This past weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of attending a special screening of Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing at the Fabulous Fox Theater in downtown Atlanta. The Fox Theater, along with Coca-Cola, CNN, and the Atlanta Film Festival, sponsored the event. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Lee's third feature film. Do The Right Thing - easily the most controversial work in his filmography - is also one of the most honest and interesting.
The film presents a day in the life of one neighborhood in Brooklyn. It's the hottest day of the summer in this corner of Bed-Stuy and tensions (especially racial tensions) are building over the course of the movie. These tensions finally reach a breaking point at the film's climax, turning quickly into an ugly confrontation between white and black that leaves one character dead and every other character changed forever.
When the movie first came out in 1989, many people were afraid that it would provoke riots in the streets. Of course, it never happened. What did happen, however, was that Lee presented an open and honest look at race in America, and opened up a unique discussion about the baggage carried by people on every side of the color line.
After a number of racial incidents in New York City in the 1980s - including the deaths of several blacks at the hands of mobs, among them 16 year old Yusef Hawkins, as well as the controversial Tawana Brawley rape case, in which a teenaged black girl alleged that she was raped by a white police officer - tensions were very high. Instead of inflaming the tension of the times, Lee's film mirrored it and forced America to confront it head on.
It was a gutsy move. The film took a lot of heat for being provocative at a time when society didn’t want to rock the racial boat. And it charted territory on race relations in America in a way that few films have done since.
But that was 20 years ago. Surely things have changed since then, right? A film like this can’t still be relevant in President Obama’s post-racial America, can it? Obviously the answer is yes. If anything, Do The Right Thing is even more relevant today, in an age when, admittedly, race isn’t the issue it used to be. Far less overt than it was, yes, but as long as there are prejudices of any kind that people can hold against one another, there will always be a place for movies like Do The Right Thing.
Anyway, I think you get the point. End of sermon.
As for seeing the movie itself on the big screen again, that was a real treat. While the movie is most often remembered for its in-your-face depiction of race issues, there are a number of touching character moments that always bring a smile to my face. Anytime the late Ossie Davis, and his radiant wife, actress Ruby Dee, graced the screen – as their characters, Da Mayor and Mother Sister, respectively – there were palpable sparks between them. It was beautiful to witness the genuine chemistry between actor and actress, man and woman, husband and wife. Seeing them together reminded me of the time I got to meet them in the flesh when they made an appearance at the University of Georgia. They performed a dramatic reading that night, and I got their autographs. I still have that flyer with their signatures on it somewhere…
That was a special treat, just like this screening. What made it better, though, was the fact that the event was attended by writer and director Spike Lee himself. Also in attendance were Lee’s sister, actress Joie Lee, actor Bill Nunn, and producer Monty Ross. I wish I’d had the opportunity to speak to Monty, ‘cause I’ve actually met him on a couple of occasions, including once on a film shoot Ross produced in Virginia back in my film school days.
All four spoke to the audience after the screening, answering questions from the audience, including a couple from folks who were obviously impressed to be in the same room with gen-u-ine celebrities (folks, please do NOT waste Mr. Lee’s – and the paying audiences’ – time with inane questions)! Dude: Spike Lee is not gonna take a look at the script that you just “happened” to bring with you tonight. And lady: nobody cares that you were at the same party with Spike once upon a time. In Africa, no less. Even if you have with you the picture you took with him as proof.
Despite the bonus entertainment provided by some audience members, all in all it was a memorable evening at the Fabulous Fox.
In closing, I’d have to say that Do The Right Thing is certainly Spike’s most controversial film – and perhaps his best. Sure, some of his other films are more polished stylistically (Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X) and still others show a greater command of his storytelling ability as a director (Inside Man, Summer Of Sam). But for my money, Do The Right Thing has more of Spike Lee in it than perhaps any other of his numerous films.
I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Spike’s early films. Do The Right Thing, Mo’ Better Blues, (most of) Jungle Fever, and Malcolm X all stand out for me because they demonstrate Lee’s passion for making movies and his pure love of cinema. They also showcase the fact that this was a filmmaker with SOMETHING TO SAY. You may not always agree with what he had to say. You may wish he had said something else, but you could never ignore the fact that he was saying it.
