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Review Of Spike Lee's Film 'Do The Right Thing'

1036 Words5 Pages

In Spike Lee’s film Do The Right Thing, the complexities of race, love, and anger are displayed for all to see. The film challenges the viewers to decide what exactly is the right thing to do when faced with hatred. The film draws its philosophical ideas from two iconic figures, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. These two figures’ ideas are the structure of the film's philosophical significance, MLK being the face of love and Malcolm X being the face of anger. This essay aims to discuss the importance of these iconic figures’ messages to the film and whether or not there is a significant philosophical contribution by addressing the bold, moderate, modest, or null hypothesis. Do The Right Thing explores the philosophy of love and anger through the lens of a diverse cast, each representing different perspectives on race relations …show more content…

“By centering extreme heat in a film about racial tension, Lee indicates just how intricately connected these themes of justice are.” (Albrechtsen 2022). Do The Right Thing perfectly depicts heat in a comprehensible way, which heightens the significance of the message and its philosophical implications. In assessing the philosophical contribution of Do The Right Thing, it is evident that the film’s exploration of love, anger, and racism is bold in its portrayal of societal race relations. The bold thesis can be defined as, “... a film’s contribution to philosophy, if genuine, must be irreplaceable or irreducible to other forms of communication.” (Cox & Levine, 2012, p. 8). Due to the film discussing the idea of love and anger when confronted with hatred in a unique and creative way makes its philosophical significance bold. While the philosophical ideas of MLK and Malcolm X make up the central idea of the film, there are certain aspects that can only be delivered through the art of

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