Film Analysis Essay on Do the Right Thing: Condemning Violence and Police Brutality

Introduction

Spike Lee made a film by the title Do the Right thing. This film was founded on several things that the author wanted to address. The movie served the purpose of condemning some bad behaviors among human beings, and the main was violence among the people and police brutality, which had become a problem and point of concern, especially to the blacks. In other words, the primary role of the film was to address racial tensions and discriminations on the blacks. It is one of the films which have had a great impact and significance in the history of films as far as the addressing of social issues is concerned. Discussed in this paper are the social roles which the film played and how successful the author was in reflecting about these social issues;

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Synopsis of the Movie

In summary, the movie by Spike Lee was based on the tensions of the summer's hottest day in the Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. The film describes the actions of that day, which ended with a black man being killed by the police and then the riot that followed after this happened (Johnson). The movie portrays the violence, racism, and how the blacks are viewed in the lands of the whites and how they are treated in such areas.

The Importance of the Film

The filmmaker or the author sees what happens in the various parts of the United States as people interact with each other. Life has become a mix of different cultures, and every person wants their culture to be the most valued and important. In other words, everyone in the United States has become a racist, and this has affected so many things from the economic development, the social life of the people and the people are seeming to be at war with one another because of their different cultures and beliefs (Johnson). The primary point that this movie helps to understand and discuss is the way that the different ethnic groups in the United States have continued to fight for their cultures and how this race and poverty have affected their lives. The riot in the film shows the understanding of the people about these problems and their desire to have the problems resolved.

The message of the film is portrayed in a way that is easy to understand. For example, the people who riot in the film represent the societal people who want to fight for their rights and want to be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their cultural differences. They have understood that the problems created through the cultural differences and discriminations are affecting them, and they have to strive for a better life and interaction among themselves. The police then represent the oppressive society without care (2020). The society is brutal, and this brutality of the society or rather the discrimination is directed to certain cultures and ethnic groups. In most instances, blacks are victims of societal oppression and brutality. For example, when the police kill the black young man during the summer riots, the film shows the way the blacks are handled and treated in the hands of the whites, yet what they are advocating and rioting for is their right. They all deserve fair treatment as the others, whether they are black or from a different culture, but society does not recognize this.

The biasness plays a vital role in the film and the expression of its meaning to the audience. The main ethnic group which is focused on in the film is that of the blacks. It serves an essential purpose to show the way they are mistreated by the whites and the struggles they go through just because they are blacks. The film, through its presentation, gives an implicit meaning since it uses the police and the societal people to represent what the filmmaker is talking about (Reid). The meaning or the focal point of the film is not passed directly to the audience, but it is not given in a hard way to understand. The audience can be able to get a clue of what the filmmaker talks about in the film and know that the focus is on the racial discrimination, violence, and poverty of the blacks or other cultures in the land of the whites. The film is a likable and perfect one. It plays a vital role in pointing out the issue of racial discrimination of black people. Moreover, it is done in a clear way that is easy to understand and make meaning out of it, thus making it a great film among the ones that have ever existed in history.

Conclusion

Racial discrimination has been a long time problem in the United States. It has come a time when people have understood the truth about the way they should be handled. Racial discrimination has affected so many things, ranging from the economy, social and political lives. The film Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee played a vital role in condemning racial discrimination and contributed to the reduction of the problem and informing the societal people about the problems created by racial discrimination.

Works Cited

2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVQHkq3Tk7E. Accessed 15 Apr 2020.

Johnson, Brian C. "Baltimore 2015, Black Lives Matter, and the Prescience of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing." Film International 15.1 (2017): 23-36.

Reid, Mark A., and Horton Andrew, eds. Spike Lee Do the right thing. Cambridge University Press, 1997.