It was 31 years ago when Spike Lee made headlines with his 1989 film, Do the Right Thing that explored the racial tensions between all of the inhabitants of Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. Even though at the time Spike Lee’s masterpiece was controversial at the time of its release, due to the fact that many believed that the film would ignite violence, the film is an insightful look at the racism that still plagues today in a realistic manner. Lee does this by writing and directing authentic characters that highlighted various levels of racism.

Spike Lee does a fantastic job to illustrate racism among different races. This is seen in the iconic scene of racial slurs being stated to various characters, such as Mookie, Pino, the Korean grocer, the Jewish police officer, and a Latino Steve. The slurs escalate throughout the scene and it becomes very hurtful. The montage ends when Señor Love reminds them to stop. The beauty of this scene is that hate is at the forefront and the audience is punched in the face with a reminder that we can’t let hate get in the way of life. Lee also clarifies that there are varying levels of racism in America by highlighting specific characters such as the Sal and sons. 

Pino, Sal’s oldest son, exhibits the worst of parts of American racism. He makes it apparent how much he hates the African American community and even tries persuading Sal to move or close down the restaurant. Throughout the film, he communicates how much he hates Mookie as well. He constantly putting Sal against Mookie and even tries to put Vino against him as well. Pino often calls African Americans racial slurs such as monkeys and calling them niggers. He truly believes that the black community is against him, this is shown when Pino tells Vino that “Blacks can’t be trusted” (Lee). He believes that certain black people are better than others such as Michael Jordan and Prince. Vino, on the other hand, is an ally to Mookie and the black community. Vino and Mookie have a strong respect for each other and have a genuine friendship with Mookie looking out for Vino. Sal is the middle ground between an ally and an enemy. He has moments where he is emphatic and criticizes Pino for his treatment of Mookie and the other members of the community, even telling Mookie he feels like a son to him, but when it comes down to it he has racist tendencies. This can be seen when he calls Radio Raheem’s music jungle music and calls Buggin Out a nigger. 

Along with blunt racism, racial politics is also a heavy theme throughout the film. Spike Lee stated that he “was inspired by the tense racial climate in New York in the mid-’80s when multiple cases of police brutality against black men and women made headlines (Ryan).” The audience is reminded of real-life cases of racially charged killings such as Eleanor Bumpurs Michael Griffith at the end of the movie when the riot begins after Radio Raheem is killed. Do the Right Thing also shows the double standard when it comes to black and white crimes. For example, when the mayor of New York states that the vandalization Sal’s Pizzeria was a destruction of property and was to not be taken lightly, while when Sal destroyed Radio Raheem’s book box that was not considered destruction of property. The police have a very complicated place in Do the Right Thing.

The film starts off with the police being somewhat of an ally to the black community with them helping the neighborhood kids when the white man wanted to arrest Ahmad and Cee after soaking the man and his car with the fire hydrant. The policemen shrugged off the incident and just gave them a warning. As the film progresses the police become more villainous. This is seen with the camera work that Spike Lee decided to use in the scene of the drive-by with the men on the corner and the police. The frame is slowed to focus on the intense stare-off between the men and the cops. The sequence ends with one of the cops mouthing “What a waste (Lee).” This confrontation shows how the police really felt about the blacks in the neighborhood. This belief system carries over to the end of the film when the police officer refused to stop choking Radio Raheem, killing him in the process. The treatment of Radio Raheem’s body showed that the police had little respect for him and the people around him that just watched him die. Sadly, this is still today in America. 

Lee leaves us with some parting thoughts. Do the Right Thing ends with two quotes, one from Martin Luther King Jr. and one from Malcolm X. These quotes explain the two views of violence when it comes to racial injustice. Martin Luther King’s quote calls violence “both impractical and immoral.” While Malcolm X says about violence, “ it doesn’t mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time, I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don’t even call it violence when it’s self- defense, I call it intelligence.” Both of these very different civil rights advocates condone violence. Lee wants the audience to leave with these thoughts and to be more productive and not lead your life with hate, but be smart with anger and channel it in a healthy manner.  

Even though Do the Right Thing was over thirty years ago, the commentary that Lee addresses about racial tensions and crime is still very relevant. The reason that still resonates with modern audiences today is that it challenges the audience and it “doesn’t provide answers to the problems it exposes. Instead, the film reflects back to its audience their own perspectives on prejudice and compliance (Obenson).”  Lee said when speaking with Rolling Stone when asking about watching the film today, “It still holds up! But we look real young (Edwards).” The themes of racial injustice being more prevalent today with stories such as Central Park Five, Ahmaud Arbery, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Rodney King highlight how far we haven’t come in the years since it’s release. Do the Right Thing has become a modern-day masterpiece that fought the power in 1989, and stilling fighting the power today when it comes to racial injustice. 

