In "Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing," Marilyn Fabe argues that Spike Lee adopts film theorist and director Sergei Eisenstein's dialectical montage - the juxtaposition of contrasting shots in order to bring the viewer to a new level of consciousness. Referring to Fabe's essay, describe two ways Lee creates dialectical conflict on the level of form, and two examples on the level of content. According to Fabe, what does Lee seek to achieve through his use of dialectical montage?
Two examples of dialectical conflict on the level of form in Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, include the opening scenes, as well as the overall artistic style.
ReplyDeleteIn the opening scene Rosie Perez is shown dancing. Her gingerly, female body twists and turns while she gracefully dances, but what it is unsettling is the thunderous and quite violent song "Fight the Power," plays over her dancing. This contrasts with the beauty of her dance and the grit of the obvious call to arms of the music.
The art style is also quite dialectical. Lee chose to shoot in a real ghetto, Beford-Stuy. Before the crew came in, the area was completely strewn with garbage, violence and prostitution. Lee brought in designers who cleaned the place up and painted it "candy colors" for the film. This in itself is a conflict: hard suppressed ghetto life wrapped in a warm candy shell.
Lee also reaches a dialectical level via content as well.
Mookie is shown throughout the film as a general "friend" of Sal, the pizzeria owner. Mookie stands as a middle man throughout the film, attempting to prevent any massive flares of racial violence, but at the end Mookie seemingly betrays Sal by igniting the spark which eventually destroys Sal's Pizzeria.
Another contrast appears within Radio Raheem's character. He is often shown as a figure to protect blacks and speak out against racial attitudes as he blares "Fight the Power" from his boom box. The viewer wouldn’t expect him to be overtly racist to any one culture. But there is a scene in which Raheem insults two Korean store owners with a flurry of racial assaults.
Through the dialectical montage Lee attempts to create images which contrast within the human mind, creating a result that entertains as well as deeply affects its viewer
Ben Gorder
According to Fabe, Spike Lee's use of formal contrasts include juxtaposing long shots with close-ups, using jumps cuts, and setting up color contrasts from shot to shot (soft red vs. warm blue) to create optical jolts. These formal techniques are used in conjunction with content related to image, such as juxtaposing male voices with female boy movements (the harsh rap song playing in the background of a sensual female dance number), and by crafting the female dance sequence itself as a visual mixture of the sensual and the aggressive (boxing gloves). Both of these techniques - the formal-based, and the content-based - employed here in the opening sequence (and maintained throughout the film) are, according to Febe, meant to prepare the audience mentally for "a film structured by a crash of opposites" that will, in the manner of Eisenstein's dialectical method (where thesis and antithesis combine to form a synthesis) "move its audience beyond ossified ways of thinking about racial relations in America." (CR 196)
ReplyDeleteLee uses other formal techniques as well to set up conflict in both the scenes and in the mind of the audience, by creating spatial distortion through camera angle, along with optical distortion through the use of extreme wide-angle lenses. Fabe's primary example is Lee's use of these camera techniques to increase the sense of menace in the facial shots of the character Radio Reheem, who comes to look both larger than life and somewhat disturing, simply through the intentional distortion of his image on film.
A final example of content contrast is evident in the formation of the film's characters. Sal, according to Fabe's observation, is, as any careful observer will notice, a mixture of conflictiong traits, being both affectionate and exploitative, tolerant and racist, a nurturer and a destroyer (the radio).
Cherie Pigeon,
Kate B 9:00 class
Throughout Fabes essay she talks about Spike Lee's movie Do the right thing, she disects the movie in the ways of dialect. “ Spike Lee’s method was the same as Eisensteins, to confront the viewer with a constant stream of conflicting images and viewpoints.” By doing this, Lee plays devils advocate and pulls strings of the audience through the whole movie.
ReplyDeleteIn dialectical form, Lee starts out the movie with a shock. Instead of the intense beginning, he starts out with a girl dancing in somewhat musical form. She dances to the public enemy fight song “ Fight The Power” giving the audience the impression she is going against the grain of what the film is fighting about. Well, to find out later, she is the main charachters girlfriend and Lee puts her in the beggining to show the “ pure symbol of the creative and destructive energy of black youth.” Also foreshadowing what happens later with the content of the story. Another example of form of jusxtaposing is the fact that Lee uses jump cuts and the use of colored filters. A red filter gives off the impression that what she is doing is synical and connoting heat and blood. Using the red it also illuminates the background then adding blue sequences after the shot gives it a cool tone.At times lee mixes reds and blues making a contrast of tones within the same shot.
