Do the right thing movie notes

The story explores a brooklyn neighborhoods simmering racial tension, which culminates in. In a published journal and script of do the right thing, spike lee notes that the film was inspired, in part, by violent racial clashes. The film do the right thing, written, directed and produced by spike lee, focuses on a single day of the lives of racially diverse people who live and work in a lower class neighborhood in brooklyn new york. Do the right thing was not only the best movie in the year it came out, but arguably one of the best movies of all time. Sample by my essay writer spike lees do the right thing, 1989, is an interesting look at several factors that played into the racial and ethnic relationship between white and black people in the 1980s. Smiley is a character in the film do the right thing, portrayed by roger guenveur smith. The purpose of the assignment was to analyze its cultural context. Five adjectives or phrases to describe the sense of the city portrayed in the film. In the case of do the right thing, it gives it a sort of mythical, longlasting legacy.

Do the right thing was an eye opening movie that brought across many controversial topics that are important to address. The film do the right thing, written, directed and produced by spike lee, focuses on. For my film analysis, i chose the 1989 movie do the right thing. Spike lees do the right thing is the most controversial film of the year, and it only opens today. Party hearty and teddy riley my fantasy, and deep slow jams from perri and al jarreau, its the perfect background for. Jul 30, 2014 on june 30, 1989, spike lees comedydrama do the right thing debuted in movie theaters all over america. And whatever one thinks of the movie, it cant be accused of irrelevance.

The following film notes were prepared for the new york state writers institute by kevin jack hagopian, senior lecturer in media studies at pennsylvania state. Do the right thing has such penetrative power because it portrays its realities without drawing conclusions for the viewer. He is a young, mentally impaired man who tries to sell pictures of malcolm x and martin luther king, jr. Peppered with new jack era slabs of wax from the likes of public enemy the iconic fight the power, summer party staples from e. There is also an accompanying sourcebook of readings. Evokes emotion spike lee, the director of do the right thing 1989, makes sure the audience understands how the heat is affecting the characters on the day the film takes place, and to do this he uses color.

Spike lees do the right thing was very interesting and made me want to see the movie he made. The racially charged atmosphere of the town is evident from the start of the plot, with tensions rapidly increasing as disputes between different racial groups emerge. For starters, lee consistently rams together the conflicting ideologies of malcolm x violence as selfdefense and when necessary and martin luther king, jr. The film do the right thing, directed by spike lee, challenges the characters in the film, along with the audience viewing the film to form opinions on sensitive subjects and to do the right thing in a difficult situation. The right thing to do by martyn ford form 4 literature components 2. I have been given only a few filmgoing experiences in my life to equal the first time i saw do the right thing. What lee had planned was not the sweeping pseudohistory of griffiths racist epic, however. It stars lee, danny aiello, ossie davis, ruby dee, richard edson, giancarlo esposito, bill nunn, john turturro, and samuel l. Do the right thing analysis magnificat marymount commons.

Tensions between blacks and whites have diminished but hardly ceased in the years since lee wrote and. Mother sister, who always sits in her window whole day and watches outside. This book contains spike lees extensive journal which gives a fascinating account of the promotion of his earlier school daze flick and the preparation for the making of do the right thing plus production notes for the latter. Johnsons polyphony and cultural expression seems the definitive work on lees use of music. Suddenly, mookie grabs a trash can and throws it through the window of sals restaurant, which turns the collective anger towards the property and away from the owners. The film was released in 1989 and was set to be around that same time in bedfordstuyvesant, brooklyn, ny. A commercial success that has received a number of accolades such as an academy award for best original screenplay, do the right thing tells the story of the growing racial tension between a bedford stuyvesant neighborhoods. This film has a main theme of peace and conflict competing with each other. Spike lee and do the right thing analysis essay 1508 words. Salvatore sal fragione danny aiello is the italian owner of a pizzeria in brooklyn. His older son pino intensely dislikes black people, and does not get along with mookie. And not even nominated for best pictureif lee couldnt win an oscar for this, then hes right he never will. Forming a critical sense of race with spike lees do the. Radios blare out into the sunblasted street, as mr.

