the most calm, racially and politically neutral African American on the block. My only guess to explain his action: Ethnic ties run deeper than economic relationships.

In Spike Lee’s Bedford-Stuyvesant there is an almost tangible cultural and racial conflict.  Bed-Stuy is an obviously black neighborhood.  It is dominated by a culture different from that of Sal and his son’s.  Sal’s Famous Pizzeria seems to be a different world, separated from Bed-Stuy by the window.  Music is not allowed in Sal’s, but is a prominent atmospheric theme on the streets. Sal’s pizzeria oozes whiteness- it is run by his rules and has only pictures of American Italians on the Wall of Fame. The only evidence of the culture of the surrounding community are is the patrons in the restaurant.  For example when Radio Raheem walks into the pizzeria with his boom box, Sal yells at him to turn it off because it is “his” restaurant and in his restaurant there is no music (especially not rap music). Despite this pretty clear division, there is a level of tolerance and often moments of affection if not acceptance.  For example, when Buggin Out initially tries to gather support for a boycott of Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, everyone thinks that he’s crazy. They remark that Sal’s never done anything to them and never caused any kind of trouble and that they were “born and raised” on Sal’s.  Sal even says that he considers Mookie to be like his son and that there will always be a place for him at Sal’s.  It is only after a commotion is started in the restaurant that the mob mentality begins and trouble begins.

The problems start when the silence of the pizzeria is interrupted by Radio Raheem’s theme song “Fight the Power,” which is exactly what they plan to do.  The camera angle during Sal and Radio Rasheem and Buggin Out’s initial confrontation adds an interesting visual representation of the tensions being acted on. The camera looks down on Sal and up on Radio Rasheem and Buggin Out’s faces.  This gives the viewer the idea that Sal is no longer dominant and is no longer in control. His pizzeria is no longer his domain.  Buggin Out and Radio Rasheem’s reluctance to turn off the music escalates these tensions, causing both parties involved to start screaming derogatory things at each other and Sal to whip out his baseball bat to destroy the music.  Once the silence of the pizzeria is restored, relations between these two groups of people go from civil, to bad, to nonexistent.  All respect and tolerance that existed between these two groups of people disappear and a crazy fight breaks out in which everybody is hurt in some way.

I don’t believe that Mookie had any option but to throw the garbage can.  This action served two purposes.  The first was to empathize with his wronged community.  He had to show a loyalty to someone, so outwardly, he chose them and broke the window boundary between Bed-Stuy and Sal’s world.  However, I think he also expressed his loyalty to Sal.  In throwing the garbage can he created a sort of diversion so that Sal and his family could escape and not get physically hurt. The mob was too concerned with destroying the restaurant that they forgot about Sal. In that way Mookie expressed his loyalty to Sal and protected him from harm.

The people in Spike Lee’s neighborhood has a really specific connection. The only way I can think to describe it would be “love/hate.” The characters are forced to be with each other, but there are some instances in which they show some measure of affection. The biggest example is when Sal’s Pizzeria is closed for the day, but he still opens the door when the younger crowd begs for pizza. His words, “I’ve never had no trouble with dese people, don’t want none either, so don’t start none,” show that he isn’t as racist or arrogant as many of the people in the neighborhood.

While most of the people in the neighborhood were different, they shared the same idea of stereotypes. Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem were angry because of Sal’s stereotypical pizzeria with the white idols on the wall. The men that sat and watched the neighborhood generalized the actions of the Korean store owners. Rosie’s mother claimed Mookie would never amount to anything more than a pizza delivery man because of his race. The entire neighborhood was suffocated by these irrational ideas. The most important part of this idea of “suffocation” comes from the weather. The fact that it is a ridiculously hot day pushed the tempers of each member of this Bed-Stuy town. Also, Radio Raheem’s aggressively loud music is key to the end scene and all the tension building up to it. I actually believe that this is the most important part of the entire movie. “Fight the Power” is the ideal song for Radio Raheem and it’s also his intro music. This song is what sets the scene for the brawl that breaks out at Sal’s Pizzeria. The absence of music during the fight is also important.

Finally, I believe that Mookie threw the garbage can because he was identifying with his friends. He saw the death of Radio Raheem and saw how Sal treated Radio Raheem prior to the brawl. I think that Mookie, finally, after working under Sal he couldn’t take anymore repression. After the fight was brought outside, Mookie was forced to make the choice between his own race and his employer. His choice was obvious, his “brothers.”

I don’t think it would be too crazy to say that in many ways a neighborhood is its own little planet.  Although every block is part of a bigger community, each one is different based upon the people living there.  This is why even though every film we’ve watched is set in New York City, each one has a very different feel.

