Do The Right Thing, directed in 1989 by Spike Lee is a thought-provoking film with incredibly interesting character dynamics and a very poignant message about racism and racial tension in our world. This was my first time watching this film, and it certainly won’t be my last. Lee is intentional with choices surrounding his characters, the situations they are put in, and the way in which action unfolds, leading me to believe that upon a second, third, or fourth watch, I would still find details I didn’t pick up on that add even more depth to the film. 

While watching the film I was especially interested in the characters and how they were portrayed throughout the story. Specifically in this film I found that elements such as cinematography or sound would emphasize the portrayals of characters. Da Mayor stood out to me as one of the most important characters in the film due to his strong beliefs against violence and the love and wisdom he spread around the neighborhood. Da Mayor served as a father to the neighborhood, and though his love was not accepted by most and people cast him out as a drunk, I believe he had a great impact on the neighborhood. His elderly innocence was echoed by choices in sound. In two scenes with Mother Sister, the scene where he gives her flowers and the scene where she talks to him after he saved the kid, there is a soft, non-diegetic jazz score playing in the background. This music is pure and satisfying, as opposed to other more chaotic musical arrangements throughout the film. When I hear the music that plays with Da Mayor’s scenes, it just makes sense. And, it especially makes sense that this pure and almost loving music is played in scenes with Mother Sister as we see Da Mayor slowly being recognized by others and appreciated. 

Radio Raheem was also a character who reflected important choices made by the director. In this case, it was the camera placement that seemed connected to this characters’ story. Throughout the film, in all the close-up’s of Radio Raheem, the camera is canted slightly to one side or shot from slightly below. When the scene switches from a shot of Radio Raheem to a shot of the people he is talking to, the angles are typically opposite. With these choices rooted in camera placement, Radio Raheem is set apart from the other characters of the film. He is placed on the opposite side. After seeing how the film ends with Radio Raheem’s unjust and terrible murder I thought back to this choice in cinematography. These camera placements could foreshadow Radio Raheem’s death because of the distance he is placed at in retrospect to others. Through the camera, Radio Raheem is singled out, and this happens in the storyline as well. Although other characters such as Buggin Out and Smiley are fed up and want to stand up against the oppressive power structures of white America that are reflected in Sal’s Pizzeria, it is Radio Raheem who ends up dead in his fight for representation. Though Radio Raheem was never alone in this fight, he is alone on the screen and in his death. 

These two specific characters, Da Mayor and Radio Raheem felt specifically important to me. Part of the reason I think these men stuck out to me so much was because of the sound used behind Da Mayors scenes and the camera placement of Radio Raheem’s interactions. I think these intentional directorial choices highlighted characteristics of the characters, foreshadowed their endings, and made them stick out to viewers.  

Photo source: https://film-grab.com/2012/08/21/do-the-right-thing/#bwg787/48500