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Analysis of the Film ‘Do the Right Thing’
The film ‘Do the Right Thing’ was written and directed by Spike Lee, who happens to be a major character by the name Mookie. In the movie, he is 25 years old black man living with the sister, Jade in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He works as a pizza delivery at Sal’s Pizzeria and has a girlfriend called Tina with whom they have a son. The story revolves around these people, a neighborhood made by blacks and the racism noted among the Sal’s family of the Italian Americans. The film was released and faced a controversial critique as it was judged racist. The film maker’s message is evident as the movie ends as it revolves around violence and the views of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. According to Martin Luther King, violence is never justified under any circumstance while according to Malcolm X; violence is not violence. However, it is intelligence when used in self-defense (Do the Right Thing 1).
On the hottest day of the year in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bugging Out questions about the photo places in Sal’s ‘Wall of Fame’. It happens that the famous people are Italian-Americans and according to Sal, he has a choice to place what he prefers on that wall in his pizzeria (Do the Right Thing, 1). The customer argues that there is a need to add the blacks since the business is set in a black people neighborhood. The argument brings about violence that they end up getting in the street, and the police come to separate them that leads to the death of Radio Raheem (Guerrero 15). The death coerced the mob to react against Sal and his friends such that they burn down his pizzeria.
One of the major techniques used in the films is the symbolism. The film is set for a hot day and preferably the hottest day of the year. The hotness symbolizes the way the tension increases with time. It is the day where the high pressure built within the area of its setting. The hotness is further realized when the mob burns Sal’s Pizzeria. It is also symbolic that the character who has a mental handicap paints the photos of two major philosophers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, whose philosophical points of view forms the central message of the poem (Reynolds 21). Lee skillfully uses the music to symbolize the difference between the Italians and the African Americans. While the Italians favor ballads of Sinatraesque, the African American characters frequently listen to rap, most notably played by Radio Raheem. The use of pointed graffiti ‘DUMP KOCH’ in the film within many scenes was an open opposition to El Koch’s re-election as a mayor by Lee. The mayor was considered by many blacks to be ineffective while dealing with issues with the races.
There is a verse use of emotions within the film to portray the message. The movie pulses with humor, movements, sexuality, music, but anger are the emotion that dominates all others. Anger is first described by Buggin’ Out when he realizes that the Wall of Fame is race based. The anger leads to Buggin’ Out looking for support to counter the protest by Sal (Do the Right Thing 1). He ends up being joined by Radio Raheem whom at one point had an argument with the pizzeria owner over loud music. There is chaos that leads to the death of Radio Raheem after which an angry mob becomes violent. At one point Mookie also gets into an argument with his girlfriend. Therefore, anger is an emotion widely used to bring out the violence and the message of the film.
The two primary characters are Mookie and Sal. Mookie is the pizza delivery man. At first, he is viewed as a lazy person who would deliver the pizza with the speed of choice. He has a good relationship with the younger son of the boss though they do not rhyme with the elder son. He has a son with the girlfriend, but another man fathers the son. His main role is found when he portrays the relationship between the Italians and the African Americans (Reid 107). The fact that the elder son of his boss who happens to be an Italian does not like him portrays the theme of racism. He is the first person to react violently towards Sal as he throws the bin and breaks the window of the Pizzeria (Marcus 231). He gives people the courage to go ahead and turn their anger into the property instead of Sal. He manages to divert the attention, though not ignorant that the life of the black American was more important than the property of the Italian.
Sal is another major character whose racism is inevitable. He owns a pizzeria in a neighborhood made by blacks, though he has a great dislike for the blacks. On his wall of fame, he had placed the famous Italian Americans on his ‘wall of fame’ and he had no plans of adding the blacks on that wall (Reid 107). The argument between him and a customer stirs up anger that leads to a fight that overflows into the streets. During that violence, one black gets killed, and the mob turns their anger to his pizzeria. The public anger is so high that the pizza shop gets burnt. He resembles the attitude of the Italians towards the blacks and the fact that he is rich it shows the economic difference between the Italians and the blacks.
The main lesson from the film is that violence can be viewed in two different ways. In a first way, it is through the philosophical view of Martin Luther King that violence cannot be justified under any circumstance. Through this view, one wonders if it was the right thing to cause violence due to the racism portrayed by Sal. The argument leads to the death of a black which can be viewed as a bigger loss compared to the point of discussion. On the other hand, one wonders what the point of Mookie was causing the mob destruction of Sal’s shop. The other view is adopted from Malcolm X’s view of violence that it is intelligence if it is used as a self-defense. The attack on Sal and his counter is a self-defense (Do the Right Thing 1). On the other hand, Mookie diverts the mob to express their anger to the Italian’s property rather than hurting him.
In conclusion, the film ‘Do the Right Thing’ talks about the violence and the crowd wonders when they should do the right thing. The right thing, in this case, is the act of violence. In the beginning, the crowd does not join Buggin’ Out in the violence since it is not the right thing (Guerrero 15). In the second scenario, they join Mookie in destroying Sal’s property due to the protest on the death of their own. Mookie does the right thing throwing the bin and breaking the window of the pizza shop as it diverts the attention of the angry mob from Sal. On the other hand, the blacks feel that a human being cannot be compared to the property. Therefore, again, they are involved in making the right decision and taking the appropriate action.
Work Cited
Do the Right Thing. Dir. Spike Lee., Universal Pictures, 1989, DVD United States
Guerrero, Ed. Do the Right Thing. London: British Film Institute, 2001. Print. 15
Marcus, Alan S. Celluloid Blackboard: Teaching History with Film. Charlotte, NC: IAP-Information Age Pub, 2007. Print. 231
Reynolds, Mike. How to Analyze the Films of Spike Lee. Edina, Minn: ABDO Pub. Co, 2011. Print.21
Reid, Mark A. Spike Lee’s: Do the Right Thing. Cambridge NY: Cambridge University Press, 1997. Print. 107