Today June 30, 2019 marks the 30th
anniversary of Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing”. In my personal opinion is
Spike’s best movie out of his acclaimed filmography. Starring Spike Lee and talent who were already legends or on their to being stars in later roles, the film follows an eclectic
group of characters during the hottest day of the summer in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn.
Over the course of this sweltering day tension rises throughout the
neighborhood among the many races who live or work in the area.
I could go on and on with the plot
of the film but that's not important right now, what's important is about how the film was a product of its
time but on the same token ahead of its time. The themes of the film dealt with
racism, particularly learning to understand other cultures and their nuances,
tolerating others who don’t look like you and moving past your own prejudice.
Police brutality which has sadly dominated this decade, gentrification and “them
people” moving in causing things to change. Standing up when you've had enough and fighting the power for a real change as indicted by the films classic theme Public Enemy's "Fight The Power".
Many issues that plagued the neighborhood
in “Do The Right Thing” still plague the country today. While things really
have not changed much since the films release, there is always hope that things
will improve. One theme highlighted in the film by Radio Raheem played by the
late Bill Nunn, is the conflict between Love vs. Hate. It’s a constant struggle
but in the end love should prevail. “Do The Right Thing” is not just a film for
the culture as in the Black culture, but it is a film for the culture of the
United States. It’s a reason it was added to the National Film Registry for
Preservation in 1999 because it’s "culturally, historically, and
aesthetically significant". If you’ve never seen the movie do the right thing and check it out.
