The film Do the Right Thing was written, directed, and produced by Spike Lee in 1989. Set in Brooklyn neighborhood, the film depicts the racial tensions that existed in America at the time. The film brings to the fore the widespread discrimination and social injustices against Blacks through the effective use of loud, earnest, and angry sounds. Lee's careful choice of the film's characters helps bring out the themes in the film such as racism, violence, and peace. The opening scene of a female dancing aggressively to “Fight the power” in a boxing outfit sets the tone of the film. The film depicts scenes of violence and shows that when people are strong willed, they have the ability to achieve amazing things. The movie acknowledges that being black or white is a basis for identity, but stresses that one should not be discriminated on the basis of such identity. Lee highlights the problem that although everyone has a valid point, no one is willing to compromise. This essay is an analysis of Do the Right Thing movie, especially its scenes, characters and actors and how they combine in the film’s dominant themes which are racism, civil rights, and violence.
Lee has used varied emotional scenes in the film, especially ones where violence is openly displayed. Lee’s choice of such scenes is meant to invite the audience to look beyond race and such identities and realize that one should be treated according to his or her actions. It invites those who view the film to look at the ideals genuinely brought forth by these scenes. Instead of merely seeing the scenes as violent or one as black or white, the scenes should serve as a reminder of the danger posed by poor interracial communication, racial stereotyping, and a lack of trust in any society.
When Mookie throws a garbage container into Sal’s restaurant window, Lee leaves it up to the viewer to judge whether her actions are justified. Anyone of any race, character, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and age who is willing to compromise can connect with other individuals from a different race, character, value system or class. Sal treats black customers in his local Italian-American eatery with respect and boasts, ‘I never had trouble with these people’ (Lee, 1989). Sal is an honest man ready to treat everyone with respect. Employees and employers, too, can live in harmony with each other in mutual respect regardless of their respective identities.
Lee’s choice of characters is also commendable. The actors are instrumental in bringing out the emotions of the characters in the film which makes the themes clear. Danny Aiello, acting as Sal, brings out the conflicting emotions and attitudes in the film. Danny naturally brings out the sympathetic and bloody character in Sal. To effectively pass the message, Lee chose each cast member to coincide with the type of character played by each one of the cast members.
The events of this movie still echo in today’s society. Just like Veto and other white cops are brutal to the blacks in Do the Right Thing, today, African-Americans are discriminated against by the police. In the film, the crowds witnessed the violence on the ‘errant’ black people. Today, the police have been accused of killing innocent people, majorly of African-American descent.
The death of Micheal Brown in Fergusson, Missouri, which was caught on camera, is a good example of racial profiling in today’s society. Neyfakh notes that the Police are trained to cuff the people they arrest as opposed to shooting them. America has not yet recovered from social labeling. Racial profiling is presently evidenced by instances of violence based on gender, race and ethnicity are still prevalent. White-collar crime is still high, and Black lives matter voices are as loud as ever (Neyfakh, 2015).
The movie concludes with two opposing quotes - one from Malcolm X and the other from Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther argues that violence is not ever acceptable in any situation while Malcolm X explains that violence cannot be termed violence, but “intelligence” when carried out for self-defense (Lee, 1989). One can, therefore, rightly conclude that the answers to the question of racism are not easy. Lee wants to appeal for consensus in the American society despite the varied world views held by different people regarding the same issue. The dominant image in the movie should not be that of differing opinions but that of the two shaking hands. When one of the characters in the film sells pictures of two men, in essence, it shows that people should embrace and respect each other in the light of their uniqueness.
Although the movie Do the Right Thing has occasionally been criticized for leaning towards the Black Nationalism ideology, it maintains its relevance in challenging Americans to live with the realities of race, power, class and privileges peacefully. The film succeeds in pointing out the rhetoric of civil rights, the American dream, and the complexity of black life. Lee, in his work, through his choice of characters, scenes, and sound has illustrated that there is more tragedy waiting to happen if continued racial discrimination is tolerated in the American society. The movie is not a race riot. In fact, as seen before, Lee has chosen to focus more on how African-Americans relate to each other than how they relate to whites as well as other American races. The film invites people to look beyond identity and concentrate on the value, dignity, and worth of a person.
References
Lee, S. (Director). (1989). Do the Right Thing [Motion Picture].
Neyfakh, L. (2015, April 8). Why Did the North Charleston Cop Handcuff Walter Scott? Retrieved April 7, 2016, from The Slate: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/04/walter_scott_shooting_why_did_michael_thomas_slager_cuff_the_victim.single.html
