Heat gets to people

Before I get into the analysis of the film Do the Right Thing, I must admit that this film really got to me, and I’m not sure in which way. I can’t seem to decide whether or not I liked the film, though I am sure it was an excellent example of prime film making. I’ve been thinking about a lot of aspects of it since we finished it and I can’t seem to come to a conclusion about what I saw and felt and heard. Does anyone know what I mean?

I took a hint from Justin and decided to do some research, not on the movie but on Spike Lee himself. I have a little prior knowledge on him, from a person who has worked with him first hand. My highschool drama teacher was an actress and casting director in Chicago and had the opportunity to work with Spike Lee and she shared her experience with us during class one day. She said that he was very professional in his work but had a hostle tone with every white person he came in contact with. She told us that he was slightly standoffish with any white person he didn’t know but he treated his white employees with slight attitude and rudeness. My own personal research lead me to the name of his production company. Fourty Acres and a Mule (promised to every free slave at the end of slavery by the US government) was established by Spike Lee to make movies about race and racial tensions. Every film he has made to date has had a message relating to racial tensions and things of that nature. For a complete list of his works, go to this link.http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/slee2.html

There were many things I noticed about the film that stood out to me in a way that enhanced my perceptions and reactons to the film. The first thing I noticed was that the bright, exaggeratet colors of the film made the color black stand out. Many things in the movie had patterns and colors and shapes but anything that was black (signs, radios, skin, clothes) had no distinct markings or alterations. I thought that was an interesting choice made by Spike Lee. It also pertained to the discussion of love and hate. When Vito and Pino were fighting in the back room Vito was wearing black and Pino white. Pino (to me) represented hate and all the secondary emotions that go along with it, and Vito represented love or acceptance or understanding. I think this scene exemplifies the battle of love vs. hate particularly well. The small location of the battle (the back room) adds a bit of tension or uneasiness to the scene; it’s almost like the viewer feels like their personal space has been diminished. I felt like I was there.

I think there is a lot to be said for this film, not so much for the point it presented but how these points were expressed. It was almost like we were being taught without really knowing it, it would take me a while to realize the poignancy of what I was seeing untill I actually thought about it, which I believe is the real genius behind this film.

One thought to leave you with…While there exists in the world select individuals who satisfy unfair stereotypes set on them by society, people will always judge those groups as a whole. Lets try and challenge that.

~ by english131blog on November 15, 2007.