Do The Right Thing Flashcards
What political party was in power of the time of the release?
Republican Party under the George Bush Snr.
What effects of the Republican Party have on the people?
“Roll back period” described as. This is because political & social conservatism. Attack on welfare programmes & rise of traditional values. Also it created a divide within the whites and minorities as the party played on white fear to get elected. Creating and presenting damaging stereotypes.
Who was Koch?
The mayor of New York City.
Why was there a wall of graffiti saying “Dump Koch”?
K = Stifle black culture. He was anti - graffiti & to stop it he put wire fencing & dogs.
Lee called D’mayor in order to challenge & mock Koch.
What does the graffiti Tawana told the truth referencing too?
“Tawana told the truth” = Tawana Brawley rape in 1987. = group of white men abducted her & sexually abused her for 4 days. Then returned her in a bin bag. Didn’t go to trail and no one was prosecuted.
When was Do The Right Thing released?
Summer of 1989
Why is Do The Right Thing an important text in African - American cinema?
‘New black film wave’ ➕ director Spike Lee
Issues dealt with racism, inter-communal conflict, gentrification, poverty ➕ police brutality.
Still = relevance (society)
Who was Willie Horton and why did he become so important to the presidential campaign of 1988?
WH - jailed without possibility of parole (Armed robbery ➕ stabbed teenage 19 times + dumping him in the bin)
Life sentence received 10 weekend passes from prison “furlough”.
On pass - kidnapped a man and raped his girlfriend.
Exposes the bad practices
Effects of the Willie Horton ad?
Michael Dukakis 1988 - presidential run.
Minorities crowded prisons - increased racism in Republican Party.(fear through stereotypes.
What did the Republican Party present to American with the Willie Horton ad?
George W Bush against Michael Dukakis
Racist stereotypes still upheld
Fear mongering
“Dukakis not only opposes the death penalty, he allowed first degree murders to have weekend Passes from prison” - Narrator
People were outraged that the only man who looked up at the camera was a black man.
In NYC in 1989 who was Koch and why are we being asked to dump Koch?
“Dump Koch” - Lee’s hopes - outcome of Mayor elections
What immediate political change was Lee hoping to achieve through the film? Koch
Dislike Koch
Y = ❎ black culture - k = anti-graffiti ➕against black culture.
Koch introduced barbed wire ➕ armed police dogs by railways. Use to stop people by trains a black man died at the hands of one the coppers.
The use of the graffiti “Tawana told the truth” referred to throughout the film what message was Lee trying to convey?
1987 “Tawana told the truth” - taken ➕ abused = 4 days. By a group of white men. Then returned home in a bin bag. Grand jury found evidence against her claim, but no justice served.
A nod to the problems in the justice system
Howard beach
why do you think Lee added that in?
Howard Beach - inspiration for set of film.
“Howard Beach = 🇮🇹 neighbourhood. 2 black people were beaten to death with a baseball bat.
Shedding light on crimes on minority communities aren’t being persecuted properly. ➕ underling race issues that are still prevalent.
Mookie is seen wearing a jackie Robinson ‘42’ baseball shirt. What is the significance of this player to the context of the film and the character Mookie?
Jackie Robinson = 1st AA in Baseball
‘42’ ⬆️
Jackie Robinson day 15th April 2004 - every player = wear ‘42’
R= non-violent, influences culture ➕ civil rights movements.
1st black television analytic
1st president of major of corporations
1960’s helped establish freedom nation bank in Hareem New York
What are the ideologies ➕ themes presented?
Malcom X violence = defence Martin Luther King = non-violent protest
Awareness on rascial issues AA Y ✖ justice
Presenting stereotypes ➕ debunking them
🗣 = minorities challenge views
1989 racially ➗
Explain the piano scene ?
Difficult to wait
Aggressive
Zoomed onto close ups breaks the fourth wall. Each character makes a racist. Illustrates the underlying racist sentiments brought to the surface
The final conflict after Radio Reeham is chocked by the police officer, how does Mookie present his alignment with Malcolm X?
Mookie picks up the bin ➕ throws it through ~ 🍕 window “Howard Beach’’ ‘‘To fight the power”’- Radio Reeham’s 🎵.
Neutral - 🎥 end MX
How does Malcolm X Do the Right Thing and Martin Luther King come through in the film?
All different ways of protesting.
Da Mayor ‘says to him you know what Malcolm X said do the right thing’
What title does Spike Lee have?
Auteur
Writer, producers, director
List the cast?
Sal Da Mayor Mother Sister Vito Buggin' Out Mookie Radio Raheem Pino ML Coconut Sid Sweet Dick Willie Jade Officer Ponte Officer Long Clifton Tina Smiley Hector Kim Mister Senor Love Daddy
Where is the film set?
What is the period of time?
Black neighbourhood in Brooklyn New York
Hottest day of the year
Discuss the opening montage of Do The Right Thing?
