Film Analysis Essay on Do the Right Thing: Racism, Violence, MLK & Malcolm X

Introduction

The movie Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee gets construed as a hard-hitting film which entails the issue of racism and violence within the current society. It presents its case with the view of two contradictory ideas deduced from two great men of our history. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. The primary themes which are evident are based on matters police brutality, violence, and racial intolerance. The film, therefore, denotes an aspect of racial altercations and black discrimination based on the blacks' appearance. It achieves this concern through the intertwinement brought by angry, serious, and loud sounds. The issue of race is also supported by the quote of "Race being an objective aspect of social life, especially in the United States of America (Pierre 56)." The initial release of the movie can be traced to around 1989, thereby proving it to be about 30 years old. Its Director was Spike Lee, and the Cinematography was initiated by one Ernest Dickerson (Cooper 215).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

My choice for the movie has been ignited by how Spike Lee used significant techniques like music and cinematography. The movie is pegged on a study on how cinematography can be used to develop the plot and aid in character development. The cinematography also reveals small details within the film, for example, the heat that occurs on a summer day, which is characterised by hotness, stickiness, and suffocation. The kind of heat is stunning and aid in the depiction of the primary idea. The summer heat invokes the conflict of races to the surface, thus driving the movie to its very tragic and violent climax. The cinematography also incorporates colour and light to accelerate strength and visual power throughout the whole film. Spike Lee from the moment the film was shot anchored the thought about the significance of the film. He was aware that the heat would bring the credibility of the film. Together with Ernest Dickson, they worked hard to acquire the right effect for the film. The acquisition enabled them to inform the audience of the existence of heat in every shot. The other issue which must also be captured in the introduction is the inception of camera angles. For example, the extreme close-ups and the oblique angles that play up tensions which are generated by the heat in the film. One of the areas within the film where the camera angle comes out loudly is based on the confrontation between Clifton the white bicyclist who stepped on, and Buggin Out, the pursued, and in the end, his (Buggin Ou) pair of Air Jordans get ruined by Clifton.

The music can also get explained based on the song that dominates the film. The song is played at the time of appearance of character Radio Raheem. It (The Song) can be interpreted to mean a signature statement for independence, the male signature pride, and uncompromising strength. The music in the film is equally loud, thus depicting fearlessness and a call for respect. The call can be compared with how Radio Raheem is perceived by himself and by extension, other people within the neighbourhood (Lee n.p). It should also be noted that the male characters in the movie attempt to test their manhood, for example, looking at the actions of Radio Raheem (Reid and Horton n.p). For example, the view of the boombox, the associated volume, and size, are all-powerful in the symbol. Buggin Out also uses his calm tone and words as a way of ensuring that his manhood is secure. Buggin Out is depicted as a young Black man full of social awareness but misdirected in his quest for activism. The other black people in the film are entirely apathetic.

On the other hand, Radio Raheem offers a different image of the Black people. For example, his actions show the Blacks as self-defensive and vulnerable. Further on the depiction of the duo, Buggin Out is noted to threaten a boycott measure against one Sal's Pizzeria for failing to recognise pictures of Black people in his wall; he goes ahead to inform Mookie to remain Black, the remark is later treated by the recipient dismissively. Interestingly, Mookie throws a trash can to the pizzeria, something that brings much imagery and irony hence bringing the question of whether the response was of self-defence against the law enforcement organs and if so, was it a responsible act, or there is more than meets the eye. Further understanding of race can also be understood from the class text, particularly on the part, "Being victims of numerous oppression (Pierre 77)." The area covers matters socioeconomic, sexual, and the linguistic aspect that is linked with a person's existence.

It is from the questions that the title of the film is noted, Do the Right Thing. The question is on whether the action of Mookie was right or wrong. Even though the question that the film raises remain potent, it serves to elude us particularly with the view of the wake of Rodney King riots. The awakening extends to other matters of police brutality and the associated racist unrest that has existed in the United States of America. The film is, therefore, generated or rather dedicated to the victims of police harassment and brutality. The underlying reason for the assertion is noted on the people that give the film life, Michael Stewart and Eleanor Bumpers both use it as a platform where they can air their personal stories and life.

My Critical Analysis

I perceive the film as a dramatic story looking at the music, the cinematography in driving the central theme as noted in the introductory paragraph through a historic message (Pierre 70). Most of the sources I plan to use must be those that address the movie directly and those that may shed light on matters of racial discrimination and police brutality.

Lastly, I intend to watch the movie at least three times before digging into the sources to get acquainted with the primary characters, the plot, the flow, and other primary issues that will advance my understanding of the important themes and how racism, violence and police brutality have been presented.

Works Cited

Cooper, Brenda. "'The White-Black Fault Line': Relevancy of Race and Racism in Spectators' Experiences of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing." Howard Journal of Communication 9.3 (1998): 205-228.

Lee, Spike. Do the Right Thing. Race Rant Scene. 1989. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOxOR3x8FBQ

Pierre, Orelus. Race, Class, Language, and Gender. A Dialogue with Noam Chomsky and other leading Scholars. 2011.

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