Spike Lee Do The Right Thing

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In the movie Do the Right Thing, director Spike Lee incorporated a controversial take on what race and racism were in 1989. This movie quickly gained traction because of its unique interpretation of racism in America that the Hollywood realm of films had not yet dove into at that time. Although the film has a serious tone, it includes several philosophical topics, such as police brutality and racial bias. With these messages included in the scenes, the Spike Lee film reflects on the sociopolitical importance of three crucial and complex human emotions, such as love, hate, and anger. By incorporating these feelings alongside racism, the director managed to further develop his message by including statements from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm …show more content…
As much as MLK preached for love and suggested that violence would only further set back communities, I agree with Malcolm X’s philosophy. The meaning of the film has not changed from my initial reflection because I understood why Spike Lee’s character, Mookie, threw the trash can and why everyone revolted. The death of an individual, especially when done in the public eye, will always result in a stronger public reaction. When the police were called into a black community, the tension was already high due to the racial bias and discrimination that were present during that time. So after a lot of back and forth due to police brutality and negligence, Radio Raheem died. It was a very overwhelming and emotional scene for the audience, and I imagine it was more so for those who had similar experiences. Talking things out did not seem to help, and the racism was only increasing. For starters, the neighborhoods were labeled and thought of as the “white, black, Hispanic, Asian neighborhood.” Everyone was kept in their own community, and Sal’s white business and the Korean business were treated

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It goes without saying that Do the Right Thing is one of the best films of all time. It was released to critical acclaim and was nominated for two academy awards. Despite all this, the film does deal with controversial topics that some people felt were handled inappropriately. The biggest topic that was depicted in this film was racism in America. Near the end of the film, a fight breaks out between the owner of a pizzeria and some members of the community over the pizzeria owner’s refusal to put…

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