Do the Right Thing

Streaming: Prime Video/Showtime
Warnings:
Explicit Language
Violence
Racism
Sex
Nudity
Rating: R

Do the Right Thing is a comedy-drama set in 1989, that explores Brooklyn’s neighborhoods while highlighting racial tension which escalates in tragedy and violence. Do the Right Thing was produced, written and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Martin Lawrence and Samuel L. Jackson. This is the feature film debut of Martin Lawrence and Rosie Perez. Do the Right Thing was a success critically and commercially and received numerous accolades. This film is often listed as one of the greatest films of all time. In 1999 the Library of Congress deemed Do the Right Thing as, “culturally, historically and aesthetically significant,” when it was eligible, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Do the Right Thing was nominated for the Academy Awards, Best Supporting Actor for Danny Aiello, and Best Original Screenplay for Spike Lee. The film won Best Director, Best Film and Best Music from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. It also won Best Cinematography from the New York Film Critics Circle. Do the Right Thing was nominated and won numerous other words, there are too many to name. Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert ranked the film the best of 1989 and later ranked it as one of the top 10 films of the decade. Siskel stated the film is like a, “Spiritual documentary that shows racial joy, hatred and confusion at every turn.” Ebert praised the film for “coming close to reflecting the current state of race relations in America than any other movie of our time.” Do the Right Thing uses innovative camerawork, iconic acting, and genuine dialogue to portray different cultures of this Brooklyn neighborhood. This film is as relevant as it has ever been and certainly exposes how much the negligence from the police force, as well as racism hasn’t changed.

            The script is filled with casual dialogue and uses different perspectives from the neighborhood to tell the story. Spike Lee wrote the screenplay in two weeks. Parts of the conversations between characters were improvised, specifically the scenes of the “corner men”. He was inspired for the film after watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode, “Shopping for Death,” in which the main characters debate a theory that hot weather increases violent proclivities. He was also inspired by the shooting of Eleanor Bumpurs who is an elderly, disabled African American woman who was shot by the New York Police after they broke into her house and struggled to subdue her. An officer fatally shot her with a 12-guage shotgun. There was another incident that inspired the storyline, there were young Black youth who were chased out of a pizzeria by some white youth in Howard Beach, New York City. All of these inspirations allowed Spike Lee to create a film that is not only truthful, but also a genuine image of what America is actually like.

            The acting in the film is beyond phenomenal, many of the roles were played by young actors who are now known as “the greats”. Four of the cast members were stand-up comedians which added to the comedic charm throughout the film, they are Martin Lawrence, Steve Park, Steve White and Robin Harris. Rosie Perez was cast as the main character Mookie’s (played by Spike Lee) love interest after he saw her dancing at a Los Angeles dance club. This was the feature film debut for Rosie Perez. Danny Aiello won Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Sal from the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics, the Chicago Film Critics Association, and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. One person to note specifically in this film is Giancarlo Esposito who played Buggin’ Out, his character is prevalent throughout the film and he is part of the reason the story escalated the way it did. His character is relatable, comedic and complex. Spike Lee did a wonderful job creating these characters because they are so relative to actual people, and they are all complex in their own way. The actors truly brought these characters to life in way that is unexpected and sincere.

            The cinematography is one of the most interesting elements of the film. Ernest Dickerson known for The Wire, The Walking Dead, Jungle Fever, Mo’ Better Blues, and Malcolm X (1992), uses the camera to act like a fly on the wall throughout the neighborhood. The camera follows characters as they interreact and portrays certain characters as powerful in the moment and other characters as small. For example, there is one scene where two characters are arguing and one character who is clearly in the wrong is filmed from above, the character who is being wronged is filmed from below, this creates a dynamic of power and a lack of power. In addition to the carefully chosen camera angles, Lee and Dickerson used the camera to break the third wall, the characters talk directly to the camera and even yell at the camera at times, this makes the audience feel as if they are included in the film. This is an iconic artistic choice that has been referenced in many films since this film. Lastly, there is a shot in the film where the camera is following Mookie (Spike Lee) as he walks through the neighborhood, the camera carefully showcases the neighborhood as well as the different characters in it, this is an interesting choice that allows the audience to understand the dynamic of the community. Do the Right Thing is beautifully shot and created a new approach of filming characters in an honest way.

            Do the Right Thing is probably one of the best films you will ever see, personally I believe it is Spike Lee’s greatest film. Do the Right Thing is still relevant today, especially when considering the political climate joined with police brutality in the United States. This film comments on the issues that affect different cultures in this specific neighborhood however, it is relative to the United States as a whole. If you wish to enjoy a dramatic comedy that is truthful, and also uses the F-word approximately 240 times, Do the Right Thing is the film for you.

