Historical Text

Do the Right Thing is a 1989 motion picture directed by Spike Lee and released by Universal Pictures. The film tells a tale of bigotry* and racial conflict in a multi-ethnic community. Issues of pride and prejudice, justice and inequity come to the surface as hate and bigotry smoulder--finally building into a crescendo as it explodes into violence.

Narrative: Three businesses dominate the block: a storefront radio station, where a smooth-talking' deejay (Samuel L. Jackson) spins the platters that matter; a convenience store owned by a Korean couple; and Sal's Famous Pizzeria, the only white-operated business in the neighbourhood. Sal serves up slices with his two sons, genial Vito and angry, racist Pino. Sal has one black employee, Mookie (Spike Lee), who wants to "get paid" but lacks ambition. His sister Jade, who has a greater sense of purpose and a "real" job, wants Mookie to start dealing with his responsibilities, most notably his son with girlfriend Tina Two of Mookie's best friends are Radio Raheem a monolith of a man who rarely speaks and Buggin' Out , nicknamed for his coke-bottle glasses and habit of losing his cool. When Buggin' Out notes that Sal's "Wall of Fame," a photo gallery of famous Italian-Americans, includes no people of colour, he eventually demands a neighbourhood boycott, on a day when tensions are already running high, that incurs tragic consequences

* A bigot is a prejudiced person who is intolerant of opinions I may use this film as a comparison as it deals with racism and prejudice in a multi ethnic community, where all the issues come to a crescendo, and it results in boycotts.

The opening song for the film has the line ‘fight the power break/get free’. This can be seen as a reoccurring motif as the same song is played at various points throughout the film. The line refers to breaking free from ‘white supremacy’ so that black people are free.

The only white business in the neighbourhood is ‘Sals famous Pizzeria’, however one of Sal’s son can be seen as prejudiced as he does not like his younger brother being associated with their only black employee ‘Mookie’, who he seems to trust more than his brother. But Mookie asks him who his idols are and all of his idols are African American singers or actors, however he despises the black people in the community.

Like Crash, Do the Right Thing deals with numerous situation involving the same or different characters and also disastrous consequences i.e. one of the black characters gets killed by the police at the end of the film.
The film has a ‘Love Hate’ theme, as most characters have a love hate relationship.
-Sals son despises Mookie
-The Spanish group don’t like Radio Raheem
-The policemen think that the black community are a waste

-The Korean shop owners have run in’s with some of the community over petty things i.e. beer and batteries

The radio Jock (Samuel L Jackson), acts like a narrator, describing the surroundings whilst everything is going on as his booth overlooks onto the street. The music he plays sets the setting for the scenes that the audience are watching.

Truth and Justice are other themes that develop throughout the film. The truth is something that is encouraged by one of older characters ‘Mayer’… who says that we should always ‘do the right thing’. All of Radio Raheem’s friends want justice after his is killed; most partially blame Sal after he smashed his stereo.
Buggin’ out also wants justice after realising that all the people on Sal’s wall of fame are all famous white people, and no black people considering that the pizzeria is situated in a black community and the majority of customers are black.

Below are quotes that appear at the end of the film, both highlight the message of violence – but different perspectives. Malcolm X believed that people should use violence to get what they wanted whereas Martin Luther King believed in the opposite, non violent tactics

‘Violence as a way of achieving racial injustice is both impractical and immoral. It is impractical because it is a descending spiral ending in destruction for all.’
‘Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love’
‘It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue’
-Martin Luther King, Jr

‘I think there are plenty of good people in America, but there are also plenty of bad people in America. The bad ones are the ones who seem to have all the power.’
‘I am not against using violence in self defence, I don’t even call it violence when its self defence, I call it intelligence.’
-Malcolm X

Below are clips from Do the Right Thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIwL41p-lHE - movie trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfa0ko1sVfk&feature=related - Love Hate clip