Image from: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/05/24/arts/25cell650.4.jpg
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this film. I knew a little about Spike Lee as a director, but I really did not know what was in store for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Do The Right Thing kept my attention from the beginning. I really enjoyed the entire film. The characters were funny and unique. Each character had a distinct personality which really made the movie unique as well.
My only criticism of the film was the violent ending. I was not expecting that specific ending at all and it really caught me off guard. The fact that I was left feeling like nothing had been resolved and that we were being told “such is life” and that violent uproars like the one at Sal’s Pizzeria are expected and in a sense ‘ignored’, made me a bit disappointed. I wanted more from the movie to feel better about what had happened, to feel reassured that friendships would be re-established, or that maybe they really hadn’t killed Radio Raheem.
Even so, possibly this lack of a concrete ending was the purpose. It left me feeling as if things needed to be reconciled. Maybe the reason things were not reconciled or explained was so that the viewer could simply imagine for themselves what would happen or what the next day would be like.
In all, I loved the style of this film. The bright colors, the frequent use of a diagonal camera angle really made this film distinct. Even though I was frustrated with the ending, I still feel as if this film was great and definitely worth watching again.
1 comment:
I think you're on to something. My favorite Spike Lee movies end like this--with a nearly complete lack of resolution. I think it's because he often picks conflicts that, themselves, are far from resolved in our society, so it would almost be a disservice if he resolved them in his movies. In other words, if he had ended the movie in a way that made everyone feel good about the outcome, then it's much more possible to walk away and eat your dinner and not give another thought to the very real problems of urban blight, racial conflict, police brutality, etc. As it is, maybe we do spend a little more time pondering these questions, since the movie doesn't answer them all for us.
Actually, that's my biggest disappointment about the Spike Lee flick in the theaters right now: The Miracle of St. Anna. The ending is the ultimate in Hollywood super-resolved endings. Not a Spike Lee ending AT ALL.
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