In the content of the script, Lee makes the same contrasts. The script has several points where the audience is wondering how the or which way it is going to turn. Plot tensions are heightened by techniques and self conciously expressionisitc effects. The greatest aspect of Lee’s work is the fact he uses realism. Like Eisenstein, Lee believed that “realism is not the as emotionally expressive as when the artist departs from reality.” With this in mind, Lee decides to add camera angles to add dramatic effect. Low angles, high angles and by using the camera sideways it adds a humorous effect to the film. According to Fabe, Lee sees to achieve a political film which intended to justify the use of violence with humor as a twist relating to the audience.
Allison McMahon
Kate B Section 801
In the beginning of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, he shows many of shots of juxtaposition and Dialectical form in the first scene and while the girl is dancing. Lee uses many different shots to convey the aura of the environment and the more importantly the plot of the story. As the girl dances the song "Fight the Power" plays over the eccentric dance giving off a feeling of hostility. but her movements sometimes aren't parallel with the ideas in the song. Lee is trying to get to the underlying message about racism in society. in the content of the dance Lee uses jump cuts, smooth cuts, match cuts to give the audience even more movement from the girl to show time and space moving. Also he uses color filters to set a mood to the dance and this changes the content of the scene.
ReplyDeleteLee creates dialectical on the level of Form in the beginning shot of Rosie Perez. The shot is a combination of a fight and aerobic workout. She appears sexy and angry at different points. The choreography and the song 'Fight the Power' clash with the imagery of a small woman moving on the screen. The male voices instill a sense of power and aggression in the viewer, whereas, the image of a woman is calming.
ReplyDeleteDuring the same segment, Lee switches between cold and warm filters. The warm filters give an appearance of aggression while the cool/cold filters give the film a calmer side.
The character Mookie switches 'sides' after the death of Radio Raheem. Mookie had been working at Sal's Famous Pizzeria for some time. He decides to throw a trash can through the window of the Pizzeria, thus ignite looting, destruction, and burning of the Pizzeria. One would think that unrest towards the Pizzeria would have been started by someone who does not work at the Pizzeria.
In the beginning of the movie Do The Right Thing directed by Spike Lee, Lee introduces his movie to audience with a spectacular dance sequence collaborated with titles. Lee creates dialectical conflict on the level of form for example; in the dance sequence he uses a variety of combinations like the color of cloths contrast with the lighting (Red dress with Red Lighting, blue dress with Dark lighting, silver dress with silver lighting), character. The audience at one level is introduced to Rosie Perez (also known as Tina played in the movie) as being angry because of her facial expressions and the boxing gloves in her hands. Lee uses sights and sounds for inclusion and structures into which they are fitted. Lee uses color filters like red filters, which gives out a sense of anger within the character, which is a form of juxtaposing, He uses a variety of jump shots which is also repetitive to contrast that she is bubbling with energy, anger, frustration and at this point lee puts his audience wandering why is she performing this act and what does this got to do with the movie?
ReplyDeleteIn Spike Lee's"Do the Right Thing" he addresses dialectical conflict form and content. He tries to show a clash of opposites and show contrast. Form is the way he uses images and viewpoints to confront the viewer-with continuous conflict throughout the film. Eisenstein and Spike Lee both create extreme contrast between each shot. He uses different close-ups in his montage in the beginning of the movie. This shocks the viewer giving the scene more impact and emotion. Spike Lee also uses color filters to show contrast. His use of cool blue filters to portion a contracting viewpoint with his scenes with warm red filters. He also mixes them to create a different type of contrast by blending the filters together. With content Spike Lee uses his characters Mookie and Sal to show the difference between the races. Mookie works for Sal and this close encounter with the two races and their viewpoints create contrast. The conflict is created because two different races wanting respect from the other. His other use of content is his use of the character of Buggin Out. This character tries to influence his own race to not eat at the pizzeria. This show contrast inside of his own race with his peers.
ReplyDeleteI think through his use of montage he ants to first shock and get the viewers intrest. He then is able to show both sides of the situations that allow the viewer to see the whole spectrum.
