I saw this really great movie a long time ago, but the only thing is, I can't remember the name of the guy who directed it. It was like Spank, or Spunky, or Skanky or something. Anyone know whatever happened to that guy? I mean, it was just about perfect, but the only thing was it didn't really have any distinguishing characteristics that made you think, "Wow, this could only be a 'so-and-so' movie." I mean, as good as it was, I thought the guy really needed to find his own personal style.Despite this alarmingly anonymous quality, however, I felt the movie really kicked the ass of all these other so-called "issues" movies, simply because all it did was present me with a troubling situation and didn't pretend to have any answer to it. Usually an "issues" movie tries to tell me what the problem is, and then tries to tell me how to fix it. Do The Right Thing simply dropped me in on the problem, let it explode into a million pieces, and then left me in the dust to figure out what the hell went wrong, or went right, or even went just plain unsurprisingly. The "answer" to the situation, in this case, I think, was simply to just be aware of it.
Like its oddly absent director, Do The Right Thing is sort of a social Rorschach test, as the mystery man himself has pointed out: "With 'Do the Right Thing,' the majority of white people told me Sal was the most sympathetic character, but black people didn't necessarily see Sal the same way. They saw him as a racist exploiting people in Bed-Stuy. They identified more with Mookie." Likewise, many viewers have asked our faceless auteur if Mookie does indeed "do the right thing" at the film's climactic moment, but he adds, "Not one person of color has ever asked me that question.'' So there you have it: an open slate from a blank slate director.
Ah, now I remember. Sparky McPhee. That was the guy's name.
What's an open slate?
ReplyDeleteYou know. A slate...that's open!
ReplyDeleteThe idea of Do the Right Thing has grown on me over time, however, when I watched it I'll admit I was a bit disappointed that the ending wasn't more morally conclusive. It seemed like a cop out.
ReplyDeleteWhat does it mean that "Not one person of color has ever asked [Spike Lee] that question"? It seems like an obvious question even if you feel strongly one way or the other. I mean, it's the name of the damn movie. Even if you think they are racists bastards couldn't you come to the conclusion that destroying property in your neighborhood will do more harm than good?
Of course, the comments of an artist don't necessarily devalue their work. A worthy entry.
I think you are on the right track yoggoth, but you need to delve a little deeper because there is one issue that LE mentioned that is simply not true. This is a very signature film for Spike Lee.
ReplyDeleteWhat really began with School Daze, but took full force with DTRT, Lee has consistently smacked us in the face with the destructive capabilities of black culture because that is what he knows. I believe he presents this as more of a warning than a fact of life. He continues to improve upon this subject in his later work (written , not just directed), and ultimately comes to an apex in He Got Game, and later, Bamboozled.
What the end of DTRT says for me is that nobody does the right thing. We are not capable, yet, as a society to put aside our differences and do what is right for the greater good of, in this case, the neighborhood. Even Mookie, who was the least racist of the group, the bridge between the races if you will, still succumbed to the pressures of joining his "own kind" in rebellion against those who were different.
Maybe I should clarify my comment. Spike Lee seems like a much more nuanced and intelligent guy if you look at his movie rather than some of his interviews. Of course, you could say this about many other directors too. It also goes the other way, some directors go to great lengths in interviews to make it seem like there's more to their movies than there really is- George Lucas being interviewed by Joseph Campbell comes to mind.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen a Spike Lee movie, does that make me racist??
ReplyDeleteOnly if you speak German ... hey wait a minute ...
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