Spike Lee's Movie: Do the Right Thing

Spike Lee's 1989 movie Do the Right Thing is a commentary of the racism inflicting the nation at that time. Set in the multi-ethnic Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, it portrays the violent consequences that can result from racial conflict. Using several different elements, the movie sends its message to the viewers about the influence of racism. Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing uses the elements of heat, color, and sound to emphasize the theme of escalating racial tensions that come to a climax at the end of the movie. Heat is used as a metaphor for the emotions of the characters. The colors used set the tone and mood. Sound, portrayed largely through music in the movie, also highlights the emotions that come into play. At the end of the movie, the culmination of these elements parallels the violent consequences of racism and prejudice.

Heat
In the movie Do the Right Thing, the element of heat is used as a metaphor for the theme of racial tension. It is a catalyst to the violence to come; corresponding with the emotions of the characters. In the opening scene, Senor Love Daddy, the local disc jockey of WE-LOVE radio, proclaims "I have today's forecast. Hot!" As the people of the neighborhood wake up to face the heat, the high temperatures are displayed. An old man, Da Mayor, is shown waking up with his body drenched in sweat and saying "Damn, it's hot." Mookie, the main character, wakes up his sister with "It's gonna be hot today." As Mookie walks down the street to work at the local pizzeria, he is stopped by Mother Sister, an old woman who sits by her window, watching over the neighborhood. "Now, Mookie, don't work too hard today. The man said it's gonna be hot as the devil. I don't want ya falling out from the heat" she cautions him. These direct references clearly make the viewer aware of the heat wave. They set the stage for what is to come. As the temperature increases during the day, tensions between the characters also increase.

The newspaper headlines shown reinforce the heat in the movie Do the Right Thing. The New York Post reads "A Scorcher!" The New York Daily News: "2 Hot 4 U?" New York Newsday: "Oh Boy! Baked Apple!" and the New York Times: "Record Heatwave Hits City." Heat is also demonstrated in the way the characters try to cope with it. Mookie, among others, takes a cold shower. Children play in the water stream from a fire hydrant. Men, particularly the three men on the corner who comment on the goings on of the neighborhood, drink cold beer. People sit in the shade. Everyone's actions seem to be slowed down because of the heat.

In Spike Lee's movie Do the Right Thing, the heat acts as a symbol for the racial conflict that occurs. It is the hottest day of the year, and as the movie progresses we see the heat wear people down, aggressively peeling off the coverings of raw emotions of anger, hate, and resentment that for far too long remained buried beneath the surface of their lives. The heat wave is a representation of the racism inflicting the neighborhood and the people that live in it. They endure the oppressive heat; trying hard to deal with it but not being able to escape it. This is comparable to their struggle with racism, and how it becomes unavoidable.

In the movie, the heat pushes forward the dramatic action. As the temperature rises, the bickering of the characters turns into loud arguments as their angry frustrations come out. The hotter the sun gets, the more the truth of the lives of the people in the neighborhood unfolds. Their concerns, worries, insecurities, and frustrations bubble to the surface. The element of heat comes to its culmination with the fire started by the riot after Radio Raheem is killed by the police. The fire is heat at its maximum; the angry flames burn down Sal's pizzeria. The racial tensions throughout the movie are emphasized by the concept of heat as the characters struggle to deal with the rising temperatures as well as their rising frustrations.

Color
The different colors used in the film create a visual experience that helps to set the tone. The bright, vibrant colors create strong impressions of the characters' emotions, as well as the overall mood of the movie Do the Right Thing. The main colour used is red, which emphasizes the high temperatures experienced by the people in the neighborhood. In a scene showing Da Mayor's bedroom, the whole room is tinted with yellow, orange, and red to symbolize the heat. In a scene where Mookie wakes up his sister, her room is very red, demonstrating the high heat in her room. The bright red brick wall that serves as a background for the three men on the corner gives the scenes involving them a tone of the weather. This brick wall is a reoccurring object in the movie, and it gets lighter or darker depending on the mood of the particular scene. Tints of red, yellow, and orange are shown during the course of the film to maintain the mood of heat created by them. As the day progresses, bright yellow colors slowly transition into a darker yellowish or orange color. This is used as an indication of the setting sun and the dissipating heat.