I Am Not Your Negro

Streaming: Netflix (With Subscription)

Warnings:
Extreme Violence
Racism
Sexual Abuse
Graphic Imagery
Explicit Language
Rating: PG-13

            I Am Not Your Negro is a 2016 documentary film directed by Raoul Peck, written by James Baldwin and Raoul Peck and edited by Alexandra Strauss. I Am Not Your Negro is a powerful criticism of America’s failure to rectify its shameful past of racial inequality. The film is narrated by Samuel L. Jackson and its inspired by James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Remember This House which is a collection of notes from the mid-1970s written by Baldwin. The unfinished memoir recounts the lives of Baldwin’s close friends and civil rights leaders: Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers. The film was very successful, it was nominated for numerous awards nationally and internationally and won over a dozen awards. This includes Best Documentary (numerous festivals), the Audience Choice Award for the Best Documentary Feature from the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival, and the People’s Choice Award for the 41st Toronto International Film Festival. I Am Not Your Negro is one of the most heart-breaking documentary films created, it examines all areas of where America has continued to fail to repair the damage from racial inequality that this country was built on. The film follows James Baldwin’s writings like he is recounting the events himself. It is a remarkable nod to his powerful words that perfectly analyzes America in the way it should be evaluated. This film breaks down the facade that white America has portrayed for decades. The archival footage and the editing of this film pay homage to Baldwin’s words and honor what he as an author wanted to convey. This film is not easy to watch by any means, but it is important to see for the educational aspect for specifically non-Black individuals, as well as the historical aspect which explores different comparisons that haven’t been examined in the past.

            Samuel L. Jackson does a superb job narrating this film and making it feel as if we are hearing Baldwin’s words from himself. Even though the film is a documentary, the storyline is carried like a novel, it feels as if the audience is being told a story. The appalling content in this film breaks down America’s shame in such a way that hasn’t been seen before. It creates a narrative that exposes how misrepresentation in media has added to racial inequality. For example, the film discusses how white America is portrayed in the media and how Black Americans have been portrayed. This might be the only exposure to Black Americans that white Americans see which then causes a collective misrepresentation that continues to harm the Black community. Along with deliberate action to continue racial inequality upheld by the government, extreme violence from police towards Black Americans and continued misrepresentation of Black Americans in the media, collectively this only upholds America’s shame and allows it to continue for decades. The film does a wonderful job explaining these topics in such a way that makes the audience reconsider the media they have consumed as well as their own past experiences. The introspective aspect of this film comes from James Baldwin’s own words, throughout the film he is contemplative, analytical and incredibly poignant.

            The archival footage added to the narrative approach of this documentary. The content of the archival footage is not only shocking but also painful to watch. At one point in the film editor Alexandra Strauss juxtaposes politicians apologizing over archival footage which furthered the disappointing reality that the government hasn’t done enough to rectify racial inequality in the United States, nor does it care to. Another interesting part of the film highlights reality TV and game shows, the film is commenting on how this is what America wants the world to see when they think about America, but in reality, this image disregards an important part of how America was built and how many lives generationally have been affected by slavery and racial inequality. This misrepresentation furthers the notion that even today some white Americans believe to be true, specifically that there is no racial inequality or such things as white privilege. This lack of understanding further divides America and the film approaches this issue in a thought-provoking way.
            The editing in this film allowed the archival footage to speak volumes, American media today is so saturated with violence that at this point people expect it. In result of social media and instant news notifications, certain non-Black people have begun to turn a blind eye to violence that has been happening for decades. The editing for this documentary approached portraying violence in a different way, it wasn’t for shock value by any means, it validates the words of James Baldwin by exposing the truth behind America’s shameful facade. Throughout the film, Strauss would show white media which portrayed over joyous white people without a care in the world, then she would show images of police brutality and things depicting racial inequality. This comparison added to James Baldwin’s analysis of America and forces the audience to see the discrepancies in media representation and actual people. Along with the horrifying archival footage and informative comparisons, the editing of this film follows the impact that Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X and Medgar Evers had on the United States as well as their friendships with Baldwin. This is an interesting part of history that hasn’t really been followed in this manner before and it is a driving narrative within the documentary. Baldwin discusses the impact of their friendships as well as their deaths and how much trauma the Black community endured when losing these three iconic figures of the civil rights movement. History like this is important to understand, especially for non-Black people because the media and Hollywood for so long has misrepresented the Black community only furthering their pain and trauma. This documentary is imperative to watch when understanding the history of the United States and the history of the civil rights movement.

I Am Not Your Negro is a one-of-a-kind documentary that shows history for what it is without embellishment or distortion. This film is a painful part of the tragic and shameful history of the United States that examines what it’s like to be Black in America. However not only does it show what Black Americans have to deal with on a daily basis, it also shows how misguided white Americans have been by their own piers for so long. This lack of understanding and lack of civil rights education is what is continuing racial inequality in the United States along with a government that is enabling it. People often say, racism is taught and that is certainly true, but it is also enabled and that is something that needs to change.

“People cling to their hates so stubbornly because they sense once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” – James Baldwin