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?
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One example of dialectical form is the beginning scene of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. It is a music video of Rosie Perez in conjunction with Public Enemy's rap song "Fight the power". The image of a young woman dancing with the rap song shows the "creative and destructive energy of black youth." Another example of dialectical form is the actual actions taking place in the video. The woman seems to be dancing in a workout video but the way that the film is editing makes it seem like she's fighting as well. There is a cut of her punching and then the next cut is to her punching again but on the opposite side so that it looks like she's fighting herself.
One example of dialectical content in Spike Lee's film is the clash between Sal and Mookie. There is tension between the two men but up until the end of the film, they are at peace and help each other out. Not until the end, when Mookie causes the riot does the audience take notice and has to think more about where the violence came from.
Another example of dialectical content is between Sal and Buggin Out. Buggin Out asks Sal why he never has any African American pictures on his wall. Sal says that he will only put Italian American's. He says that its his business and he can do whatever he wants. However Buggin Out says that he's never once seen an Italian American eat at the pizzeria and that he only sees African Americans who spend most of their money there. It seems both men have good arguments and though it is not a serious issue, it does cause the uproar in the end of the film.
Two ways Lee creates dialectical conflict on the level of from are his use of contrasting color filters and the ‘systematic clash’ of Rosie Perez’s dance/exercise routine. Lee uses the contrasting color filters of warm and cool tones to create a ‘conflict of colors’ within the same shot which also relates to Eisenstein’s work of intraframe optical conflict. Rosie Perez’s dance somehow represents an aerobic exercise routine one shot and a boxing trance the next, presents another conflicting contrast of dialectical form introducing abrupt juxtaposition; which help make it look like Perez is fighting herself. This particular scene is carefully edited so that it presents a conflicting representation of Perez’s actions to the same song that is played in the background.
Two examples on the level of dialectical content are the constant clashes between characters and conflicts within the individual characters which all bring to the story a stronger sense of understanding of the racial tensions that result in violence at the film’s end. A specific example being Sal’s refusal to put up African Americans on his wall of fame and Buggin’ Out’s persistently insisting a change to acknowledge famous African Americans which eventually lead to the death of Radio Raheem and the injustice of his death by the white police. Thus, it results in violence to the injustice of Radio Raheem’s death which is led by Mookie whose action can be conveyed as a statement; it would explain the chanting of “Howard Beach” from the crowd.
All in all, the goal here Lee was trying to deliver was to present a collection of contradicting images that create a common conflict of racism in everyday life and at the same time, the audience is given the chance to convey the message of how racism poses a threat to us all.
One example of dialectical conflict of form in Do the Right Thing takes place at the very beginning of the film. We see the character Rosie Perez dancing, but there are many different shots of her compiled into a montage. She is dressed differently in each shot, against various backgrounds, moving in different directions. Some of the action shots are matched while the costumes change, and some of the shots abruptly shift the direction of Rosie’s action.
Another example of conflict in form is in the mise-en-scene. The movie was shot in the ghetto of Bedford-Stuyvesant, to provide a particular atmosphere that studio shooting just wouldn’t provide. To add conflict, however, Lee had the ghetto “prettied up” somewhat. Garbage was cleaned off the streets, and certain buildings were repainted in vivid colors.
Lee created dialectical conflict in the film’s content, as well. One way he did this was by going against our expectations as to which character would start the riot. We do not expect it to be Mookie, the peace-keeping employee who is also a friend to Sal’s youngest son. We expect it to be one of the trouble-making characters. By having Mookie throw the trash can through Sal’s pizzeria window and start the riot, he creates surprise and dialectical conflict.
Another conflict in content is shown in the fair juxtaposition of the two main viewpoints of the characters. Lee shows side-by-side both Sal’s viewpoint (about why he doesn’t want to add a picture of a black man to his Italian-American wall of fame) and Buggin’ Out’s viewpoint (about why he does want Sal to put up a picture of a black man) and their underlying meanings. By doing this, he creates a fair picture of racial tensions and makes us think. This is Lee’s main goal in this film – to make us think about the issues presented.