People can just watch it and enjoy the different scenes, many of which are played for comedic effect. The spike lee film do the right thing premiered in theaters on june 30th, 1989. These scenes are familiar in the america of spike lees do the right thing 1989, in which a crowd, witnessing the death of radio raheem bill nunn, chants the names of the fallen as well as the sites of clashes between the police and civilians. This film highlights the dynamics of a modern urban neighborhood through a cast of distinct personalities. In do the right thing, the subject is not simply a race riot, but the tragic dynamic of racism, racial tension, and miscommunication, seen in microcosm. Sandel addresses a series of alternative theories of justice. The film ends with two quotations that express different views about. The film centers on how social class, race and the moral. The lazy days follow one another, while the usual loyal clients drink beer.

Right in the center of this neighborhood stands a pizza parlor that is owned and operated by. Do the right thing works on different levels which makes it still relevant today. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. The story is centred around one hot day, when the dynamics between. Do the right thing 1989 film questions and answers. The work was written to accompany sandels famous justice course at harvard university which he has taught for more than thirty years and which has been offered online and in various tv summary versions. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing do the right thing near you.

It was particularly controversial in a time construed as a reactionary era in american history. While the characters of do the right thing are certainly etched in bold strokes, i find them as fleshed out as they need to be for this densely structured film. Instantly, do the right thing was a cause celebre, more breathlessly and fearfully awaited than any american film of its time. Literary analysis of film notes what students are saying as a current student on this bumpy collegiate pathway, i stumbled upon course hero, where i can find study resources for nearly all my courses, get online help from tutors 247, and even share my old projects. There is an underlying message behind all of this fantasy and. Right in the center of this neighborhood stands a pizza parlor that is owned and operated by one of the most important characters in the. Spike lee uses the film, do the right thing, to address racial tension in the 20th century through his use of color, camera. Film notes do the right thing university at albany. May 27, 2001 i have been given only a few filmgoing experiences in my life to equal the first time i saw do the right thing. Do the right thing quotes, movie quotes movie quotes.

A neighborhood local, buggin out giancarlo esposito, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzerias wall of fame exhibits only italian actors. Love and hate in do the right thing introduction to film. Some find it too militant, others find it the work of a middleclass director. In a published journal and script of do the right thing, spike lee notes that the film was inspired, in part, by violent racial clashes that occurred in 1980s new york city. Static, one hand is always fighting the other hand, and the left hand is kicking much a. Do the right thing is rated r and contains nudity, strong. Spike lee did a good job incorporating so many different ideas into the movie, each character represented something important and not one person was a waste to the movie.

Jackson, and is the feature film debut of martin lawrence and rosie perez. Why treating other people right will cause the universe to bring people into. He writes, while i was in the grocery today i heard a radio newscast that two black youths had been beaten up by a. Do the right thing spike lee film analysis senses of cinema. A commercial success that has received a number of accolades such as an academy award for best original screenplay, do the right thing tells the story of the growing. Interpreting musical traditions in do the right thing, in film quarterly berkeley, winter 1993. Do the right thing 1989 united states 120 minutes prod co. Why do the right thing is still relevant 30 years later. There are many angry racial confrontations using provocative, coarse language and highlycharged racial taunts, including constant use of nr. The film is a virtuoso act of creation, a movie at once realistic and symbolic, lighthearted and tragic, funny and savage. In may of 1989 i walked out of the screening at the cannes film festival with tears in my eyes. Parents need to know that spike lees do the right thing is an intense study of racism as it existed in an urban u. One of this is the mayor, who is an alcoholic elder. These scenes are familiar, too, nearly three decades later, after the death of michael brown in ferguson, missouri and walter scott in north charleston, south carolina.

