Film: Do The Right Thing
Director: Spike Lee
Country: USA
Released: June 1989
Runtime: 120 minutes
Genre: Drama
Studio: 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
Influenced: John Singleton, Tarantino, Ava DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, Barry Jenkins, Jordan Peele
Do The Right Thing was conceived during a summer heatwave in Brooklyn, where Spike Lee grew up. Lee wanted to explore the tensions and complexities of race relations in urban America, particularly in the context of the diverse Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood that he knew so well. The film opens with the area's annual block party, which takes place on the hottest day of the year and which is a time for the community to come together and celebrate. However, the day quickly takes a turn for the worse when a white police officer harasses a black motorist. This incident sparks a chain of events that leads to violence and chaos in the neighbourhood, with the central conflict between the African-American residents and the predominantly Italian-American pizzeria owner, Sal, and his two sons.
Do The Right Thing features an all-star cast including Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, John Turturro, Giancarlo Esposito, Richard Edson, Bill Nunn, Samuel L. Jackson and Rosie Perez. Radio Raheem (Nunn), a young black man, carries a boombox playing Public Enemy's Fight the Power and the song becomes a thematic backdrop for the entire film. Buggin' Out (Esposito), another local resident, confronts Sal (Aiello) about the lack of African-American faces on the pizzeria's "Wall of Fame", and this incident sparks a larger protest, questioning representation and cultural sensitivity. Another key moment occurs when Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith), a mentally challenged man, delivers a passionate monologue about the death of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting the complexities of the civil rights struggle.
Lee used colour as a powerful visual element to convey emotions and tensions, relying on his film school classmate and cinematographer Ernest Dickinson to capture the film's expressive sense of colour and heat. The changing colours of the neighbourhood's environment, as well as the characters' clothing, reflect the escalating emotions and conflicts. Another innovation is the way in which, throughout the film, characters directly address the camera, breaking the fourth wall and inviting the audience to engage with the story and its themes on a more personal level. Lee uses humour to explore serious topics, such as racism and police brutality, and his character Mookie, a delivery worker for Sal's pizzeria, is the one who makes a critical decision during the escalating chaos. He throws a garbage can through the window of Sal's pizzeria, triggering a riot and the destruction of the restaurant.
Do The Right Thing was a critical and commercial success, and was nominated for two Oscars, for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Aiello. The film was groundbreaking in its exploration of racial tensions and urban life, and it remains a seminal work in American cinema because of its realistic portrayal of racial tensions, its humour and its social commentary. The film also marked Lee's emergence as a major filmmaker, showcasing his distinctive style and his ability to tackle pressing social issues. His success, and that of Do The Right Thing, paved the way for more diverse voices and perspectives in mainstream cinema. Importantly, the film was also a commercial success, helping to make African-American cinema more mainstream.
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