Under the influence of spike lees film do the right thing. Do the right things credits sequence promised a funky, colorful, sexy film with a hiphop sensibility. All agree that the burning and looting of sals pizzeria is the climax of the. Film fact do the right thing on the hottest day of the year on a street in the bedfordstuyvesant section of brooklyn, everyones hate and. Besides making its mark as one of the top 100 greatest films of all time, according to. Those that analyze the movie can get a whole other view of it as it transmits different messages about the black community and race relations. Parents need to know that spike lees do the right thing is an intense study of racism as it existed in an urban u. Spike lee wrote the script, which is only 93 pages long, for do the right thing in two weeks. With danny aiello, ossie davis, ruby dee, richard edson.
Movie trivia facts you wont believe readers digest. Do the right thing 1989 rotten tomatoes movie trailers. The movie doesnt go outside that one block, meaning a lot of the actors were there every single day. As much as i love daydrinking, i can recognize that sometimes it is not really the right thing to do. One of the most impressive feats of the movie is how powerfully you feel the heat of the summer day. Did any of the characters in do the right thing actually. Take this short and crisp quiz on do the right thing 1989 movie. On december 19, 1986, four black menmichael griffith, timothy. As the grungy, old universal logo appears, its accompanied by a saxophone solo of lift every voice and sing. Spike lee explains how do the right thing has remained. Love and hate in do the right thing introduction to film. The film do the right thing, written, directed and produced by spike lee, focuses on a single day of the lives of racially diverse people who live and work in a lower class neighborhood in brooklyn new york. How spike lees film do the right thing still resonates. Fight the power isnt the first musical cue played in do the right thing.
Contrast that with the michael jordan and jackie robinson jerseys worn by spike lees character, mookie. Static, one hand is always fighting the other hand, and the left hand is kicking much a. The title comes from the famous malcolm x quote, youve got to do the right thing. Smart, vibrant, and urgent without being didactic, do the right thing is one of spike lees most fully realized efforts and one of the most important films of the 1980s. Normally, one screenplay page is equal to one minute on the screen, so the film should be about 1 and a half hours long. The notsohidden climate messages in spike lees do the. Since its inception, do the right thing of miami, inc. Do the right thing 1989 movie trivia proprofs quiz. Movies dg this category is for questions and answers related to do the right thing, as asked by users of. Do the right thing 1989 on the hottest day of the year on a street in the bedfordstuyvesant section of brooklyn, everyones hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence.
In do the right thing, costumes consistently reinforce the characters. But do the right thing is a movie made by filmmaker working in sync with his times an exciting, disturbing, provocative film. Salvatore sal fragione danny aiello is the italian owner of a pizzeria in brooklyn. Notwithstanding, this common day happens on one of the most sizzling days of summer. His seminal, angering, unsettling, and timeless film do the right thing, about stormy and explosive race relations in the brooklyn, ny summer heat, is no exception. What did critics say about do the right thing when it. Even small, independent movies can make a huge impact. This excellent video essay by nick coleman takes us through the movie a bit to show which editing tools lee uses to tell his story, and how hes using them. Upon its release, do the right thing caused a sensation for its incendiary portrayal of race relations, including specific allusions to some. People can just watch it and enjoy the different scenes, many of which are played for comedic effect. Do the right thing works on different levels which makes it still relevant today.
A team of editors takes feedback from our visitors to keep trivia as up to date and as accurate as possible. Mookie is a 25yearold pizza delivery man living in bedfordstuyvesant, with his sister jade joie lee. The end of this movie is a shambles, and if some audiences go wild, hes partly responsible, he wrote. Do the right thing was shot on stuyvesant avenue in bedstuy over eight weeks in the summer of 1988.
The film centers on how social class, race and the moral. Sean connery wore a toupee in every james bond movie if you think the dreamy 007 seemed too good to be true, youre right. On a weekend where record temperatures were being recorded in new york city, and elsewhere in the u. However, this ordinary day takes place on one of the hottest days of the summer.
What is the meaning of the ending of do the right thing. On the hottest day of the year on a street in the bedfordstuyvesant section of brooklyn, everyones hate and bigotry smolders and builds until it explodes into violence. Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Give each group one of the following situations to role play. Do the right thing offers an ambiguous and unsatisfying conclusion that directs viewers to consider the unchanging state of racism in contemporary america. Lee first got the idea for the film after watching the alfred hitchcock presents episode shopping for. A yearning for closure explains some critics oppositional readings of the ending of do the right thing. There are many angry racial confrontations using provocative, coarse language and highlycharged racial taunts, including constant use of nr. That one block got renamed do the right thing way, the only street in the history of new york city named after a movie. Do the right thing was inspired by a reallife incident that happened in 1986. Spike lees film, do the right thing, is a chilling morality tale of police brutality, telling the story of a deadly choke hold by police, sparking a race riot.
Last weekend was the twentyfifth anniversary of the release of spike lees 1989 brooklyn masterpiece, do the right thing. In each role play half the group wants to do the wrong thing and the other half wants to do the right thing. When do the right thing debuted in may 1989 at the cannes international film festival, lee was dressed in a malcolm x tshirt emblazoned with the slogan no sellout. In may of 1989 i walked out of the screening at the cannes film festival with tears in my eyes. So, in recognition of the 30th anniversary of do the right thing. Five adjectives or phrases to describe the sense of the city portrayed in the film.
The film was released in 1989 and was set to be around that same time in bedfordstuyvesant, brooklyn, ny. The film was inspired by actual events that took place in howard beach, new york. Do the right thing 1989 as he contemplated making his third feature film in as many years, new yorkbased writerdirector spike lee had the title first, while a string of highprofile police cases involving black suspects or. The film do the right thing lee, 1989 presents a day in the life of the inhabitants of a neighborhood in brooklyn, new york in 1989. Spike lee would later thank her for it in a 2019 episode of the podcast unspooled. Spike lees do the right thing is, 25 years after its initial release, universally accepted as many things. Buggin out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but sal disagrees. Some find it too militant, others find it the work of a middleclass. The racially charged atmosphere of the town is evident from the start of the plot, with tensions rapidly increasing as disputes between different racial groups emerge. She later decided she didnt mind, and appeared nude again in other movies. The first family even streamed a video message to the party, noting that do the right thing was the movie barack and michelle saw. This means that the film has about 30 minutes of improvised scenes.
I have been given only a few filmgoing experiences in my life to equal the first time i saw do the right thing. But there is one film missing from this list, that deserves to be on it, because ironically, it might tell the biggest truth of all, and thats do the right thing 1989. Spike lees film do the right thing turns 30 this year. Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing do the right thing near you. According to online film resource they shoot pictures, dont they. Spike lees do the right thing is the most controversial film of the year, and it only opens today. A neighborhood local, buggin out giancarlo esposito, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzerias wall of fame exhibits only italian actors. Each half tries to give strong reasons for their side. Lee, dickerson, production designer wynn thomas, and their crew worked hard to create a vibrant. The movie do the right thing, composed, coordinated and created by spike lee, concentrates on a solitary day of the lives of racially differing individuals who live and work in a lowerclass neighborhood in brooklyn new york. Do the right thing is rated r and contains nudity, strong.
702 1467 260 934 792 339 1188 961 1433 744 1049 250 138 34 1503 1116 409 967 1294 1487 547 699 391 1331 936 269 1363 441 812 273 968 835 392 1523 1254 1513 1488 81 439 103 348 1187 454 985 6 983 503