This was my first Spike Lee film and I didn't know what to anticipate, half expecting it to be an all black cast picture dealing with family or neighborhood relationships. So seeing Danny Aiello show up early set me up for something perhaps more interesting, that is, Lee's take on racial relations and tensions in a mixed neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. The suggestion that it was one of the hottest days of the year seemed to point toward an eventual outburst in which one or more characters would eventually reach their own boiling point, resulting in some form of violence.
Lee directs himself as one of the principal players named Mookie, an employee of Sal's (Aiello) Famous Pizzaria. There's a dichotomy in the portrayal of Sal's two sons - Pino (John Turturro) is inherently racist, but doesn't expose those feelings openly, as he realizes he has to live and work in the neighborhood. Vito (Richard Edson) however, has no trouble showing friendship with Mookie, and as the younger brother, appears to be more tolerant with the diversity around him. In the middle in terms of temperament is Sal, having lived and built a business in the community for twenty five years, and coming to realize that the predominantly black community is basically decent and supportive of his shop.
I'm not clear why Spike Lee would have presented so many of his characters as borderline delinquents. A white director using the same prescription would undeniably be viewed as racist. However his intent, if it was to portray a poor black neighborhood plagued by unemployment and lack of opportunity, was an effective way in which to advance the story to it's flash point. At that moment though, I was jarred by the action of both Sal AND Mookie. Granted, we knew Sal could be a hothead, but destroying the boombox was stepping over the line. Mookie's response likewise, by throwing a garbage can through Sal's window seemed totally out of character. I'm sure the unintended consequence of what followed was the main part of the message Lee was attempting to convey, that is, violence for the sake of violence can never be an answer because it produces victims in it's wake. I would have said innocent victims, except Radio (Bill Nunn) had some culpability in what happened to trigger the riot, but he didn't have to die as a result, even if by accident.
Interestingly, Lee establishes the neighborhood old timer, Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) as the voice and conscience of Bed-Stuy, someone who's been around the block a few times and realizes he can role model good behavior for the youth of the community. Da Mayor was the picture's 'do the right thing' guy, but it's all the wrong things that happen in the story that force the viewer to examine one's own prejudices and sympathies. "Do the Right Thing" is the kind of film that leaves one with more questions than answers, which can be a good thing if those questions lead to an honest examination of why differences among people shouldn't get in the way of standing on common ground.
Lee directs himself as one of the principal players named Mookie, an employee of Sal's (Aiello) Famous Pizzaria. There's a dichotomy in the portrayal of Sal's two sons - Pino (John Turturro) is inherently racist, but doesn't expose those feelings openly, as he realizes he has to live and work in the neighborhood. Vito (Richard Edson) however, has no trouble showing friendship with Mookie, and as the younger brother, appears to be more tolerant with the diversity around him. In the middle in terms of temperament is Sal, having lived and built a business in the community for twenty five years, and coming to realize that the predominantly black community is basically decent and supportive of his shop.
I'm not clear why Spike Lee would have presented so many of his characters as borderline delinquents. A white director using the same prescription would undeniably be viewed as racist. However his intent, if it was to portray a poor black neighborhood plagued by unemployment and lack of opportunity, was an effective way in which to advance the story to it's flash point. At that moment though, I was jarred by the action of both Sal AND Mookie. Granted, we knew Sal could be a hothead, but destroying the boombox was stepping over the line. Mookie's response likewise, by throwing a garbage can through Sal's window seemed totally out of character. I'm sure the unintended consequence of what followed was the main part of the message Lee was attempting to convey, that is, violence for the sake of violence can never be an answer because it produces victims in it's wake. I would have said innocent victims, except Radio (Bill Nunn) had some culpability in what happened to trigger the riot, but he didn't have to die as a result, even if by accident.
Interestingly, Lee establishes the neighborhood old timer, Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) as the voice and conscience of Bed-Stuy, someone who's been around the block a few times and realizes he can role model good behavior for the youth of the community. Da Mayor was the picture's 'do the right thing' guy, but it's all the wrong things that happen in the story that force the viewer to examine one's own prejudices and sympathies. "Do the Right Thing" is the kind of film that leaves one with more questions than answers, which can be a good thing if those questions lead to an honest examination of why differences among people shouldn't get in the way of standing on common ground.