Rosie Perez dancing to fight the power Red light flashing Blue leotard - end blue light Red boxing gloves Aggressive facial expressions Plane landing non- diegetic sound
What does Radio Loves dialogue “wake up wake up up you wake up you wake” convey to the active spectators in the opening sequence?
Agenda right away
Post modern in approach
What does the short tracking sequence of Sal gives D’ Mayor money to sweep out front even though he asks Pino and Pino gives the broom to Vitto then they start arguing?
Run down area rubbish everywhere
Disrespect to’D’Mayor seen as a nuance
How does Dutch/canted angles present the world?
Uncertainty, world off kilter
How does low key editing present Rosie Perez’s character, sequence of Mookie briefly visiting his son?
Single mum
Abandoned
Presents the stereotype of an absent father
What does the tracking sequence of Buggin out saying to put brothers on the wall backed up by Radio Reeham and Smiley in the background and Sal saying when you have your place then you can put your brothers on the wall?
Implying lack of diversity in the industry (Film/Hollywood)
Although its Sals place and has his own Italian American Hollywood stars up there is opens the ?
Implies Hollywood is white mans world
What is the significance of the low angled shot with D’Mayor when he breaks the fourth and says to Mookie the Malcolm X quote “Do the Right Thing!”?
Foreshadows Mookies stance when Radio Reeham is killed by the coppers. Implies Spike Lee’s personal self that self defence is right.
Shows the spilt of characters but it also questions were that mentality gets you as D = 🍺
What does the left framed sequence of Vito with his hands on his hips wearing a blue top white shorts and watch as well as Mookie wearing a Robinson 42 Jersey telling Vito to hit his brother?
Foreshadows the bin being thrown
Cultural self Robinson 42 first AA baseball player
FM 108 We Love in the background = Ironic to the dialogue implying 💜 answer
What does the shot reverse shot sequence of the Latino group and Radio Reehams sound off illustrate?
Latino radio close up Pan down up and around RR Latino = 🎵🎵 RR = louder Latino ⬇ Y fight the power significance Pan around all same ⛵
Tracking long shot sequence of Buggin out your Jordans are fucked up?
- Cultural self - Vito ➕ Mookie “Best pitch in the game Dwight Good. I knew you were going to bring that up,who’s better you know who’s better Rodger Clemens”
- Buggin comes in yellows ➕ African style clothes refuses to shake Vito’s hand.
- White man wearing a Celtic Jersey bumps into BO on the LEFT
- Eyeline shot BO Right show is skuffed zoomed in
- Low angle BO 😡
- Lation music - multi-cultural
- Full frame WM alone apologetic BO surrounded
- Close up low angle filled BO
- “Gentrification” BO “Free country a man can leave wherever he wants” WM
- BO egged on close WM nervous- wm walks away
- BO youre lucky im not a racist black man
- Low angle WM
- Bo why don’t you move back to Massachusetts? I was born in Brooklyn
What does the Jazz music playing non-diegetically in the background, as they are sat infront of red wall and the coppers starring at them in the drive by bit, they both say “what a waste” (Pan across)?
Jazz music birthed out of blues, folk and ragtime. "Americans original art forms" Stylised talk 3 AA men = jazz improvised Wasted potential Red wall heat tensions
What does the low angle of D’Mayor saying he’s unable to feed his 5 children, high angle with the people of the neighbourhood saying he doesn’t care you get yourself in this mess?
Disconnected community
No job
Mookie, his sister and Sals family are the only ones that work
Contradict themselves
What does the wide frame shot reverse shot of Mookie talking to Pino, being hypocritical about black people?
Pino talks about Prince ➕ other Greats.➕ he says “they are black, well they’re more than black”
Mix of __ racism ➕outward racism.
It shows the notion that underlined racism still acquires ➕
What does the racist rant portray about the community and society as a whole?
Breaking the fourth wall
Portrays people looking for people to blame in the wrong places
Communities = but ➗ 💭 Radio Reeham 💜 ➕😡
Tracking shot shifts to POV to breaking the 4 wall “the tale of good + 😈” “Hate it was with this hand Kane iced his brother, 💜 these 5 they go straight to the soul of the man” the 📚 of life is this static the one hand is always fighting the other hand… it looks like the right hand love is finished but hold on stop the pressure the right hand is coming back yeah he’s got the left hand on the ropes now… ohh there’s a devastating … ohh ohh left hand hate KO’d by love shift to pan back first position beside Mookie RR “if I 💜 you, I 💜 but if I hate you” there it is love and hate analyse?
First time RR is seen without a dutch angle or extreme close up which makes him physically opposing
Centre frame medium head shot =
Scene taken from another well known film
Explain the low angled shot of Radio Reehams death?
His legs kicking visually like a lynching
The community members list of victims of police brutality
Community reunite under violence + next day nothing changes shows that 💜 = answe