Marilyn Fabe argues that in the opening scene of "Do the Right Thing," Spike Lee cuts in the same dialectal way as Eisenstein's used the montage to create optical shocks. Lee's shots of Rosie dancing in the opening scene consist of long shots and extreme close-ups of her face and body. Match-cuts are used to abruptly change Rosie's costume and background, but keep her same position and movement. The prime example of this comes at the end of the sequence when Rosie performs shadow boxing screen right in her boxing costume as the shot cuts to her performing the same movement screen left in her blue spandex costume. It makes it appear as if she is fighting herself.
ReplyDeleteFabe also states that his use of dialectal form can be viewed through the use of color filters. Lee mixes reds and blues in the background of Rosie Perez's dancing sequence to create conflict through colors. Fabe writes that the reds connotate heat and blood, a sinister image compared to the cool blue tones. Again it's as if the character is battling with herself.
Lee's dialectal conflict may also be viewed on the content of the characters. Sal, Mookie's boss, is set up to be affectionate towards Mookie. He seems to understand Mookie’s work ethic. However, Sal pays Mookie low wages and uses the term "dese people" when he refers to black people; an underlying form of racism that explodes when he is confronted by Radio Raheem and his boombox.
Radio Raheem is portrayed as a threatening character through Lee’s subtle editing techniques. Raheem’s entrances appear very suddenly, which almost frightens the viewer. For example, Lee cuts to Raheem right before the fight breaks out in the Pizzeria as if he just appeared in the room, giving him the quality of a apparition; but Raheem’s power is cancelled out as he is killed by the police officers. Lee did this intentionally because if Raheem would have been portrayed “sympathetically” as stated by Fabe, then audience reaction towards the riot would be sympathetic. He wants to convey the message that the events in the films arose from fighting back. In Lee’s mind, these actions depict “doing the right thing.”
Our S&C reading from week two describes dialectic as “the idea that each meaning builds on the previous one to create a more comprehensive meaning” (189). That is just what Fabe argues that Spike Lee uses his dialectal conflicts to create the more comprehensive thought of “what is the right thing?,” and allowing the audience to debate about it.
Keil Mitchell
Sec. 801
Sarah Uhen 801
ReplyDeleteIn Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, Lee creates dialectical conflict both on the level of form and of content. Dialectical form is defined as juxtaposing drastically contrasting shots together. One example of how Spike Lee uses dialectical conflict on the level of form is by editing together long shots and extreme close-ups of the dancing girl in the beginning of the film. He also creates dialectical conflict with the use of contrasting color filters. In some shots he uses no filter, then he cuts to a shot with a red filter, representing blood and heat, and then cuts to a contrasting blue filter, representing cold. An example of how Spike Lee uses dialectical conflict on the level of content also takes place in the opening scene where the audience sees a woman dancing which is contrasted with the angry male voice performing a rap song in the background. Another example of dialectical conflict on the level of content is within the dance itself. It combines an aerobic workout type dance with a fight. Dialectical conflict is used to produce optical shock in order to free his audience from stereotypical images of racism.
Spike Lee addresses Eisenstein's dialectical methods through montage by using juxtaposition of contrasting shots in order to bring the viewer to a new level of consciousness. Lee does this in the way of form by making the soundtrack clash with the image. For example when Rosie Perez, a little female, performs a dance to a very unlikely and contrasting soundtrack. She is dancing around to loud angry male voices speaking of violence which contrasts the dance. Rosie dances in way that is also contrasting to what we first think, she uses fight like motions that she incorporates into what is explained as "dancing" . He contrasts the sexual female character with sounds of anger. Another way Lee creates conflict in the way of form is in the same scene but by using quick scene and costume changes. Rosie will be dancing around in a orange mini dress and than it is connected to her dancing in a blue spandex creating a shock to the viewer. Lee also creates conflict in the way of content. For instance, Mookie is seen as a peaceful, righteous character through out what seems the entire movie, until the very end when you find out that Mookie is not only "the protector of Sal's Pizzeria" but the person who is starting the violent riots. The viewer is shocked with the idea that the person they thought was a decent, peaceful person is in all actuality violent. With the same characters Lee shows another way that he uses conflict in the way of content by showing Sal with a "mixture of conflicting traits". He conflicts the viewer by showing Sal as compassionate and decent towards Mookie one second, and than exploits Mookie the next. Sal pays Mookie low wages, and does not give him credit for the help that he gives to Sal. Through dialectical montage, Lee brings the viewer to a new and unexpected way of viewing the film. He forces an emotional response from the viewer by using montage and juxtaposition, in a way that shocks and conflicts the audience.
