One thing which makes Spike Lee’s movie, Do the Right Thing, a great movie is not only the conflicts which arise throughout the film but specifically the depths of those conflicts. This movie passed the normal black/white conflict and reaches into conflicts between multiple characters in the film. This is much different from the blaxploitation films we watched in class which had a more concrete view on race.
Engaging Cinema states that this film “explores what it feels like to experience, with visceral force, a complex web of tensions and contradictions from multiple perspectives”. This idea of the different multiple perspectives is what gives this movie so much depth and I think is what makes the viewer so intrigued with the storyline in the film. It is not just a conflict between white and black people but instead a conflict between Asian people and black people, Italian people and black people, and even black people against black people. With the combination of all these different concepts, the viewer gets a different perspective in each different situation that takes place in the film.
Roger Ebert brings up a good point in his review about how the ending is left completely open. He says, “Since Lee does not tell you what to think about it, and deliberately provides surprising twists for some of the characters, this movie is more open-ended than most. It requires you to decide what you think about it”. I think this is an interesting topic to look at because the movie truly lets the audience decide for themselves what to think. It makes people aware of the different conflicts taking place but never once says which ones are justified and which ones are not justified.
The entire film comes together at the end when the two quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X scroll across the screen. There is an interesting duality represented in the quotes because MLK Jr. is talking about the importance of non-violence while Malcolm X says that violence is acceptable when used as self-defense. It again offers an open-endedness to the viewer by having both quotes. If Lee used only one quote at the end it would have put one idea or the other in the mind of the viewers instead of letting them decide on their own.
Your point about the extreme interracial conflicts is very important. Lee makes a smart move in adding conflict and tension among several races, not just between blacks and whites. Also, I believe that it is true that in some ways, the film does not take sides, and one example of this is the two quotes shown after the film ends. I had not thought of this so much as an extension of Lee's own commentary on the film, but something separate. I now realize that I was very wrong.
ReplyDeleteI like your comments about the audience being involved and having the ability to think for themselves. While the film may not be completely free from taking sides, it does not tell the audience what is right and what is wrong. Playing with the title, it does not tell the audience what the right thing to do is, but lets them infer for themselves, which I believe allows Lee to make a stronger point.
ReplyDeleteI think that it was good that you not only pointed out the importance of the conflict but the DEPTH of the conflict. I completly agree with your statement when you say, "This idea of the different multiple perspectives is what gives this movie so much depth and I think is what makes the viewer so intrigued with the storyline in the film." However, I think that this can also be a turn off to some people because of its complex conflicts. I dont think that it displaces any situation in the movie which can make the movie overwhelming to some viewers. Personally, I was very uncomfortable most of the time when I was watching this movie just because of all the tension (but I think that is partially what made this movie great).
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