Works Cited

Edwards, Gavin. “Fight the Power: Spike Lee on ‘Do the Right Thing’.” Rolling Stone, Rolling

 Stone, 25 June 2018 www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-features/fight-the-power-spike-lee-on-do-the-right-thing-123339/.

Lee, Spike, director. Do the Right Thing. Universal Studios, 1989.

Obenson, Tambay. “’Do the Right Thing’: Why Spike Lee’s Masterpiece Remains Essential

 Cinema 30 Years Later.” IndieWire, IndieWire, 29 June 2019,

 www.indiewire.com/2019/06/do-the-right-thing-spike-lee-30-anniversary-1202154208/.

Ryan, Patrick. “’Do the Right Thing’: Spike Lee Recalls ‘Horrendous’ White Critics on 30th

 Anniversary.” USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 22 July 2019, 

www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2019/07/22/spike-lee-do-right-thing-30th-anniversary-it-hasnt-aged/1767698001/.     

What are the key technological milestones that laid the foundation for the invention of the movies?

• The Key Technological milestones that laid the foundation for the invention of movies are film stock and film projectors.

How was the studio system organized in the golden age, and what factors contributed to its decline?

• The Studio system was organized with a Producer unit system with a General manager, executive manager, production manager, studio manager, and individual production supervisors and established the collaborative mode of production. The decline of the studio system began in the 1950’s, the Studios were victims of their own success. Several actions were also taken by the federal government signaled that the studios old ways of doing business would have to change such as the National Industrial Recovery Act and break the vertical structure of the major studios Also, the breaking up their ownership of production, distribution and exhibition and reorganizing management caused the decline of the studio system.

In what major ways does the independent system differ from the studio system?

• Unlike the Studio System, the independent system is Package unit system that is controlled by a producer unaffiliated with the studio. Independent Studios also have personalized concept of film production, which governs creation, distribution, and exhibition of the movie.

What are the principal activities in each of the three basic phases of making a movie: preproduction, production, and postproduction?

• Preproduction is all about the planning of the film. This includes developing an idea or obtain script, get rights and estimate and re estimating the budget. As well as, as securing funding. Production is the actual shooting part and lasts six weeks to several months. Postproduction is all the fine tuning of the film. This means editing and preparing the film for the public and eventually releasing the movie to the public.

• What is meant by the term film history? Why is a knowledge of it invaluable in looking at movies and analyzing them?

• Film history is simple the history of film and eras that inspired that film. Film history is important because it shows progression of not only the techniques needed to make films, but the theme and plots of these films. What goes around in the world inspires you and is a bigger factor to films then one would think. For example, lots of films after World War II focused on the aftermath of the war.

• What are the four traditional approaches to film history? What are the specific concerns of each?

• The aesthetic approach seeks to evaluate individual films and or directors using criteria that assess their artistic significance and influence. The technological approach looks at the technological advancements as well as subsequent improvement. The economic approach looks at the place that the film is in economic history. Lastly, the social history approach look at the culture and society that are in the film.

• The term New Wave is used to describe many film movements after WWII. What are several of these movements, and what general stylistic characteristics do they have in common?

• There is French New Wave, Japanese New Wave and Australian New Wave. Some general stylistic characteristics they have in common are a focus on current social issues in their everyday life locations/settings, and an experimentation with the way the film is shot.

• Who, in your understanding, are three of the most innovative and influential directors in film history? What are their contributions?

• In my opinion I think some of the earliest filmmakers are the most innovative and influential such as Thomas Alva Edison who invented the kinetoscope. The Lumiere Brothers who invented the Autochrome color photography plate and Alice Blanche who was the first female director and made the first narrative film with a plot.

What is sound design? What are the responsibilities of the sound designer?

• Sound Design is the art of creating the sound for the film. The responsibilities of a sound are obtaining all sound effects, whether recorded or live for a specific production.

What is the difference between diegetic and nondiegetic sources of sound?

• Diegetic sound are sounds from inside the film’s world and Nondiegetic sound is sound outside of the film.

What are the differences between sounds that are internal and external; on-screen and off-screen?

• Internal sound is whenever we what we assume are the thoughts of a character within a scene and External sound comes from a place within the world and is heard by the characters in the world. On-screen sound comes from a source we can see and Offscreen sound can be either diegetic or nondiegetic and it is from a source we cannot see.

How do ambient sounds differ from sound effects? How are Foley sounds different from sound effects?