ReplyDeleteIn Marylin Fabe's essay, she argues that Spike Lee uses the same method as Einstein by shocking the viewier with conflicting images and viewpoints in his film, Do the Right Thing.
ReplyDeleteTwo ways that Lee creates dialectical conflict on level of the form is the way he used fixed stereotypical images of the conflict of racism and the way he used a shocking artistic style.
In the beginning of the film, Lee uses Rosie Perez's body and dancing as a symbol of the creative and destructive energy of black youth. The dance is provided with the song "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy which in itself is pretty shocking considering the angry male voices along with a beautiful woman dancing. Jumpcuts are then put into the mix of the dance to make it seem like she is almost fighting herself. The red filter that is used during her dance is to add a sinister image and a blue filter creating conflict against the red.
In the dialectical content of the script there are clashes between characters and individual character conflicts. The main "clash" in the film is between the two characters Mookie and Sal that causes Mookie to destroy the pizzeria because of the unexpected broken friendship between them. To add to the dialectical content, Lee adds interesting high and low angles.
Allison Mirek
Mitchell Stamm, Sect. 801
ReplyDeleteThroughout Fabe’s essay concerning Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”, she points out two ways Lee creates dialectical conflict on the level of form. The first way she does so is through the way Lee’s method “was the same as Einstein’s, to confront the viewer with a constant stream of conflicting images and viewpoints” (79). In the opening credits of the film a young women known as Rosie Perez dances to the song “Fight the Power.” Through the sequence of Rosie’s Character, “Tina” dancing, there are multiple shots of Tina shadow boxing along with erotic movements. Within these shots of Tina dancing and then shifting to an opposite shot, like shadow boxing, “Lee fuses sensual entertainment and political threat” (79). The juxtaposed shots of Tina dancing are cut strategically to form a montage of optical shots full of different angles. The contrast between these shots vary from the way Tina is shown shadowboxing close up and from far away. In one shot she is shown shadow boxing on the right side of the screen, then it cuts to her shadow boxing on the left side of the screen. The juxtaposition creates a shock due to the way Tina seems to be fighting herself. Fabe also brings up the point of how conflicts are also created through the use of color filters. These filters are used strategically throughout the scenes of Tina dancing. Lee uses a red filter to change the color of a black and white background image to transform it into an image connoting blood and heat. Lee not only uses one color filter at a time, but he also mixes reds and blues in order to create a conflict of colors within the same shot. After this shot he then cuts to a contrasting blue filter in order to create a representation of cold.
Fabe also states in her essay how Lee uses dialectical conflict through the content of the characters. The clash of opposites in the film is between Mookie and Sal. Mookie being black and Sal being white, they each thrive for each others respect as Mookie works for Sal in the Pizzeria. Mookie is stuck in the minimum wage, delivery-boy job with no future. Because of this he takes it out on Sal (his boss) by coming in to work late and also by taking too much time while delivering pizzas. This is one way Lee uses content through the characters in his film. Lee also displays another contrast through the characters of Radio Raheem and Sal. Radio Raheem enters the pizzeria playing his music on his boom box. Sal’s underlying racism then explodes as he screams racial language at Radio Raheem and calling his music “jungle music”. After saying this Sal then goes on to destroy Radio Raheem’s boom box. This action of Sal destroying his boom box can also be viewed as a symbolic murder.
According to Fabe, Lee wanted “viewers to understand that Mookie did the right thing in starting the riot in order to express outrage at Radio Raheem’s death at the hands of the white police” (78) through his dialectical montage. Lee doesn’t want blacks to be silent while fellow “brothers and sisters” are being exploited. He wants blacks to rise up and give out a voice.
