Spike Lee films a one-day story in Brooklyn, a black metropolis. What interesting is that it is not a story about gangs, drugs, but an ordinary story about neighborhood and daily life, although it ends with a unordinary riot and looting. We all know a good story should have contradiction even confrontation. In this story it is not a confrontation as we imagine between black and whites, but black and immigrants, no matter the Italian, or the Korean, who are actually the minority in this community or in the American. Another interesting thing is that a number of scenes in the film are linked with real incidents and issues happened before, eg, the place Pizzaria, the mayoral campaign, etc. Scholars tend to interpret this as expression of Spike Lee’s political view.
In terms of the race issue, It is very interesting that Spike Lee hold a neutral position. on the one hand, he portrays a discrimination image against black Americans, eg, in the beginning of the film, the worker can not repair the air conditioner in the Sal’s pizzeria unless accompanied by policeman, and Sal’s son Pino, although he’s idol are all blacks, he also feels priority on the blacks and discriminate against blacks, and the policeman’s attitude towards blacks. It is real in the society. One the other hand, he portrays a negative black image. For instance, the 3 black men sitting in the corner, Radio Raheem, Mookie’s friend. They have sth in common, that are no jobs, sensitive about the racial issue, hating people who are richer than them but not black, using violence to relieve their unsatisfactory about life. It is also real, and will not be covered purposely because of the director himself is a black man.
The name of the film is do the right thing, but what is the right thing? For the black, is it the right thing to drive out other race and ethnicity to make sure the purity of the community, in other words, to find a safe and comfortable living environment by keep segregation. Or is it the right thing to achieve the target through violence or non violence? For the others, is it the right thing to keep the stereotype on black people? There is no answer given in the film, Spike Lee seems put everything on the table, but give no clues to solve the problem. Actually it is difficult to give any answer. It seems that Spike Lee gives one solution that is to elect a new mayor to do the right thing, which is implicated at the end by saying the election is near, and encourage people to vote for people like Le Mayor, but Le Mayor in the film can not help solve the problem as well as the mayor in the reality.
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