Sunday 1 June 2014

May Blind Spot- Do the Right Thing

        Once again, I have ended up choosing a rather important film that talks about a lot of crucial social issues. Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing is a film about racial tension which is presented to us in a vibrant, pop-culture filled package that just explodes at the end. It's not a film that I loved but I certainly appreciated it for what it was and what it was trying to say.




        The film takes place chiefly over one really, really hot summer day in a neighbourhood in Brooklyn. The neighbourhood mostly has African-American residents with the exception of Sal's Famous Pizzeria, which is run by Sal and his two sons, who are all Italian-Americans, and a grocery store run by a Korean family. Mookie is a young man who works at Sal's and is the link between them and the neighbourhood, which is full of colourful characters from the three 'Corner Men' to an elderly drunk called Da Mayor and from the "Fight The Power"-loving Radio Raheem to a mentally-challenged man called Smiley who goes around trying to sell pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. We follow these characters around throughout the day and the simmering racial conflict between them that is heightened due to the heat, all leading to a final and brutal confrontation.



         As I wrote above, this is not a film that I loved. The biggest reason for that was because I found it to be too loud. From the way people talked to the music to the colours to the camera angles- it was occasionally jarring for me while watching it. But this is also a plus for the movie and why I appreciated it more after watching it because all of these do serve a purpose in the progression of the story. It is a very rich film of course. The myriad characters are all established slowly and completely. No one is one-dimensional and everyone is very human. There are no villains or saints in it. Even Da Mayor who more or less functions like the voice of reason is a man with flaws. Same goes for the aimless but affable Mookie who "does the right thing" at the end but that too isn't something simple. 

          It's a complicated, political movie that made me realise how sheltered my life has been so far. Don't get me wrong, India is a country full of varied cultures and traditions and people but at the same time, all of us do have a thread that binds us. I have been lucky enough to never have witnessed any serious regional or religious disputes that do take place here and even when I lived in the UAE, I was mostly around fellow Indians. Also though I am part of a minority group in India, I have never really experienced any blatant discrimination. I say all this because I had to really try to empathise with the characters and their actions in the film. I don't know how much that affected my viewing of the film but it was enough for me to mull it over a number of days.



           The acting in this film isn't its strong suit. Apart from Danny Aiello who rightly got nominated for an Oscar for his performance, none of the actors were really that great. I will say though, Samuel L. Jackson, who plays the local radio jockey called Mister Señor Love Daddy, reaffirms in this film the fact that his is one of the greatest movie voices of all time. I could listen to him all day.



          The film's cinematography was very vibrant. I especially loved the bright red wall in front of which the 'Corner Men' sat. And the shot above that almost made me laugh out loud. Music of course plays a very crucial part in the film. From the opening credits itself, where Rosie Perez dances to Public Enemy's "Fight The Power", a song that is played over and over again, to that really wonderful section when Love Daddy lists down all the great African-American musicians, it is a pervasive element in the film. Radio Raheem's "Love Vs Hate" speech was a rather unexpected movie reference that kind of caught me off-guard but I totally loved it.



         Another thing that I thought was brilliant about it is that it's basically an Aristotelian tragedy. I admit I did not think of this on my own, which is kind of terrible because I just learnt about this stuff a couple of months back. The film follows the unities of time and place in the strictest sense. The unity of action is not completely discernible, especially because two-thirds of the movie is spent trying to establish so many characters that it almost seems scattered but it all comes together at the end. As for the figure of the tragic hero, I feel it applies more to Sal than Mookie or any of the other characters though no one comes off unscathed by what transpires.



        Do the Right Thing is not one of my favourite blind spot entries so far but it is one of the more significant ones, both for its content and its bold, cinematic look. I think movies like La Haine could have never been made without it paving the way. It is also a really clever film where everything has a part to play, from a shoe to a photograph, but that's not to say that it is a film that leaves you with all the answers at the end. 



16 comments:

  1. Very well done! It's true that this film isn't groundbreaking genius, but it does a good job of capturing the tensions that arise among members of the same community, and the way that inner city violence (NY, Chicago) can be so dependent on everyone's nerves being frayed by the heat.

    I don't know how it is in India, or UAE, but in New York, everyone ends up jammed together with everyone else. We have strong ethnic presences, sure, but very few all-any religion/nationality/ethnicity neighborhoods. And when people have prejudices or their better instincts can't prevail upon them, the situation can explode.

    DtRT isn't perfect, but it's a strong and (at the time) new statement from a filmmaker with something to say (though Spike has a bad case of foot-in-mouth disease IRL). I almost kind of wonder if we're not "supposed" to like the movie, but that may be too clever for Spike Lee.

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    1. There is a lot of tension in India too but I've never experienced it as such. UAE is more ethnically diverse but people are just there to make money and go about their business :/

      Yeah I can see people loving this movie but not really liking it, if you get my drift.

      Thanks for the comment :)

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  2. I saw it this month too and I think I will also say that I bid not necessarily 'liked' it. But it made me think. On various things and I really respect it for that. What I loved the most about it is Sal's character, which can be looked at as an antagonist of this story, was probably the most developed character. Spike Lee easily could have turned him into an outright villain but he makes it better by not doing so.

    I am not biggest fan of Spike Lee. His films have tendency to be obnoxious, loud and get on my nerves very easily. But if he gets it right, he can be good. You have to love it or leave it, I guess.

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    1. With you 100% on this comment. I really liked Sal's character too and ditto on Spike Lee, though I've watched v. little of his stuff.

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  3. I wanted to comment on this review earlier, but my computer at home wont read blogspot posts for some reason. Great review. I agree with you in that it is loud. I think that was important in establishing a tone and it helps bring fourth a message. I really like your thoughts about it having Aristotelian philosophy. I've never heard of that before. Will have to research that later.

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    1. I wish I had come up with the Aristotelian concept. I read it somewhere else on the net but it works.

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  4. Yeah, though I love the film, I can understand finding it too loud and the performances lacking. Glad you finally watched this one.

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    1. I like it more now, looking back on it. I'm gad I watched it too :)

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  5. Nice review. This film is definitely all about asking the questions, but never giving you the answers. It's a risky, infuriating way to tell a story, but I do love the film. Honestly, some of the best, most engaging conversations I've had with some of my friends were ones that followed screenings of this movie. Intense shit.

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    1. Thank you!
      This film is excellent fodder for conversation. I wanted to discuss it immediately after watching it too.

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  6. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    1. I'm so sorry I accidentally deleted your comment. I *had* read it but yes, I'm a dumass.
      I know a lot of people who love this movie. It says a lot. I really admire it now.

      Thank you for commenting nonetheless!

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    2. No worries. Shit happens.

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    3. Thanks for understanding :)

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  7. This movie never ceases to amaze me and have me thinking, no matter how many times I watch it. Seriously. Nice post, Nikhat!

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    1. It definitely makes one think, for sure. Thanks!

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