Summary
In this blog, I analyze the movie Do the Right Thing, a classic that I believe should be mandatory viewing for anyone interested in films, culture, or politics.
Film Analysis
| Film Title | Do the Right Thing |
| Year | 1989 |
| Director | Spike Lee |
| Country | USA |
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| If you could work on this film (change it), what would you change and why? | Spike Lee has been criticized by authors and activists such as Bell Hooks for his depiction and sexualization of women, specifically Black women. I think the nude scene was unnecessary and upon further research I found that Rosie Perez actually vocalized that she was uncomfortable doing the scene and was crying during it. |
| TOPIC | YOUR NOTES |
| 1. Who is the protagonist? | Mookie |
| 2. Who is the antagonist? | The Heat |
| 3. What is the conflict? | Racial tensions between Italian business owners and the Black community of a Brooklyn neighborhood are particularly strained on a very hot day in the summer. |
| 4. What is the theme or central, unifying concept? (summarize in one or two words) | Racial justice |
| 5. How is the story told (linear, non-linear, with flashbacks, flash-forwards, at regular intervals) | Linear |
| 6. What “happens” in the plot (Brief description)? | Mookie is a young adult living in a diverse Brooklyn neighborhood and struggling with his work-life balance between his job as a pizza delivery man and young child. On the hottest day of the summer, racial tensions come to a peak and an argument begins between the pizza shop owner and a customer about the representation on the “wall of fame”. Later on this argument becomes a full on brawl that results in police arriving and killing an unarmed Black man. Mookie throws a trashcan through the window of the pizza shop and people torch the entire building. The next day Mookie and his boss meet up and reconcile, and the movie is ended with a radio station remembering the man who was killed, and quotes from MLK and Malcom X. |
| 7. How does the film influence particular reactions on the part of viewers (sound, editing, characterization, camera movement, etc.)? Why does the film encourage such reactions? | Throughout the film, tense moments are filmed with a wide angle and focal point on people’s faces, making us feel close to the situation. The diegetic music is played loudly over characters voices when it is loud in the movie. The film has multiple instances of likable characters doing regrettable things, leading to conflicting feelings from views. All of these elements are very intentional and overall contribute to the emotional rollercoaster that this film is, eliciting feelings of stress, betrayal, helplessness, and peace, all at once. |
| 8. Is the setting realistic or stylized? What atmosphere does the setting suggest? Do particular objects or settings serve symbolic functions? | The setting is a realistic neighborhood, but the atmosphere suggests a vibrant feeling. The boombox serves a symbolic function as an object of resistance. |
| 9. How are the characters costumed and made-up? What does their clothing or makeup reveal about their social standing, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or age? How do costume and makeup convey character? | Most of the characters are costumed somewhat plainly and realistically, with Mookie wearing his work uniform, and everyone dressed in streetwear or clothing from the time, all appropriate for the weather. A character that stands out for their costume is Da Mayor, the neighborhood “bum”. He is dressed in a tattered suit, which suggests that he is old-fashioned, but also poor. |
| 10. How does the lighting design shape our perception of character, space, or mood? | Throughout the beginning and middle, the lighting outside is normal, same with indoors, with the exception of some bedrooms that are filmed dark and shadowy. At the end of the movie, when we devolve into chaos, the lighting is dark. |
| 11. How do camera angles and camera movements shape our view of characters or spaces? What do you see cinematically? | The way that some characters are filmed with close up wide angles expresses their emotions and the tension of the moment. |
| 12. What is the music’s purpose in the film? How does it direct our attention within the image? How does it shape our interpretation of the image? What stands out about the music? | Non-diegetic music in the film represents the feelings of the characters and the atmosphere of the time, like Can’t Stand it, a song about unbearable heat. However, the most impactful music in the film is the song blaring form Radio Raheem’s boombox, Fight the Power by public enemy, a song about Black liberation and fighting against oppression. |
| 13. How might industrial, social, and economic factors have influenced the film? Describe how this film influences or connects to a culture? | At the time of Do the Right Thing’s release, Black Americans were struggling with systemic issues such as unequal housing, representation, and police brutality, as they still are over 40 years later. However, this topic was just as polarizing as it is now and there was a lot of tension and between different racial groups, and in a setting as diverse as Brooklyn, it was the perfect place to hold these biases to the light. Our main character is Mookie, a young Black man, but his girlfriend is Puerto Rican, his boss is Italian, the convenience store owner across from is work place is Korean, we learn about and connect to all of these people. This film changed the culture of cinema, it was Black movie about racial issues that was enjoyed and understood by many audiences. Prior to its release, some critics said that it would incite riots in the streets, clearly missing the point . |
| 14. Give an example of what a film critic had to say about this film. Use credible sources and cite sources. Example: “The Shawshank Redemption Movie Review (1994) | Roger Ebert.” All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 June 2015. | “Of course it is confused. Of course it wavers between middle-class values and street values. Of course it is not sure whether it believes in liberal pieties or militancy. Of course some of the characters are sympathetic and others are hateful. And of course some of the likable characters do bad things. Isn’t that the way it is in America today? Anyone who walks into this film expecting answers is a dreamer or a fool. But anyone who leaves the movie with more intolerance than they walked in with wasn’t paying attention.” – Robert Egbert (1989) |
| 15. Select one scene no longer than 5 minutes that represents well the whole film and shows relevant cinematic elements. Write a one-sentence description of the scene and record the time of the scene.Example: from 1:05:00 to 1:10:00.Explain why you chose this scene. | 01:40:00 – 01:53:43 |
| 16. In the selected scene: write a sentence for each of the elements below to justify why this scene best represents the film: | |
| a. Screenwriting: | The final conversation between Sal and Mookie has been described as a “cautious reconciliation” which I think is accurate. Their conversation is tense, but it ends with Mookie telling Sal he owes him some money, which suggests that he will return to him. The radio segment at the end gives us a sense of closure as it also pays remembrance to Radio Raheem. I think it was a good choice to put the two quotes from MLK and Malcom X, giving two different perspective on the place of violence in Black liberation, followed by a picture of them shaking hands, showing that people with different views can get along. |
| b. Sound Design: | The radio is playing in the back the entire time, but at the very end it comes to the front and is more clear. |
| c. Camera Movements/Angles: | The camera shows three different perspectives, Mookie’s, Sal’s, and a view of the two of them. When we look at Sal we see a mural in the background representing multiculturalism. |
| d. Light Setup: | The light is pretty standard for this film as it is outdoors, and intentionally or not, Sal’s store is in the shadows and Mookie walks onto the bright street. |
| e. Soundtrack/Score: | Jazz plays in the background on the radio, a genre culturally significant to Black Americans. |
| 18. What’s the socio-cultural context of this film? | The two quotes at the end sum up the themes of the entire movie, two men with different ideas of means to achieve an end, but the same core values, getting along. |
This worksheet was developed with ideas from many IB Film teachers, thus should remain in the Creative Commons.