First we watched The Jazz Singer, which is set in the Jewish ghetto of the Lower East Side.  Jakie’s neighborhood has a decidedly traditional feel to it because of his father’s prominent role as the synagogue’s cantor.  Religion is obviously important to the Rabinowitz family, given its central place both in their lives and in the film’s narrative.  Another reason why it feels traditional is because it is black and white, although this is out of necessity rather than choice.  The makers of Hester Street, however, deliberately chose to shoot it in black and white.  This gives the film an interesting sense of conflict—the story centers around Jake’s desire to reinvent himself as a “Yankee” in his new homeland, yet the neighborhood surrounding him is still very much a traditional Jewish area, reflected by the cinematography.

With Brother From Another Planet we left the Lower East Side and traveled to Harlem.  The film presents the neighborhood in a mixed manner—on one hand, it becomes a place of belonging for The Brother; on the other, we are shown the instability caused by drug addiction.  It’s an interesting clash of ideals to say the least.  This dual aspect of the neighborhood gives it (to me at least) a very genuine and open feeling.

Next was West Side Story, which contains more violent conflicts than the previous films.  This neighborhood feels fast-paced due to the very frequent cuts.  It also feels like a dark, unsafe place to live because of the conflict between the Sharks and the Jets.  The Pawnbroker, which takes us back to Harlem, also shows its neighborhood as a dark place, mainly through the use of flashback.  Like Hirsch discussed in the article “The Pawnbroker and the Posttraumatic Flashback”, these numerous flashbacks to the horrors Sol witnessed in the concentration camp unsettle the viewer by constantly flipping between a concentration camp and Harlem.  Additionally, there are many shots in Sol’s pawnshop from behind the metal bars, making the shop itself feel like a sort of prison for Sol.

So we’ve definitely seen some dark, conflicted views of New York so far this semester.  And looking ahead to films like Do The Right Thing and Goodfellas, it doesn’t look like the movies are going to be idealizing New York any time soon. Oh well…at least we have Sesame Street to look forward to!

Upon watching The Pawnbroker, I saw a completely different side of New York. Compared to the bright, banded neighborhoods seen in The Brother From Another Planet and West Side Story, the neighborhood of Sol Nazerman was gritty, grimy, dirty, and suffering. Purely from a visual point of view, the Harlem in The Pawnbroker was in shambles. The black and white color, use of shadow and used in the film further enhanced the bleakness of Harlem. This provides a contrast to the bright, colorful, idealized West Side. Additionally, the people in the neighborhood were different as well. In The Brother From Another Planet, Harlem’s inhabitants were mostly black. We see in The Pawnbroker, that Harlem was made of latino, black and white. I personally felt that there was more of a sense of content and community in Brother. The inhabitants in The Pawnbroker seemed to look in improving their situations, trying to make money, in both legal and illegal ways. Additionally, the use of reggae music and the use of jazz gave a different feel to the neighborhood. Harlem in Brother did seem impoverished, but gave off a welcoming, community like vibe. The Harlem in the Pawnbroker was cold and violent, outwardly showing the struggles of the people. The portrayals of Harlem in the two films were vastly different, as each was trying to convey different messages.

The film also related the neighborhood of Harlem to the Concentration Camp Sol experienced. Using the graphic, sudden flashbacks of Mr. Nazerman, the images of Harlem blend with the memories of the concentration camp. When the prostitute was baring her breasts to Sol, he experienced a flashback of his naked, suffering wife. When she said “look,’ he remembered looking at the female prisoners in camp, and the guards yelling at him. The horrors that he tried to conceal for so long resurfaced by watching the actions of his community. The way the music, flashbacks, and facial expressions meshed really captured the horror and stress Sol was experiencing. Harlem and its people became a trigger for the flashbacks. In this way, the two ghettoes/areas are almost one in the same. Though vastly different, the people of Harlem and the prisoners in the concentration camp experienced suffering. The concentration camp was a home to atrocities, leaving permanent mental scars on Sol. The people of Harlem, black, Latino or white, also suffered, either from corruption or from their social status. The suffering Jewish and the suffering Harlemites looked the same to Sol. These series of flashbacks led to the breaking of Mr. Nazerman, forcing him to show the emotion that he tried to ignore.

Additionally, I felt the film had some undertones that touched upon more than just suffering. The main premise of the film tried to create parallels between Jewish and Black ghettoes, as seen by Sol’s flashbacks. We see though vastly different situations that suffering was the same either in Harlem or Europe, bringing on horrible memories and corruption. However, I felt that the film had Christian imagery, as mentioned by Hirsch. The killing of a man named Jesus (H sound) to save a Jew and the self-wounded hands was pretty interesting to me. The suffering of Christ was another image of suffering I took away from the film. The Pawnbroker really showed the long term effects of pain and suffering.