In the story of Spike Lee, Do The Right Thing; Lee aims to portrays the dialectical method by giving the audience multiple viewpoints of his characters and images. His goal by using this type of dialectical method is to liberate fixed stereotypical images of racism in hope to open up America's enclosed mind about the awareness of how racism poses a threat to our society. An example of the dialectical conflict content he uses is when Rosie Perez performs a dance to the opposite of a different color rap. He aims the camera close up to target the beauty aura around her and the beauty of her elegant body moving smoothly along to the rhythms of the song. These shots are made up of different close ups and long shots of her dancing. In one shot you would see her "in an orange mini dress dancing in front of urban-brownstone residences" and then it changes to seeing her "in a blue spandex workout suit dancing in front of a deteriorating graffiti-marked building" (195). Another example of the content is shown by the color of the tension in her dancing. He uses the color of warm red to and cool blue to filter and illuminate the tones of the background. In what he is really aiming for is to contrast two opposites and relate one to another such as the example he uses: "dancing/fighting, sex/aggression," etc. These contrasts in a way as he hope in achieving is to broaden America's mind about the relations to the similarity of races, ethnics, and of colors; to end racism.
ReplyDeleteShee Lee
Kate Balsley
Section 801
Thu. 9-9:50AM
Brian Jutrzonka - Kate Balsley - Film 114 - 9:00
ReplyDeleteIn Spike Lee’s film “Do The Right Thing”, Spike Lee decides to use dialectical conflict in order to help the viewer further understand the differences portrayed in the film. Like Eisenstein’s use of montage, Lee uses this dialectical conflict to create optical shock and contrast. In the beginning of the film, Rosie Perez, a beautiful young woman is seen dancing to “Fight The Power”, a song by the rap duo Public Enemy. It shows this beautiful, petite woman dancing while lyrics about standing up to racism and the struggle of the minority community play. Fabe feels this is done in order to create the contrast between love and hate. Another example of how the film uses dialectical conflict in the use of form is the way that Spike decided to actually shoot in Bed-Stuy, a real ghetto. In the ghetto, it was clean and filled with vibrant and vivacious colors. This was meant to contest people’s preconceived notions of ghettos always being dirty and grimy.
Also, Spike lee decides to use dialectical conflict through content. The main conflict in the film is between Mookie and Sal, which ultimately ends up with Mookie destroying the pizzeria in which he is employed by Sal in. While there is always tension between the two men, in the beginning, Mookie helps Sal with the racial tension that seems to start up every day in the pizzeria. Buggin’ Out is kicked out of the pizzeria for being unreasonable. However, at the end of the movie, Mookie decides to turn on him, thus leaving a huge impression on the audience. Another example of dialectical conflict through content is when Buggin’ Out is chased out of the pizzeria by Sal because he said they didn’t have any “brothers on the wall.” So, dialectical conflict can be used to show great contrast between ideas and characters in movies, as well as create optical shock and entertainment.
When Spike Lee decides to put in images in a sequence of similar to a montage in his film Do the Right Thing, his he does it for a reason. The miss-en-scene of each image shown on screen of contrasting images of blue and red, and
ReplyDeleteFor some reason blogger only posted half my comment and this is the 4th time I've tried posting and I keep having problems. "Your request could not be processed. Please try again."
ReplyDeleteWhen Spike Lee decides to put in images in a sequence of similar to a montage in his film Do the Right Thing, his he does it for a reason. The miss-en-scene of each image shown on screen of contrasting images of blue and red and male voices/female bodies to create optical jolts. These clashing images keep the viewer on our toes. Another contrasting feature of his film is the mere fact it was filmed in the ghetto despite the studios offer to build them a set for it, the contrasting feature comes into the picture because the ghetto was painted bright colors. Images of poverty and strife come to mind yet it is colored with a sugar coating.