• A sound effect is a sound artificially created for the sound track that has a definite function in telling the story. Ambient Sound is the background of the setting or environment being filmed, should not include any unintentionally recorded sounds and helps set the mood and atmosphere. Foley Sounds are different because created and recorded in sync with the picture.

Can the music in a movie be both diegetic and nondiegetic? Explain.

• Yes, music can be both diegetic and non-diegetic. A scene could have a band in it or a CD player or something like that, the music is heard by both the people in the audience and the actors in the film. Non-diegetic is a soundtrack over top of the scene that the people in the film can’t hear.

What is the basic building block of film editing?

• The Basic Building block of editing is the shot.

What are the five primary functions of editing?

1. organize fragmented action and events
2. create meaning through juxtaposition
3. create spatial relationships between shots
4. create temporal relationships between shots
5. establish and control shot duration, pace, and rhythm

What are some of the differences between editing of narrative movies and documentaries?

• Narrative movies more creative editing techniques such as CGI, while documentaries use more subtle editing.

What is continuity editing? What does it contribute to a movie?

• Continuity Editing is a type of editing that seeks to achieve logic , smoothness, sequential flow, and the temporal and spatial orientation of viewers to what they see on screen. This continuity editing contributes a sense orientation and time for the audience.

What is the purpose of the 180-degree system? How does it work?

• The 180-degree rule is a cinematography guideline that states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. When the camera passes over the invisible axis connecting the two subjects, it is called crossing the line and the shot.

Name and describe the various types of match cuts.

• A match on action cut is a film editing technique where the editor cuts from one shot to another view that matches the first shot’s action. A eyeline match cut is what the audience will see what the character on-screen is seeing. A graphic match cut implies a direct link between the event and content presented in two different shots.

What is discontinuity editing? Given the dominance of continuity editing in mainstream filmmaking, what role does discontinuity editing usually play?

• A type of editing that creates momentary disorientation or confusion. The role that discontinuity plays is to call attention to the element.

How does movie acting today differ from movie acting in the 1930s through the 1960s?

• The 1930’s through the 1960’s were known as the age of the move star. Studios gave basic lessons on movement, acting, and speaking, but screen appearance was the most important. Studios ran the industry. Today, actors have a harder time get roles and are often typecasted for certain roles. Independent production are common now.

Why is the relationship between the actor and the camera so important in making and looking at movies?

• The camera creates a greater naturalism and intimacy between actors and audience than would ever be possible on the stage, and thus it serves as screen actors’ most important collaboration.

What factors influence the casting of actors in a movie?

• The biggest factor is if the actor’s strengths and weaknesses to the roles that they are considered for. It also depends on budget, expected revenue, and actor’s popularity.

What do you regard as the most important criteria in analyzing acting?

• For me, I find that the most important criteria in analyzing acting is how natural the role feels for the actor. If they make me believe that character is them and is real with a layer performance then I believe they did a good good job.

What are the differences among a setup, a shot, and a take?

• Set up is a camera position, take is a bunch of uninterrupted shots put together, and a shot is a unbroken span of action captured by an uninterrupted run of the camera until it is replaced with another shot by means of cut or other transition.

A cinematographer depends on two crews of workers. What is each crew responsible for?

• One crew works on lighting and electricity, while the other works on works on the camera. The camera crew consists of a camera operator and the assistant camera persons. The lighting crew consists of a gaffer, a best boy, and grips.

How the lighting for any movie looks is determined, in part, by its source and direction. Explain these terms and the effect each has on the overall lighting.

• source- What the light comes form either natural or artificial. It effects how hard or light the lighting is on the screen.
• direction- Where the light is placed and where it shines on the actor and/or object. This can produce shadows and contrasts that suggest a deeper meaning and the time of day

What are the four major lenses used on movie cameras? What is the principal characteristic of the image that each lens creates?

• The four major lens that are used on movie camera are short-focal-length lens, long-focal-length lens, prime lens, and zoom lens. The short-focal length lens produces wide angle views and stretches the appearance of depth. Long- focal-length lens compresses depth, which makes distant subjects look closer and subjects on different planes of depth appear closer together than they would in real life. Zoom Lens reduce or increase the focal length in continuous motion stimulating the effect that the camera toward and away from the subject. Prime Lens are similar to zoom lens but creates sharper images.

Based on proximity to the camera, what are the three most commonly used shots in a movie? What principle is used to distinguish them?

• The most common used shots are the close up, medium shot, and the long shot. The long shot is commonly used for establishing shots are commonly used to present background information and subject information. The medium shot is used replicates the human experience of proximity without intimacy. Close up is close up and personal with a subject.

Describe the differences and relationship between framing and composition.

