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Spike Lee's Film Do The Right Thing

1395 Words6 Pages

Known for it’s provocative message, Spike Lee’s film Do the Right Thing (1989) direct’s the audiences attention toward police racism and violence. Spike Lee adds a dramatic flare to the movie through intense, colorful lighting and dialog. Characters in the movie fight for and against racial justice. The biggest argument of the movie is when a patron of a local pizza shop, Buggin Out (Giancarlo Esposito), believes that the pizza shop should have photos of African Americans along with the Italian Americans on the wall. The owner of the shop, Sal (Danny Aiello), disagrees. This starts a protest from Buggin Out and he eventually tries to persuade others to help. As the day progresses, tensions quickly builds within the neighborhood. Though the …show more content…

This would put doubt in the officers’ minds. The camera movement in the shot where the officers and driver are approaching Da Mayor is shaky. This could be symbolic of Da Mayor current drunken state. We can see a can of alcohol in Da Mayor’s hand along with his unbalanced and swaying walk. All throughout the movie, Da Mayor is referred to as a drunk. He’s even seen trying to get alcohol in multiple scenes. While this could discredit his advice, he’s also been seen as heroic, like in the scene where he saves the boy from getting hit my the car. During the hydrant scene, the camera is always at low angle when viewing him. In the very first shot, the camera is a low angle and at a medium long distance. This angle gives Da Mayor power. His name is Da Mayor, which is also a title of power. When you combine these elements with his age in the scene, he has power in the scene. He’s the character that the officers approach and the character that the driver trusts most to tell the truth. He speaks out against them and sets a tone for the crowd and community. In the background, after Da Mayor speaks, we can hear someone yell, “All right!” voicing their opinion on the questioning. The community is loyal and all follow Da Mayor when he doesn’t give any information on who the teenagers

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