Color in the movie Do the Right Thing not only emphasizes the heat, but also emotions. The red color used so often reflects the tension, conflict, anger, and frustration among the characters. Their strong and passionate emotions are complimented by the tints of red, yellow, and orange used in the scenes. As rising racial tensions mount, color is used again to emphasize the heat and emotion. When the rioters set Sal's pizzeria on fire, it is a bright contrast to the surrounding dark night. The bright color of the flames conveys the rage of the rioters over Radio Raheem's brutal death at the hands of the police. As Sal and his two sons watch their pizzeria burn down, a red wall is shown behind one of Sal's sons, Vito. The red color stresses their emotions of anger about the injustices that are taking place.

Color is an important element used in the movie Do the Right Thing. It emphasizes the weather and the heat with bright tones. The red is used symbolically to convey a variety of emotions. Mood and tone are created by this use of color. As racial tensions escalate, the color continues to visually dramatize what is going on in the minds of the characters as well as what is occurring in each scene.

Sound
In Spike Lee's movie Do the Right Thing, the element of sound is used to highlight the emotions of the characters and to set the mood. This use of sound is established with the very first scene. It is a shot of Senor Love Daddy's mouth, a microphone, and an alarm clock. The alarm clock begins ringing very loudly, followed by Senor Love Daddy shouting "Wake up!" into the microphone. He is literally telling the people of the neighborhood to wake up, but there are more layers to the message. It is a call for society to realize the conflict of racism, emphasized by the loud noise of the alarm clock. During the movie, Senor Love Daddy provides commentary and musical accompaniment to the events that take place. This use of sound follows the story line and adds to the mood of the film.

The many loud arguments that occur in the movie are also a use of sound. In the beginning, we are introduced to the owner of the pizzeria, Sal, as he argues with his sons Vito and Pino. Mookie enters the pizzeria and begins arguing with all of them. The loud yelling that occurs when these characters interact sets the mood and demonstrates their emotions. In a later scene, Mookie is arguing with his girlfriend. Again, the loud yelling shows the emotions between the two. As racial tensions increase, the characters raise their voices louder. This use of sound conveys the dangerous escalating emotions.

Music is the main use of sound in the movie, used to convey certain characters' emotions as well as an overall mood. Public Enemy's "Fight the Power!" is the main theme song, played repeatedly to emphasize not only its literal message but also the feelings of the characters. During the 1980's, many rappers began addressing gang violence, police brutality, and other politically charged issues, such as poverty, and racism. More politically oriented rap became very popular in the late 1980's. The group Public Enemy was at the forefront of this movement with songs like "Fight the Power". This song epitomized the feelings of African Americans at the time, and becomes very influential on the mood when used in the context of the film. Radio Raheem is the character that uses the song to convey himself and his emotions. He is constantly shown with a boom box on his shoulder that blasts "We got to fight the powers that be/ To revolutionize make a change/ What we need is awareness/ Power to the people, no delay/ Lemme hear you say/ Fight the power!" Radio Raheem's character does not talk a lot. The song he plays becomes his voice. This music represents Radio Raheem and his beliefs, as well as the problem of racism in the neighborhood.

Sound is used through music to demonstrate racial conflict with the two different types of music from two different races. When Radio Raheem approaches a group of Puerto Ricans playing salsa music, he continues to blast his song "Fight the Power!" Each raises the volume of their music to compete with each other, until the Puerto Ricans give in and one of them turns their volume down. The competing music between the two races demonstrates their cultural differences and resistance to understand each other. This contributes to the racial tensions in the neighborhood.

The sound comes to a climax as the racial tension erupts in the pizzeria scene, leading to a tragic death and violent riot. When Buggin' Out and Radio Raheem confront Sal, the sound rises to maximum volume. The characters scream at each other at the top of their lungs, while the deafening music blasts as their anger comes to a stand-off. In a dramatic climax, Sal smashes Radio Raheem's boom box with his baseball bat. An eerie silence follows as the lack of sound contrasts strongly with the loud noise that has suddenly stopped. Then chaos ensues as the characters' tensions turn into physical violence. Sound is an influential element in the movie that conveys, mostly through music and loud noises, the emotions of the characters and the mood throughout.

Spike Lee's movie Do the Right Thing is an important piece of cinematic work commenting on the issues surrounding racism, particularly in New York City in the late 1980's. The movie's use of heat is used as a metaphor for the mounting tension among the races in the neighbourhood. The use of color visually describes the emotion of the characters and of the film throughout. Sound, demonstrated largely through music, reinforces the main theme of racism and the feelings of the characters. These stylistic elements are incorporated to emphasize the racial aggression between characters and parallel the climax of the movie. Do the Right Thing is a significant film in the study of racism and racial aggression in America. It also pinpoints issues of police brutality, poverty, and alienation that were out of control during the time. Although such concerns are not as significant a problem now, they must still be addressed in our society.