• Framing is the process by which the cinematographer or camera operator uses the boundaries and dimensions of the moving to determine what we see on the screen. Composition is the balance of all the objects and figures in a frame, this includes shade and the color.

The movie camera can shoot from various angles. What are they? What meaning does each imply?

• High angle shot, Low Angle, Dutch Angle, and Bird’s Eye View are different angles the camera can use. High angle is when the camera positioned about eye level and provides the effect that we are looking down on the subject portraying them is inferior or weak. The low angle is when the camera is placed below eye level and the effect provides the effect of looking up at the subject portraying them as powerful. The Dutch Angle is when the camera is placed titled and creates and oblique angle and is often used for unusual or chaotic events. The Bird’s Eye View when the camera is on a drone or crane and over is over the subject’s head and captures extreme perspective. It is used to impart a sense of disorientation or strangeness to the action on the screen.

What are the basic types of camera movement?

• Pan and tilt shots, Dolly shots, Zoom, Crane Shots, Handheld camera, and Steadicam are the basic types of camera movements.

What is a long take? What can it achieve that a short take cannot? What is the difference between a long take and a long shot?

• A long take is an uninterrupted shot that lasts longer than a conventional shot. Long takes forces the audience to pay attention to details and contemplate the situation that is playing out in front of them. A long shot is a shot that presents the background and subject information equal measure. They also establish the relative placement of characters within a setting can function as establishing shots.

Special effects create images that might not be possible with traditional cinematography. What are the basic ways to create special effects?

• Motion capture, mechanical effects, optical effects, and visual effects are some basic ways of creating special effects.

Question 1: What is the literal meaning of the phrase mise-en-scéne? What do we mean by this phrase when discuss movies?

a. The literal meaning of mise-en-scéne is staging or putting on a an action or scene. In movies, mise-en-scéne means every component in a shot.

Question 2: What are two major components of mise-en-scéne?

a. The two major components of mise-en-scéne are design and movement.

Question 3: Describe the process of developing in a film’s mise-en-scéne?

a. There is a production designer who develops most of the design elements such as costume design, construction, visual effects. Cinematographer sets the lighting of the film and how the camera is moving.

Question 4: Name and briefly discuss the major elements of cinematic design?

a. There are two major elements of cinematic design which are Setting decor/properties and costume/hair/makeup. The setting decor and properties more have to do with the background of the film, while the costume, hair and makeup have to do with the actor or character design.

Question 5: What is kinesis? What are the two basic forms it takes, and how can each affect composition and our experience of the story?

a. Kinesis is movement and the two basic forms are figure movement and blocking.

Question 6. What is composition? Name and Briefly discuss how composition uses balance and depth?

a. Composition is the shot’s organization, distribution, balance, and general relationship between the objects and figures. It helps ensure the beauty and flow of the movie and guides our looking, how we read the image and how we interpret the characters physical, emotional, and mental relationships to one another

I have always liked Quentin Tarantino films. I was first introduced to his work with Kill Bill and I enjoyed how different his films feel than any old movie. His films are filled to the brim with realistic characters and dialogue that jumps out of the screen. Each film is carefully crafted and chalked full of detail. The music is fantastic and always fits every character and plot point. Quentin Taranto is one of the best directors of all time, no doubt. 

Jackie Brown is Quentin Tarantino’s third film and tells a story of a flight attendant who plans on double-crossing the feds and her arms dealer boss to make off with smuggled money. Of course, there are more layers to the film than that but that is the main idea. The characters are well crafted with all the characters not necessarily being good people. The obvious standouts were Pam Grier as Jackie Brown and for me, Robert DeNiro as Louis. Pam Grier’s portrayal provided the audience with a main character that was a badass antihero that we could root for. I thought that Robert DeNiro’s casting for Louis was interesting. I am used to seeing Robert DeNiro as a gangster or a mob boss, so it was really funny to me that he was playing an ex-bank robber stoner. 

Jackie Brown also brings back a commonly forgotten genre of film, blaxploitation. The genre appeared around the seventies and featured African Americans and African American stories. When I think about blaxploitation films I think about the time that my dad and I watched a movie called Blacula. It was a very bad movie, but I always found it neat that all the characters in the film, for the most part, were African American and were able to carve their own story out of something traditionally white. Pam Grier who plays Jackie Brown was a common actress in blaxploitation films of the time and I found it very cool that she decided to come back to her roots in a way since Jackie Brown was inspired by these films.        

