Do The Right Thing
Introduction
Spike Lee’s incendiary, stylish film Do the Right Thing is a wonderful example of race relations in the late 1980s; in the face of police brutality and gang warfare in the ghettos of America, a fine line exists between black pride and equality, portrayed elegantly and energetically by director Spike Lee. Multiculturalism is at a razor’s edge in this film, with many members of the community being one arbitrary offense away from being beaten or killed by an insensitive police force, or prejudiced, conflicted whites in their own neighborhood. The events of the film are representative of the theory of interest convergence - much of the resistance from whites in the film revolves around the maintenance of their business by shunning the 'undesirables.' Everyday racism also comes into play throughout the film, given the attitudes of whites toward blacks presented in the film. In my thesis, I will posit that Lee's Do the Right Thing provided a fascinating and powerful portrait of black culture which intensely explores themes of multiculturalism, police brutality and codes of behavior in the midst of a hot, racially-charged environment (Lubiano, 1991).
Analysis
Do the Right Thing Spike Lee is one of the five films, along with the Mad Bull, Goodfellas, Toy Story, and Fargo, which have been included in the National Register of film in the first year, when it is available, as historically, culturally and artistically important. The third full-length picture 33-year-old African-American filmmaker sparked interest among the audience and the critics that does not happen too often (Mitchell, 1991). Spike Lee's cinematic prowess was manifested in a totally free, relaxed, and natural handling of the material, which was very choppy, confusing, hectic and seemingly phantasmagoric reality quarter Bedford Stuyvesant in Brooklyn, New York. A truly picturesque black inhabitants of the area: the irrepressible agony (in his role - the director himself), who is more idle than working in an Italian pizzeria Sal; boring extremist nicknamed Baggini Out, unflappable rap lover named Radio Raheem, silly stutterer Smiley wise drunkard, called by the Mayor, and the words are thrown lazily in the sun three of the unemployed, the local "philosophy of life" quite inarticulate Smiley about Martin Luther King and Malcolm X is, in general, philosophical and political implications, which is disclosed in the final two are not as epigraphs, however epitaphs. Drunken instruction Mayor darting through the streets of Flour can be understood not only in interpretation ("Do right"), but also as a kind of categorical imperative: "Make it right." In Spike Lee, revealed signs of a kind of "totalitarian rap", which brings to the common person the ability to modify domestic chauvinism, is actually a fascist tendency to destroy all dissimilar, and the only reason for them to live. But oddly enough, the director in the future not just fell into sin rigid intolerance towards those who do not belong to the black race (Oakleaf, 2011).
The film "Do the Right Thing," that is not waiting for something supernatural. The fact is that Western critic’s often praising politicized cinema, especially if it involves too hot topics. Spike Lee, not only that African-American filmmaker, who also made a film on the subject of racism in America, in which he himself had played a major role. But, oddly enough, and the film is really worth it to get acquainted with him, and by and large the critics were right. The whole story is, among other things, is a good example of how difficult to get rid of racism, even criticizing him (Sklar, 1990). If only because, when the film takes off white, it is as if with a halo over his head, cursing the white supremacists, and when Lee shoots, unfavorable light is directed towards the intolerant black. In fact, the demonstration of the rules: the accusation of racism own race - the latent racism. And it turns out that the "Do the Right Thing" - is peculiar, "Crash" with inverted colors, they say, blames himself for all people deserve nothing less than praise.
Here are the Koreans! Still have not learned to speak our language, and has opened a shop! (One of the black characters in the film about the Korean shop) We must pay tribute to Spike Lee for an unbiased view of the Brooklyn morals. He did not take a sentimental tale about how unjustly humiliated in the states the rights and dignity of black people. Wu Li, all the characters, regardless of color, are in an equal position (Mitchell, 2007). The director gives priority to the problem of unemployment among African-Americans, and finds the roots of the problem in add banal unwillingness to work. Even the agony, desperately trying to get better, and he is constantly keeping up with paying duties. The other dark-skinned people troubled quarters on the issue of finding work casually replied: "Why? I'm so bad. “Trinity quarterly veteran spends all day sitting on stools and urinating is not far removed from their homes. Someone named Radio Raheem, walking down the street with radio on full blast, terribly annoying than Sal. Group of teenagers and even pants sit on the sidewalk and watering fun passing cars from a fire hydrant. In contrast, African-Americans put Italian Sal; built his own hands pizzeria, work hard every day. Sal completely devoid of racial prejudice, he wants to work in the "black" quarter, but the attitude of some indigenous unceremonious Brooklynites and hard work to catalyze the shower Italian contempt for the unemployed black (Mitchell, 2007).
