UM Do the Right Thing Discussion

-The paper should be the minimum of 1,300 words in MLA format.
-Discuss its narrative structure with reference to the the Classical Hollywood Narrative

Below is a discussion post I did on the subject already so feel free to use some points and sentences from it

“For this week’s discussion, I decided to watch Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing film. I’ve watch a couple of Spike Lee’s productions, but this film was a first. The film takes place in predominantly African-American neighborhood in Brooklyn New York. I believe Spike Lee wanted to shine light on the social and racial disparities in the community that affected the African American culture daily. Within the neighborhood was a small pizzeria ran by three male whites who were racist and had no problem displaying such hatred. They operated a restaurant which majority of their business were from black individuals yet they still treated them badly. The restaurant was a key plot in this production.

After reading this weeks assignment, I thought I had a pretty good understanding of the difference elements of mise-en-scene but I was taken for a loop after watching the film. It was so many different details from the costumes, background props and setting that it was almost overwhelming because you’re noticing hundred things at one time. It was difficult to focus on only one aspect because each shit displayed something different. For the sake of not writing a long dissertation, I’m going to focus solely on the costumes of the characters.

Majority of the plot takes place outside in the sweltering heat therefore the costumes coincided with the weather. Many characters were seen with their shirts saturated with sweat. The shirts were wet around the neck and the men had their shirts unbuttoned to expose their chest for ventilation. The women had in crop tops and daisy duke shorts. One character Da Mayor was the neighbor drunk and his clothes were dirty, unkept and of a baggy nature. Moreover, Mookie’s clothing was a bit more stylish and clean. It reflected him as a young man that had a job and cared about his appearance.

Radio Raheem costumes was very symbolic to the overall motive of the film in my opinion. The shirt he wore had Bed-Stuy written across the front which showed his pride for his neighborhood. Even though the community was poverty stricken, it was still a sense of pride and honor. In addition, Radio Raheem wore two brass knuckles with the words love and hate. He expressed to Mookie that it’s a constant battle between both entities but in the end love always win. Lastly, apart of his costume was a big boom box that he carried everywhere. The significance of the boom box was the song Fight the power sounded each time the boom box was seen. The song was the anthem of the film because it was a consistent reminder of racial discrimination and a motivation to keep fighting for justice. “