In cinematic terms, its skillfully handled resistance to traditional narrative closure is a central reason for its commanding and longlived impact. He writes, while i was in the grocery today i heard a radio newscast that two black youths had been beaten up by a gang of white youths in bensonhurst. Do the right thing is a 1989 american comedydrama film produced, written, and directed by spike lee. What is the meaning of the ending of do the right thing. Spike lee and do the right thing analysis essay 1508. Do the right thing notes do the right thing notes many. As he says, the audience should feel like its suffocating like in. They are in two minds whether to walk away or do something to help him. Do the right thing by spike lee 1989 on june 30, 1989, spike lees comedydrama do the right thing debuted in movie theaters all over america. The filmwhich was nominated for an academy award for best. Why its important to be consistent in your behavior and come from a place of honor and integrity as a human being. Do the right thing 1989 produced, written, and directed by spike lee is a day in the life of a brooklyn neighborhood and the racial tensions contained within. Mookie, a black guy, works there as delivery man, stopping often to his sisters place or to the woman with whom he had a child. Mainstream american films dont often tackle race and racism headon, and when they do, they often end up trying to find easy answers.

On the hottest day of the year on a street in the bedfordstuyvesant section of brooklyn, everyones hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence. Those that analyze the movie can get a whole other view of it as it transmits different. Do the right thing the current the criterion collection. Director spike lees movie do the right thing, in u. Do the right thing study guide tribeca film institute. Good morning and introducing himself, and drawing on the picture of malcolm x and dr. Lee says he has been asked many times over the years if mookie did the right thing.

A single block, in a single new york neighborhood, on a broiling summer day, is the allegorical setting for do the right thing. The movie, do the right thing, by spike lee is a hard hitting drama that deals with violence and racism in todays society. Danny aiello, ossie davis, ruby dee, richard edson, giancarlo esposito, spike lee, bill nunn, john turturro, joie lee, rosie perez, samuel l. Jun 30, 2019 the spike lee film do the right thing premiered in theaters on june 30th, 1989. With danny aiello, ossie davis, ruby dee, richard edson.

Hed made a movie about race in america that empathized with all. Lees film was to be a horrific miniature of the noisy american conversation about race. Right off the back, this book is so entertaining because it features dialogue between all of the major actorsdirectorsproducers of the film and they dont always agree on what happened on the set. Sounds to date, the most coherent articles written about do the right thing have examined its relationship to various musical styles. But do the right thing is a movie made by filmmaker working in sync with his times an exciting, disturbing, provocative film. Radio raheem, a very big man who walks up and down on the street with his big sound system that look like. By using obviously fake backdrops and making it move organically as a play, we become selfaware of its existence as a story and as a parable, enhancing our view of the movie, as we realize.

Hed made a movie about race in america that empathized with. Apr 01, 2012 do the right thing 1989 produced, written, and directed by spike lee is a day in the life of a brooklyn neighborhood and the racial tensions contained within. The film do the right thing lee, 1989 presents a day in the life of the inhabitants of a neighborhood in brooklyn, new york in 1989. This film is set in a primarily black neighborhood in close to the present time. I find it pretty interesting how when directing, spike lee wants the viewers of the movie to feel as if they are in the film. Why do people consider do the right thing a great film. Three people, patrick, rebecca and david pass by and thy look at him not knowing what to do.

More will be said about this later, but victoria e. This film was written, produced, and directed by spike lee. Though the movie ultimately shows how dangerous it is to react to others. Jan 29, 2016 do the right thing has such penetrative power because it portrays its realities without drawing conclusions for the viewer. Do the right thing is such an amazing movie and it only seems right that this coffeetable book be used to celebrate it accomplishments.

A tense moment ensues when the crowd contemplates violence against sal, vito, and pino. There are lots of important characters in the movie do the right things who made movie better. There are many angry racial confrontations using provocative, coarse language and highlycharged racial taunts, including constant use. The story is centred around one hot day, when the dynamics between the two ethnicities boils over and spills into violence. Those that analyze the movie can get a whole other view of it as it transmits different messages about the black community and race relations. However, this ordinary day takes place on one of the hottest days of the summer.

As he does everyday, sal fragione opens the pizza parlor hes. Do the right thing 1989 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. The filmwhich was nominated for an academy award for best original screenplay and has been added to the. Spike lee has never again come close to this level of artistry, emotional honesty and complexity in his movies. May 05, 2015 like most of spikes lees films, do the right thing challenges viewers. Plot the movie shows the life in the pizzeria of the italianamerican sal, who has been selling pizzas for years to black people, helped by his sons vito and pino.