I also really enjoyed the soundtrack for this film a lot. The songs add so much depth and meaning to the characters. For example, the song Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) by the Delfonics is a crucial part of Max and Jackie’s relationship throughout the film. You hear the song in when they first meet in Jackie’s apartment. We also hear the song any time we see Max in his car and most importantly when he is driving Ordell to meet Jackie at the end of the film. Each time the song is played we think about Max and Jackie’s relationship and Max’s dedication to Jackie throughout the film. Some other songs that liked from the soundtrack are Street Life by Randy Crawford and Tennesse Stud by Johnny Cash.

When it comes down to the film the true meaning of this film is about getting old and de-romanization of crime. Most of the characters are over the age of forty, which is extremely unique for a blockbuster film. These characters go through serious doubts about their age and are desperately holding on to their youth. We see this with Jackie and Max with Jackie saying that she is too old to be restarting her life and constantly worrying about her age. We see this in Louis and Ordell when they are still doing crime, getting stoned, and sleeping with multiple younger women. According to Chris Compendio’s analysis of the film, “Ordell is the only character in denial that all of these players are past their prime. He runs a gun-running operation with pride and apparent deftness, but as Melanie points out, it is all a facade. All of his actions are with the intention to impress—he apparently just repeats statistics about weapons he overhears from others and isn’t as knowledgable as he makes himself out to be. At this point, Ordell is falling for his own illusion.” I love this quote because it describes what Ordell’s character is all about and his insecurities about becoming obsolete. Another thing I found interesting, how little violence is in Jackie Brown, for being a Tarantino film. Many of the deaths throughout the film we don’t see and are bloodless, which is unusual. You can say that this because the film is about the de-romanization of crime. Which is the opposite of  Pulp Fiction which kinda romanticizes crime.

I have always loved Quentin Tarantino films, his storytelling skills are masterful and the movies can be seen as surface-level films or deep pieces of art. Jackie Brown may not be one of my favorite Tarantino films, but I do appreciate the storytelling and the references to such an overlooked subgenre of film.   

t’s a simple story of love and of hate and doing the right thing when it comes down to a tricky situation. The love of one’s culture and home and the hate of a race. Do the Right Thing simply about a day in the life of a Brooklyn neighborhood, but if you pull the layers back the film means so much more, dealing with themes of hate, violence, and racism in America.

Right away the film jumps into these themes with the opening credits. The audience hears the song Fight the Power by Public Enemy and a woman who we later find out is Tina dancing to the song. This song is used multiple times in the movie as an anthem for the African Americans in the neighborhood. The lyrics of the song convey the daily struggles of African Americans to get their basic rights and to achieve equality. While Tina is dancing it almost looks like she is forced to dance and even is holding back emotion. Fight the Power’s words mean something to her and she is not listening to this song passively, but you could say society is telling her to just dance or go with the flow and not think about it too much, life goes on.

Throughout the film, we see what everyday life of the neighborhood, mainly through the eyes of the character, Mookie, a pizza delivery man of Sal’s Pizzeria on the hottest day of the year. There are various interactions throughout the day with lifelike characters such as Da Mayor, Mother Sister, Bugging Out, Smiley, and many more. The main conflict of the film is when Bugging Out questions Sal about his Hall of Fame and why it has no black people on it. Bugging Out claims that since Sal’s is in a black neighborhood there should be some African Americans on the wall. Sal disagrees with his statement and asks Mookie to escort him out of the pizzeria. Later on, that night, Bugging Out returns to Sal’s with Radio Raheem and Smiley and decides to protest eating there because of the lack of African Americans on the wall. Radio Raheem’s volume on his boombox causes an altercation between the men and it leads to the police killing Radio Raheem. The neighborhood heartbroken by his death burn down the pizzeria. The film ends on a bleak note with a new day beginning with the weather being hotter than the day before with the ruins of the night before in the backdrop and life moving forward. 

The film comes back to the question of whether the characters are doing the right thing and what is the right thing to do? We see this all the time with Mookie. Wither he throws Bugging Out out of Sal’s or if he should stand up for him. If he should stay with Tina and Hector or even if he should take a shower when he should be working. These choices have consequences for him and the people in his life.

Right before the ending credits, the audience sees two quotes. One from Martian Luther King Jr. and one from Malcolm X. Both these quotes explain the two views of violence. Both of them say that you should not bring upon violence. Malcolm X’ says though if it is self-defense, he clearly calls self-defense not violence, but intelligence. Malcolm X and Martian Luther King Jr. are mentioned throughout the film as well. Smiley is selling pictures of the two and is badgering the characters about them. This clearly means to me that he is trying to remind the characters of the values and teachings of Malcolm X and MLK, not to have hatred fuel your motivations.  Actions can be fueled by love and compassion. They can be fueled by hatred and violence, but when it comes down to it is it the right thing to do.