The prologue of the movie shows a time of peace and freedom. The children are shown playing in a wide, open field and a woman is shown smiling, resting by a river. The director made a good choice on opening the movie in this way for this opening scene does not only offer a glimpse of what happened to Sol but it is also the opposite of the life he lives after that. In other words, “before Europe became a graveyard”, his family enjoyed freedom; they were not restricted in their movements and were capable of enjoying what life offers them.

Then the director fast forwards the audience to the movie’s present day, a place in which the colors of the setting are not as bright as those of the opening scene. It is there that the audience is reassured that the opening scene was a memory. (Another way the director made it obvious that the joyous days that Sol had were a memory were through the slower than normal movements of the children, and the fact that there was no sound.) This is the first hint that the director gives to the audience that Sol is suffering from PTSD. When I was first looking at the scene where he wakes up, I did not like the location of the shot. Particularly I did not understand why we suddenly are forced onto knowing whom his sister-in-law is when she does not appear anymore. I suppose that this scene gives the audience a peek into his personality, however, I believe he could have awaken in his apartment and the audience would piece together his personality through his interactions with others.

The main reason I did not like that scene was because it felt out of place. Throughout the rest of the movie, Sol is in small, cluttered places; these places do not look similar to that in which his sister-in-law lives. It would have been more striking if the audience saw the sharp contrast between his old, happy life with his wife and children and the life he lives in the present. Either way, overall the director does a good job exploiting Sol’s personality and experiences. Through out most of the movie, Sol is viewed to be behind a set of bars (which can represent prison bars), and even when the bars are not viewed physically, their shadow is cast onto his face. This served as a reminder to the audience of how trapped he is. The people he encounters are always shown leaving the pawnshop while he, unknowingly, is trapped there. This is an indirect way of showing that Sol is trapped yet again. It does not become obvious until he confronts his boss about his whorehouses. It is at that instant that he realizes that he is trapped like a mouse (just like he was in the concentration camps). His African-American boss parallels the SS soldiers, the bars he puts himself in parallel the barbed wires of the concentration camp.

Sol remains oblivious of the fact that he trapped himself for about half the movie for he believes that everyone else is a scum. He believes in only money; he doesn’t believe in God, in science, or in art. (This is to be expected; for many Holocaust survivors lost their belief in their religion after what they saw and what they went through during the time in a concentration camp.)  He does not talk to others for more than what is needed, nor does he listen to them when they try to converse with them. He forced himself to be detached from human emotion, making him part of the living dead. This is clearly shown when the woman’s father died and he was unable to respond to that. What he told her was “what you want me to leave the store and cry with you?” In addition, during every interaction between him and his customers there is a shot in which on the left hand side of the frame the costumer (who can represent the outside world) is shown and on the right hand side of the frame Sol (surrounded by objects and tickets) is shown with the bars in the middle. These shots signify in showing the difference between his character and theirs. Also, during all those interactions, Sol mostly focuses on the tickets and scarcely examines the objects. He does not make much eye contact with them.

Another thing I did not like about the movie was the speed in which the flashbacks were introduced. They were shown for a split second and if the audience blinked, they would miss it. However, this is understandable for that is how flashbacks occur. They just happen unexpectedly and anything closely resembling the memory will trigger it to occur. The reason that the flashbacks would flicker is because he was trying to fight them. What I did like in this movie were the close-ups of his expressions when he was undergoing one of these flashbacks. They showed how underneath this stoic mask lies a man afraid of his past, a man who is incapable of moving on.  My favorite shot of this movie was a shot during the time he starts telling the woman who works with the youth organization of his past. It was a side profile of him and in the background; a factory was visible with black smoke rising out of it. I found that shot the shot that clearly shows what happened to Sol, and it represents that no matter where he goes he cannot escape his past.

The various films that we’ve watch so far this semester seem to depict a couple different views of New York City neighborhoods. Films like Brother from Another Planet (1984) portray New York as a city that welcomes immigrants, and understands their needs. While films like West Side Story (1961), and The Pawnbroker (1964) are a bit darker. They portray an unforgiving city filled with cold, cruel residents.

The film Brother From Another Planet is very interesting in the fact that until about ten minutes within the movie, we never actually directly see other characters besides the Brother. And since the Brother cannot speak, it is not until other characters are introduced do we actually hear the voices individuals. What I found most remarkable about this movie is that it is in certain aspects, for certain characters, a silent film. We learn about the Brother through his actions, and we figure out his thought processes through camera pans, close-ups and cutaways. This sort of unspoken communication (between character and audience) is similar to the New York neighborhood the Brother falls into. It’s a community that is understanding and very tolerant.

