Do the Right Thing: One of the Best movies of the 1970s
Have you ever been in a day so hot, that everything you do causes you to become agitated? Well, this is the opening premise behind Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee. This movie, set in New York on one of the record breaking hottest days in the city, shows the lives of everyone within an African American neighborhood. I will be evaluating this film’s quality because I feel that even though it is fairly old, it is still a great movie that has aged very well. My reaction to this movie was that the plot was very slowly paced, but the details were great, and the pacing allowed for the ending to be so much more impactful. Do the Right Thing is a great film due to its character development, portrayal …show more content…
In the beginning of the movie, Da Mayor seems to be a pathetic drunk, as shown when Mother Sister says, “Hey you old drunk, what did I tell you about drinking in front of my stoop? Move on; you’re blocking my view.” Near the end of the movie, Da Mayor becomes one of the most righteous people within the movie. Furthermore, Sal’s sons show two polarizing sides with the youngest favoring towards African Americans whereas the older is extremely racist. These polarizing opposites serve to show the varied stance between whites within America at the time. A final instance of great character development comes from one of the main instigators of the drama within the film, Radio Raheem. Radio Raheem serves as the one annoying guy, where every time he passes by, the people in the neighborhood know that he’s close. Repeatedly, his boom box drives people insane, but ironically, his death is the one catalyst for the riot on Sal’s. As Roger Ebert puts it, “There are really no heroes or villains in the film.” This truth resonates throughout the film as nobody is necessarily at fault, because they all had their part in starting the riot, which also means that nobody is guilt
Have you ever been in a day so hot, that everything you do causes you to become agitated? Well, this is the opening premise behind Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee. This movie, set in New York on one of the record breaking hottest days in the city, shows the lives of everyone within an African American neighborhood. I will be evaluating this film’s quality because I feel that even though it is fairly old, it is still a great movie that has aged very well. My reaction to this movie was that the plot was very slowly paced, but the details were great, and the pacing allowed for the ending to be so much more impactful. Do the Right Thing is a great film due to its character development, portrayal …show more content…
In the beginning of the movie, Da Mayor seems to be a pathetic drunk, as shown when Mother Sister says, “Hey you old drunk, what did I tell you about drinking in front of my stoop? Move on; you’re blocking my view.” Near the end of the movie, Da Mayor becomes one of the most righteous people within the movie. Furthermore, Sal’s sons show two polarizing sides with the youngest favoring towards African Americans whereas the older is extremely racist. These polarizing opposites serve to show the varied stance between whites within America at the time. A final instance of great character development comes from one of the main instigators of the drama within the film, Radio Raheem. Radio Raheem serves as the one annoying guy, where every time he passes by, the people in the neighborhood know that he’s close. Repeatedly, his boom box drives people insane, but ironically, his death is the one catalyst for the riot on Sal’s. As Roger Ebert puts it, “There are really no heroes or villains in the film.” This truth resonates throughout the film as nobody is necessarily at fault, because they all had their part in starting the riot, which also means that nobody is guilt