Do The Right Thing...Tracey Gamble

Do The Right Thing (1989) by Spike Lee was and is a difficult movie to watch. It’s about daily conflicts people have to deal with in particular situations that involve racism. In Emerson’s review he constantly brings up the quote “Wake up!” and how often it was used in Spike Lee’s film. I believe the message that Spike Lee was trying to get across was that people need to wake up and realize what is going on around them. There shouldn’t be so much racial conflicts but harmony. Everyone is the same in the inside. If Sal would have politely asked for the music to be turned on, if only he would listen to his customers and put up a different race up on the wall of fame. If only people were nicer and listened to each other the conflicts would have be resolved.

In Howe’s article he mentions the racial boundaries, with the Italians making the pizza, the Koreans selling the vegetables and the blacks buying everything. The Italians are just rude, Sal is constantly saying whenever someone asks for a extra cheese, he tells them 2.00 dollars for it. The Koreans are kinder to the black but language barrier is there along with the racial prejudice. If everyone looked past these aspects and would realize they all help each other out everything would have worked out.

In the scene where the black mob is following the Caucasian man with the bicycle to his home complaining about his rudness for bumping into the one and scuffing his shoe. It’s interest how the camera zooms in on the Caucasian man taking in his emotion, and looking at the crowd from his point of view at a high angle making them appear weak and as an annoyance to him. I liked how that was shot, because it showed how he didn’t really care what they had to say because he didn’t think much of it which shows how rude people are in today’s society. But it also showed the outraged crowd’s annoyance with the ignorant man.

Mise en scene example would be when Pino is talking to his father of his dislike of working with one of the black people in the community.  Sal’s disagreeing with him saying that these are good people and he’s proud to feed them his food. Soon Smiley comes along and is outside the store window, this annoys Pino and he goes out and argues with them. As these two men are still in the screen, it leaves Sal as the main focus. Sitting at the table by himself and you can see the obvious frustration from his posture and sighs.