Many times, I
tend to regard Spike Lee as I do Woody
Allen...immensely talented, but unwilling to get
out of the way enough to allow the film to
achieve greatness. Each director has had, in my
opinion, one shining example of great
filmmaking. For Woody Allen, the film was "Annie
Hall." For Spike Lee, the film is "Do the Right
Thing."
"Do the Right Thing" looks at the hottest day in
New York in one neighborhood (Bedford Stuy) and
the relationships and behaviors of its
residents. We have Lee himself as a pizza boy,
Ossie Davis as a neighborhood drunk and Danny
Aiello as the pizza store owner among many other
characters. These characters have deep
resentments, hatred and bigotry that, in this
film, explode into violence.
The film is honest, realistic and wonderfully
written and directed by Lee. In other words,
even though he is in the cast Lee managed to get
out of the way of this film and allow the
characters to tell the story...and it's a
powerful story.
In fact, Spike Lee received an Oscar nomination
for his screenplay here...this film was way too
controversial in 1989 to get a win...but,
personally, I'd have chosen it. Danny Aiello
received an Oscar nomination for his performance
as the pizza shop owner...this is, perhaps,
Aiello's shining moment on film. A long
recognized character actor of great quality,
Aiello has found in this pizza shop owner the
perfect character to play. It's a powerful,
authentic performance.
Both Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee received NAACP
Image Awards, and this is one of the few times I
agree with the Image Awards...too often, they
tend to recognize stereotypes and "popular"
African-American performances regardless of
quality. This win was right on the money.
I also give kudos to Ernest Dickerson's
cinematography...he beautifully captures the
"neighborhood," the tensions and the individual
qualities of the characters.
The power of this film, for me, lies in its
lasting impact. In 1999, it was inducted into
the National Film Registry and it continues to
be a film that creates talk and debate 15 years
after its production. It is powerful,
insightful, confrontational and Spike Lee at his
best.
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
I've never
quite grasped the grandeur of this film.
Roger Ebert, along with many other esteemed
critics, has hailed this film as one of the best
of the past 25 years. I can't fathom why.
It is smart and involving, passionate and
intense... but never really reaches the levels
of profundity required to become a masterpiece.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