Meanwhile the setup of West Side Story is much more different than Brother. This film contains many musical scores that flat out explain the emotional tribulations of the characters and their thought processes. The film work includes many panning shots, and quick cuts and edits that have us jumping from scene to scene. The editing is very jumpy and tense just like the dissonant atmosphere for most of the film. The editing of the film really reflects on the discordant feelings the residents in the neighborhood held towards each other.

To me it only makes sense that The Pawnbroker was filmed in black and white as the color theme of the film most certainly reflects the mindset of the characters in the neighborhood. Sol and Jesus both have certain outlooks on life. Through his employer, Sol, Jesus comes to the conclusion that the most essential object a person could own is money. And through the use of Sol’s dream sequences and flashbacks we learn about his time being a prisoner in a concentration camp. Sol is a misanthrope. “I do not believe in God, or art, or science,” Sol says. And to Sol, his ideas and ideals are reasonable, sound, as simple as ‘black and white.’ The characters of this neighborhood have mindsets that they can’t seem to shake.

Through different cinematic effects like musical scores, camera cutaways, and mis-en-scene, Brother From Another Planet, West Side Story, and The Pawnbroker efficiently portray different depictions of New York neighborhoods.

In The Pawnbroker, we follow a man, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder that runs a pawnshop and is completely withdrawn from any human connection. In the first couple of scenes you see Nazerman bombarded with different cultures; from his assistant, Puerto Rican Jesus, to a self-taught black man, Nazerman could be constantly involving himself with, and connecting with a variety of people. However, no matter how much attention they seem to give to him, he refuses to make any connection with “scum.” His indifference makes him extremely blind to what has been surrounding him for years.

Rodriguez, a colored man who owns the pawnshop, is someone who Nazerman really accepted as a powerful figure despite his wealth. It isn’t until later that Nazerman realizes that his income comes from “dirty money”; money that comes from Rodriguez’s thriving prostitution business. This relationship shows two clashing cultures that represent how ignorance can lead to surprising realizations.

In an early scene when Nazerman and Rodriguez are talking on the phone, I found the way the characters to be depicted, interesting. In this conversation, Rodriguez is received with the camera diagonally facing upward away from him, giving him a large and powerful visage. He also wearing a white robe and is sitting in a room of all white, which interesting enough, is an extreme contrast to his dark skin, maybe depicting false “purity.” Nazerman, however, is shown to be behind some sot of gate or some sort, which I found to be really telling of his emotional state. Rodriguez was trying to impose his power on him, while Nazerman was in a dark place and stuck in an emotional prison. It was fascinating to see how such a simple scene can show so much about clashing cultures and the power struggles that are unfortunately involved.

In the film The Pawnbroker, there are many interactions between different races. Through the pair’s dialogues, one can almost see each person’s inside by examining what he or she says and his or her expression while they are speaking.

Because the pawnbroker Sol Nazerman is the center of this film, other characters all interact with him one by one; thus that, following his encounter with his various customers, we can see his characteristics and those of other peoples. Sol’s dull and cool expression indicates his indifference toward the community. Sol is acting like a machine that performs only three fixed mechanical movements: receive the pawned object, make a record, and give out two dollars. In contrast, the customers facing him are alive who have different unpleasant stories but same reason to come to the pawn store. The first customer pawns his awarded oratory trophy which he claims is made of gold, but Sol insists that it only worth 1 dollars. Apparently, it is not a good deal and we can also see it from the man’s frowning face. Whereas, the man cannot refuse to pawn it because he need money desperately and apparently there is only one pawn store in this area.

Sol’s talks with his Hispanic assistant Jesus also show his disinterest and materialism because he emphasizes the importance of making money, even though he gains his money by taking away other people’s precious properties which they will probably not pawn unless in a critical situation. In contrast, Jesus’s talks with Sol demonstrate his passion for life and his American dream to become a rich person. As Jesus enters the scene for the first time, one can feel his positive attitude toward the life at once. He is curious about Sol’s success in business and keeps asking him for knowledge of business. He also sincerely and enthusiastically cares about Sol by repetitively asking Sol “are you OK?” However, he fails in touching Sol’s heart until finally Jesus sacrifices himself to rescue Sol.

Sol has economic advantage over his customers, but he is weakened when he is facing his black boss Rodriguez. Even though he is showing same coolness to his boss, his boss obviously does not accept his attitude, and Sol is in danger of losing everything. Rodriguez’s dialogue with Sol and his aggressive posture against Sol show Rodriguez’s greediness and power. When confronting the powerful evilness, Sol’s losing humanity seems to return. The sad faces of his previous customers flashback in his mind and he begins to aware his cruelty.

All in all, the character’s characteristics are all shown in his or her communications with others. And Sol’s character of unresponsiveness to his surrounding is finally rectified by his continuing interaction with different ethnic groups.