...That is, every character in Spike Lee's masterwork Do The Right Thing - one of American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Films of All Time. Throwback Sundays this week remembers...Do The Right Thing.
James Berardinelli at ReelViews wrote:
"With the tenacity of a bulldog, Spike Lee ruthlessly and sometimes recklessly defies mainstream expectations and courts controversy with every film he releases. Some find Lee to be a fresh and powerful voice in American cinema – a man who is unafraid to profess his viewpoint even though it may be unpopular with white audiences. Others view him as a divisive pedagogue whose movies preach potentially incendiary messages. Whichever perspective an individual has (or whether they fall in between), it is impossible to debate that, over the past a decade and a half, Lee has left an indelible imprint upon independent motion pictures made in the United States.
Do the Right Thing was Lee's third motion picture (following She's Gotta Have It and School Daze), but this was the movie that put him on the proverbial map. Never before or since, not even with the epic Malcolm X, has he courted controversy so aggressively. The movie confronts racism head-on, with the kind of clear-eyed and unflinching attitude that is rarely seen in major motion pictures. Lee does not pander to political correctness, nor does he sermonize. He introduces a group of characters, sets up the situation, then allows events to play out. His approach is even-handed, and those who accuse the movie of being discordant have not bothered to spend time considering what Lee is truly saying. Lee may be the kind of director who provokes knee-jerk reactions, but such a limited response to Do the Right Thing does a disservice to both the filmmaker and his product. "
Read the Rest of the Piece HERE:
Here is the Trailer:
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