Overall the film perpetually see incapacitated people idly running the streets, though these businesses endeavor off of the little sum of money that the neighbors bestow regularly. There are also various cases of ethnocentric mistakes that are incessantly eructed of the characters mouths, and they normally relate to the cultures that dissented from their own. This racial blot refers to the stereotypes that are frequently ascribed to Latin Americans, White Americans, Asian Americans, and Black Americans. One can see that the pizzeria could have well harmonize in a trifle Italy, which is acknowledged as one of the few pagan dominions that exist in metropolises, including New York City, because if they were to notice the pizzeria, one would see that the film on the fence, and even the dealing of the pizzeria, only ponders the Italian culture, and not the individual’s color who regularly worked at and tenanted the space. Yet the fruit abide store affirmed that the blacks were subject to merchant choices that they would not have opted had the accessibility of the food been more diverse. This goes to depict that these ethos has seemed to only show a selfish concern for them and their own, more so than the individuals who rendered their income (Oakleaf, 2011)..
Then again the music that was invariably being aired by the region radio station was solely contemplative of African American culture. Let alone that people of color and the images of blacks never absorbed the subsisting businesses usually comprised of battles or aimless conversation on a local crouch. The blacks were comprehended exactly as they were traced in the racial blur scene. Although we do so Spike Lee tied the knot with a women of a Puerto Rican ancestry, it only goes to demonstrate that eroticize of blacks is frequently pursued by races other than they possess themselves. And Lee’s girlfriend assists as an exception compared to the little Latino camps that are often seen united. However, Latinos and blacks are frequently seen together because of their living statuses. Koreans were not mating with people beyond their races. The Black Americans broadly speaking seemed to be more concerned with getting equality, peace, and being recognized as a group of successful human beings and noetic individuals. Their confrontation to the white mans residence in Brooklyn was an resistance of gentrification, and the effort to maintain these African American and Latino sub communities in New York City (Oakleaf, 2011).
It is difficult to drive the tape in the genre framework. On the one hand - a typical situational comedy with an unpredictable plot and initially disparate subjects, on the other - the human drama, demonstrated a slightly satirical angle. Jokes in the film are not effervescent, moreover, they are quite specific, and therefore, most of the "jokes" will be held by a stranger to the New York life of the viewer. Especially because the characters, worn asphalt heat the pan towards the end of the film throw out all their aggression and the audience is waiting for some tragic denouement. No wonder Lee leads epilogue quotes two black fighters for human rights - Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. And one of the characters in the film is something of a patient of cerebral palsy boy Smiley, preaching against violence, but one of the first to use it. The film highlights the many social paradoxes, one of which - the inability to assess the health situation and the ability to acceptance of other beliefs. No wonder the local drunkard and "urban sage" says Muki: "Always Do the Right Thing!” Heroes of the film lack objective assessment of his own actions.
The operator Ernest R. Dickerson apparently decided to shove in this motion picture all the known techniques of cinematography, from the proverbial moving the camera up to your favorite art house directors receive Dutch Angle. It turned out, surprisingly, extremely entertaining, and the picture is generally pleasing to the eye and full of unnecessary sophistication (Oakleaf, 2011). In many ways, this is offset by the disadvantage of acting individual artists, which is not applicable to the trinity: Ossie Davis, Danny Aiello and Spike Lee. Ossie played the very wise tramp constantly popping your nose into other people's business. Especially convincing is this character looks in the tragic ending of the film, his face unreadable grimace of pain and empathy for their own countrymen and brothers of color. Danny Aiello and Spike Lee - the very contrasting Flour and Sal, and if the pangs initially looks at Sal with contempt, the Italian during the black man changes his attitude for the worse. Lee clearly makes it clear - hate is often only the result itself.
Conclusion
The film was nominated twice for "Oscar" (Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor); four times nominated for the "Golden Globe" and took part in the main competition at the Cannes Film Festival, held in 1989. In Cannes, film lost to then debutant Steven Soderbergh and on the return of the "Oscar" of his and generally bypassed by putting only two nominations. However, already on the revaluation of cinematic heritage of the United States, critics have once again reminded of the film and made it to the register of the best American films.
References
Lubiano, W. (1991). But Compared To What? Reading Realism, Representation, and Essentialism in School Daze, Do The Right Thing, and the Spike Lee Discourse. Black American Literature Forum, 25(2), 253–282. doi:10.2307/3041686
Mitchell, W. J. T. (1991). Seeing“ Do the Right Thing.” Critical Inquiry. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1343801
Mitchell, W. J. T., Inquiry, C., & Spring, N. (2007). Critical Response Seeing Do the Right Thing. Culture, 17(3), 596–608. Retrieved from http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0093-1896%28199121%2917%3A3%3C596%3AS%22TRT%3E2.0.CO%3B2-K
Oakleaf, M. (2011). Do the Right ( Write ) Thing : Engaging in Academic Library Value Research. College Research Libraries, 72(3), 204–206.
Sklar, R. (1990). What Is the Right Thing? A Critical Symposium on Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Cineaste, 17(4), 32–39.
