Do The Right Thing Directed by Spike Lee
The 1989 film, Do The Right Thing, explores the theme of unity versus division with the inclusion of optical angles, impactful lighting, music, and humor. All three attributes join together to make a commentary on racism in our society.
The colorful opening sequence, featuring Rosie Perez dancing and singing to “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy, immediately catches the viewer's attention, setting the tone of the film. The moods created by music help shape the film itself, hinting at the characters' feelings and emotional responses to the day. This plays out in many different scenes; as a piano ballad or soulful jazz song begins to play as two characters seem to be having a romantic moment, or when a popular 80’s rap song accompanies a shot of kids gathering to hang out. The impact that music has on a film can seem subtle when in reality, it shapes the movie significantly. Radio Raheem and Senor Love Daddy, both use music to unify their community- Radio Raheem carries his boombox around the neighborhood, never speaking, rather letting music speak for him. He firmly stands by his belief in togetherness, up until his death at the end of the film. Senor Love Daddy is the local DJ radio host. Many tune into his broadcast, connecting the neighborhood, and those living in it, together.
As the day goes on, heat reveals a double meaning. A stifling heat rises both literally and metaphorically as the broiling day unfolds in the Brooklyn Bedford/Stuyvesant neighborhood. The lighting in Do The Right Thing is intense, becoming more apparent as Spike Lee employs increasingly warm tones in nearly every scene. The color-graded red and orange-toned lights, which often shine in from windows outside apartment buildings, convey to the audience the sweltering temperature and humidity. Facets such as a camera glare, and sweat on the actors, which would normally be fixed or hidden in films are intentionally kept in to emphasize the heat that characters experience, effectively putting the viewer in their shoes.
A majority of the film takes place at Mookie, the main character's job, Sal’s Famous Pizzeria - operated by an arrogant Italian man, Sal, with the help of his two sons, Pino and Vito. Conflicts occur between these four at Sal’s Pizzeria, aside from Mookie and Vito, who have grown to be friends. Both Sal and Pino often voice their racist ideas at the expense of Mookie. This creates a divide between Pino and Vito. Vito despises his brother for his blatant racism, his mean nature, and the bullying he has faced from Pino his whole life. As tension rises between Pino and Vito, the shot becomes handheld and the camera extremely shaky, exemplifying both emotionally, the shaky and unstable relationship between the brothers, and physically, as they get into a tussle in the storage closet at the pizzeria.
At the height of the movie's tension, a boycott devolves into a brawl at Sal’s Pizzeria, and Spike Lee makes good use of angles, as the camera switches between high and low-angled shots based on what character is holding power in the situation at that current moment. The shot first focuses on Radio Raheem, from a low angle to show his power as he finally stands up against racism, for himself and his friends. The camera then switches to Sal from a low angle as he smashes Radio Raheem's beloved beatbox. While this scene is the most obvious example of using angles to display a message, radical angles are used throughout the film to show the power dynamics between characters.
The blend of lighting, pronounced camera angles, and music assemble to create a film that explores discrimination while still keeping the film humorous when needed, rightfully empowering those who face this type of discrimination.