Bethany Davey
Spike Lee makes great use of dialectical montage in his film,Do The Right Thing. Not only does he do this with the content of the film, but also with the form of the film. One great example of dialectical conflict on the level of form can be seen right away in the beginning of the film when Spike Lee juxtaposes long shots and extreme close-ups of Rosie Perez dancing. Another example occurs in the same scene when Spike Lee smoothly matches Rosie Perez's movements from shot to shot while her costume and the background she is dancing in front of abruptly changes. These cuts flow while creating an optical jolt for the viewer. On the level of content, Spike Lee creates various dialectical conflicts. One example takes place throughout the first scene when the movements of Rosie Perez's female body while dancing are paired with the loud male voices of Public Enemy rapping. Another example is the way Spike Lee makes us question whether Rosie Perez is dancing or fighting. The fact that these are to do very different things makes it interesting that he could successfully make the viewer unsure of which one was really taking place. At one point in her "dance", Rosie Perez is seen making punching motions on screen right, then immediately shown on screen left doing the same. Is she fighting with herself? By creating so many of these dialectical conflicts, Spike Lee aims to make us contemplate two opposing views together as one. He always presents these two opposing views fairly, making sure that neither is "right" or "wrong". This forces us, the viewer, to truly understand the situation and make the choice ourselves. Ultimately, this is exactly what Spike Lee wanted to achieve through his use of dialectical montage.
Nick LaVake
Two ways in which Lee creates conflict trough dialectical form is in the beginning of the film. The movie starts with a character named Rosie dancing, (which seemed out of place to begin with) during the dance number the color filters are changing colors to an effec which creates conflict. The different filters raise different feelings like the reds to give a feeling of heat and urgency, and then the cooler blues to give more of a calming effect. Another example in the opening dance number that creates conflict is the screen direction. It would show rosie punching from different angles to give the illusion that she is fighting with herself. It makes the audience question if whose problem or fight these race issues really belong to, and what doing the right thing might actually be; like taking up violence for example.
Two examples Lee uses to create conflict through content would be the uneasy tension between Sal and Mookie. They don't necessarily agree with eachother but they have a mutual respect. The whole film builds up around this uneasy tension. It is shocking at the end of the film to see Moookie start the riot because he was the person who was standing up for Sal the whole time. Another example of conflict through content in the film would be Sal and Buggin' Out arguing over why there are no pictures of "brothers" hanging on the wall in pizzeria. Sal gets very angry at this notion and this is when he apparntly smashes the boom box. This whole scene of them arguing raises questions of why Sal gets so incredibly angry, and why Buggin' Out even cared enough to say something in the first place. Both mens opinions are right, but in their own way.
By using these juxtapositions, Lee is trying to get people to think about racism in different contexts, and from different viewpoints. To see what doing the right thing might actually mean.
In Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing" he employs Eisenstein's theories on dialectical montage in order to aid the film's political goals. The very opening is an example of this juxtaposition in form. The soundtrack is "Fight The Power" by Public Enemy, an abrasive ode to anti-establishment ideals. And all the while we see Rosie Perez dancing in an extremely stylized setting clearly reminiscent of classical hollywood musicals. This is just one example of Lee embracing Hollywood conventions and yet at the same time trying to undermine them.
Another example of this is the location of the movie. Lee took over a real block in Bed-Stuy and shot his entire film there. Typically this kind of technique would be employed to portray the area as a gritty slum. Yet in the movie the set design features vibrant colors and obvious stylization.
Lee also uses this juxtaposition in the content of the movie. This is mostly brought out through the way he portrays the different characters and the racial identities they represent. Sal is shown to very sympathetic, especially in contrast to his older son. Ultimately though it is Sal that ignites the climatic act of violence. Throughout the film these tensions are hinted at but are often allowed to stay just below the surface.
On the other hand Radio Raheem is portrayed both in his actions and the way they filmed to be an intimidating figure. Everywhere he goes he seems to instigate problems and still at the end of the film it is Radio Raheem who is sacrificed by Lee.
All these contradictions were not by accident. By attempting to portray many contrasting viewpoints in his film Lee hopes to more accurately portray the complexities of racial tensions in America.
Dialectical conflicts that are displayed in forms in Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing" include the use of angry, male voices of the opening number with the image of the body of a female dancing woman. Also, the woman herself shows dialectical conflict by the juxtaposed images of her erotic and fight dancing. A second example is that Lee uses quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and juxtaposes them with quotes from Malcolm X that showcased opposite ideas for the same cause to impact the dialectical conflict of the film in a powerful way. An example of dialectical conflict through the content of the film would be when Mookie throws the garbage can through the window. Lee sets up the scenario where the viewer feels both that Mookie is justified in what he has done and also the this is a betrayal to Sal. Lee also uses the personality of Sal to create dialectical conflict by showing him as affectionate to Mookie but very racist towards African-Americans.
The intentions of Lee are to use dialectical montage to create conflicting images in the viewers mind. The viewer then is forced to contemplate how people should respond to physical oppression and racial inequality.