This set of blogs is a tremendous improvement over the last one! Way to go!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I noticed about the film, was that it was shot entirely on a real street in the Bed-Stuy neighborhood. It wasn't some made up street, it actually existed! I believe the street's color scheme was heavily altered for a reason. The street's color scheme used a ton of red & orange paint, in order to help us feel the nastiness of the heatwave, & other activites going on. In the opening scene Rosie Perez is dancing like there's no tomorrow. Her curvy, sweaty, sexy body pops, locks, & shakes. While we are watching all of this happening, the song "Fight the Power," by Public Enemy is playing while she is dancing. This old school jam is seriously clashing with the elegance of her dance. What gets my attention the most, was the very first line that is spoken in that song. "Yet our best trained, best educated, best equipped, best prepared troops refuse to fight! Matter of fact, it's safe to say that they would rather switch than fight!" What was said, obviously set the tone of the film. To me anyway. Only a few characters stood out in the film to me. Representing the older generation are Da' Mayor. He's the block's super-kind, philosophical-out-of-nowhere, classy drunk whose advic is that he passes on, is "always do the right thing". Mother Sister, who is the other half of the older generation, minds everybody else's business while getting her hair did from her stoop. There are also a group of middle-aged men who sit around all day doing nothing, but commenting on everyone & everything, & rarely themselves. Mister Senor Love Daddy , the DJ at local WE-LOVE radio, who is like another form of commentary, as his voice is heard throughout the entire film. Radio Raheem, who wears the biggest brass-knuckle rings I have ever seen, wears one that says "LOVE" on one hand & "HATE" on the other. When he gives a speech in the middle of the movie about love & hate, he describes the never-ending-struggle between the two. When Mookie throws the trash can, he screams with all of his heart, "HATE!".
ReplyDeleteIt's this same struggle that every one in the film is going through. There are no uncompromised heroes, no clear-cut villains at all in this film, but it's that space between right & wrong, reason & outrage, inside & out, that Spike Lee wants us to explore. The violent emotions of the riot into a deadly silent, sad, & depressing morning after-type-moment, in which Mookie & Sal have a for real, for real talk. The picture ends with Senor Love Daddy telling his listeners to "chill," warning that today is going to be even hotter. Deja-freaking-vu, right? Our S&C says dialectic as “the idea that each meaning builds on the previous one to create a more comprehensive meaning”(189). That is just what Fabe is talking about! Spike Lee uses his unique style of dialectal conflicts to create even more deeper thoughts of “What is the right thing?,” & allowing us to openly debate about it. In the content of the script, Lee makes the same contrasts. Plot tensions are heightened to an extreme high, by incredible filming techniques, & deep emotional effects. The very fact that Spike Lee uses realism, makes this film even deeper. Just how deep does the rabbit hole goes in this film? Like Eisenstein, Spike Lee believed that “realism is not emotionally expressive as when the artist departs from reality.” Spike Lee then decides to add camera angles to add dramatic effect. Low angles, high angles, breaking the fourth wall, & by using the camera sideways, it really does adds a whiff of silliness to the film. According to Fabe, Spike Lee sees to achieve a political film, which he intended to justify the use of violence with silliness as an surprise, so that we won't get lost in what's going on. ONE MORE THING! Spike Lee refuses to judge any of his characters. Except for Vito, who is an complete, & utter jerk-wad. The characters are all a mix of the good, the bad, & the butt-ugly, just as in real life. Sal may appear to have a heart of ice with a one track mind, but he also has genuine affection for his neighborhood. Remember, he feed the neighborhood's children his pizza since they were coming up. Sal's, Radio's, & Mookie's actions during the climax of the film may seem shocking & WTF?!, but I think Spike Lee is saying that sometimes, people do things in the heat of the moment, without thinking twice about the aftermath. Situatons pop-up, && people are feeling helpless to stop what's going on. In the very end, nobody wins anything. All is lost, & dreams are burned to the ground. The film ends with two moving quotes about violence. One by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., & the other by Malcolm X. Seriously, putting those two quotes side by side has had to make us thinkig about something! It made me think this:
ReplyDeleteThe right thing to do never requires any real thought, because it is always simple and direct. Leaders are people who always do the right thing, while managers are people who do things always right by their leaders standards. Disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and wrong, important and meaningless, and helpful and wasteful. Although it will appear difficult in the eyes of others, doing the right thing is the high road to pride, self esteem, dignity, tre cool, and personal satisfaction.
That's the truth, Ruth! LMFAO! ;)
I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I feel as if this is way to important to not watch at least once. Please, please, PLEASE watch this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_t13-0Joyc
In Spike Lee's film "Do the Right Thing", some of the characters have personal conflicts that make him change his views from personal to policitical. When he is working at the pizzeria, he never noticed the pictures on the wall. He was focused on the money and work, when the riot breaks out he either defends his friends or his work.
ReplyDeleteLee also uses different views of the camera for one scene. When the trash can goes through the glass window, the viewer sees the can before contact outside on the street, from there to inside at a table when it strikes the window, and again from the wall, and from the doorway. This shows the viewer how important this was in the film. The first act of violence and leads to chaos, racial issuses and eventually death.