Over the years, racism has been a prominent problem in society. Injustice and prejudice are products of the racism against minorities. American film director, Spike Lee, displays the racism that was as prevalent in the 1980’s, as it is now, in his award-winning 1989 film Do the Right Thing. The film takes place in a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. It follows the life of a pizza delivery man who works for Italian owners of Sal’s Pizzeria. Lee successfully captures the tension and racism during the time period, but also the use of violence as a means of protest through the use of symbolism, camera angles, lighting and other forms of artistic direction to show the unsettling effects that violent protests can have. Using these artistic techniques
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Memorable characters such as: Tina, Mookie’s girlfriend and mother of his child, Mother Sister, Da Mayor and others display stereotypes of black characters. Also, the police officers and puerto rican characters show some racial stereotypes, the police are aggressive and puerto ricans are loud and violent. As Steve Rose in the article “How we made Do the Right Thing” puts it, the “look and rhythm of the movie is like a heightened reality” and the characters are purposely “just slightly larger than life” in order to be memorable. Besides that, Lee does this to emphasize their identity in society according to outsiders. Meanwhile, Sal’s son, Pino, expresses his hate against black people. Pino wants to go back to where they used to live, because he doesn’t feel like he belongs. On the other hand, Sal expresses his pride in his business and pride in knowing that the community loves and grew up on his food. Pino uses derogatory words to express his disgust of black people which displays the existing racism during the time. Sal’s younger son, Vito, is less judgemental of the black community and is even friends with …show more content…
People begin trashing and destroying Sal’s property, even though he was not responsible for his death. A huge fire is lit by Smiley and sounds of people screaming and destroying property is the focus of the scene. Even Mooki, friend’s of Sal, takes part in the riot. He initially begins the riot by breaking one of Sal’s window. The screen is lit up with flames and shadows of angry people breaking chairs, taking money and vandalizing the shop. Loyal customers have turned into vengeful protesters. The next day, Mookie returns to Sal’s and asks for his paycheck. Sal is confused by Mookie’s sole interest in money after acting like an enemy the night before. In fact, Spike Lee encompasses the peer pressure or heat of the moment Mookie felt during that night where all he could think about was the death of a
Memorable characters such as: Tina, Mookie’s girlfriend and mother of his child, Mother Sister, Da Mayor and others display stereotypes of black characters. Also, the police officers and puerto rican characters show some racial stereotypes, the police are aggressive and puerto ricans are loud and violent. As Steve Rose in the article “How we made Do the Right Thing” puts it, the “look and rhythm of the movie is like a heightened reality” and the characters are purposely “just slightly larger than life” in order to be memorable. Besides that, Lee does this to emphasize their identity in society according to outsiders. Meanwhile, Sal’s son, Pino, expresses his hate against black people. Pino wants to go back to where they used to live, because he doesn’t feel like he belongs. On the other hand, Sal expresses his pride in his business and pride in knowing that the community loves and grew up on his food. Pino uses derogatory words to express his disgust of black people which displays the existing racism during the time. Sal’s younger son, Vito, is less judgemental of the black community and is even friends with …show more content…
People begin trashing and destroying Sal’s property, even though he was not responsible for his death. A huge fire is lit by Smiley and sounds of people screaming and destroying property is the focus of the scene. Even Mooki, friend’s of Sal, takes part in the riot. He initially begins the riot by breaking one of Sal’s window. The screen is lit up with flames and shadows of angry people breaking chairs, taking money and vandalizing the shop. Loyal customers have turned into vengeful protesters. The next day, Mookie returns to Sal’s and asks for his paycheck. Sal is confused by Mookie’s sole interest in money after acting like an enemy the night before. In fact, Spike Lee encompasses the peer pressure or heat of the moment Mookie felt during that night where all he could think about was the death of a