Jacob Rengstorf
Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing uses juxtaposition throughout the film in order to deal with the intense issues of racism. Lee utilizes two types of dialectical monologue in this film to help get his points across, form and content. Lee uses dialectical conflict on the level of form in Do The Right Thing when he chose to shoot all the exterior shots of the film on a real-life New York City block in the neighborhood the story takes place in. The dialectical choice he makes is in how he also chose to “clean up” the location before shooting. Buildings were repainted, garbage picked up, and murals added. In Marilyn Farbe’s essay about this film she states “Lee was criticized for choosing to shoot in a black ghetto but then prettying it up.” Lee did not chose to do this is an attempt to “put one over on his audience”; rather, he makes this choice as a way to force his viewers to “confront their stereotypical expectations”. By juxtaposing the idea of a ghetto with freshly painted walls and clean streets, viewers are forced, from the beginning, to abandon their preconceived notions about the people the film follows. Also, the film takes place on the hottest day of the summer and Lee shows this through the use of extremely “hot” colors which gives the film a “Hollywood escapist feel”. In giving the set and scenery “bright and hot” colors that remind us of fantastical Hollywood musicals, Lee makes the ending, an eruption of racial tension even more intense. In terms of content, Lee makes quite a few dialectical choices here as well. Mookie, the main character in the film is arguably the most conflicted character. He works for very little money for one of the only white faces in the neighborhood. While he is portrayed as slightly lazy, he is also shown as a “peace keeper” between the Italian Pizzeria owners and the black community. In the end, Mookie is the character that begins the riot by throwing a garbage can into the pizzeria’s window. Because we see Mookie as somewhat untouched by the racial tension (because of his role as the go-between) his final actions are all the more powerful. Sal, the owner of the Pizzeria is another really interesting choice in the film. He is portrayed as proud of his work and to have feed the black folks in the neighborhood, but at the same time refuses to ad black faces to his wall of fame. He appreciated Mookie but doesn’t pay him well. He breaks Radio Raheem’s boom box, but he is also tolerant. Lee never pits white against black in any type of over reaching good versus evil way and Sal is a great example of this.
Spike Lee creates dialectical conflict on the level of form by the following two examples. If we consider the cinematic form of Do the Right Thing we can observe two of Eisenstein's methods significant in the creation of dialectical form. Through Lee's use of extreme angles he is able to achieve spatial distortion. He creates what Eisenstein calls a conflict between matter and viewpoint. He uses this approach to provide additional expression to the images shown. On the same line of thought, Lee builds a similar conflict. Making use of a 10mm extreme wide angle lens, Lee captures a menacing Radio Raheem. Eisenstein describes this technique as a conflict between matter and its spatial nature. In fact, both these approaches are helpful in assisting us consider the internalized. The effects achieved through this visual manipulation are emotions and ideas not once before interpretable with the single standing images.
Another formal element Lee implements is the distortion of time, which can be seen at two critical points in the film. The repetitious editing occurs when Mookie delivers a pizza to his girlfriend. Lee overlaps the motion of Mookies girlfriend hugging him,seemingly reliving the gesture. The other point in time where we see this effect again is at the climax of the film. We are granted with the experience of witnessing the garbage can thrown into Sal's Pizzeria from two perspectives. These techniques help increase dramatic expressiveness and also create a visually attractive and engaging world through which its structure will encourage thought of complicated racial relations.
Just as there is high contrast elements formally in Do the Right thing, there is also dialectical content. There are many characters in the film that seem to operate on a love/hate relationship.
At the core of it all is Mookie and Sal. Boss and Employee. Italian American and African American. Sal is aware of Mookie's work performance but doesn't mind it because not only is he a delivery boy, he is first and foremost the mediator between the pizzeria and the block. However, Sal soon takes for granted Mookie's help and that's when the balance begins to tip.
The last example of dialectical content in Lee's film that i will discuss is his decision to make Radio Raheem the victim, whose death sparks the riot against the pizzeria. By killing the neighborhood tyrant instead of someone we sympathize with more, Lee asks us to open discussions regarding whether the subsequent events are deserved or justifiable.
What Lee seeks to achieve through his use of dialectical montage is a mind able to contemplate new facets of understanding. He is interested in presenting opposing views, through which one can consider an entirely new but underlying theme in the film. He seeks to encourage conversations about the approaches of MLK and Malcom X. He seeks to offer awareness of the racial tensions still current during that period in time.
A clear of example of dialectical conflict of form comes right in the beginning of the movie with Rosie Perez’s dancing. The colors keep alternating between reds, blues and whites, while her clothes keep changing from shot to shot. The different movements she does while dancing can be viewed as fighting between the colors she’s representing, to create an analogy of fighting between races during the movie. Another example comes with her dancing and the motions she makes which look like punching. She keeps alternating side-to-side, red and blue, to help symbolize discord between race.
Examples of dialectical conflict of content come with character relationships. Throughout the movie there is a sort of tension between Sal and Mookie, however they share a mutual respect for one another. They respect one another and what each other try to accomplish, until Mookie is finally the one to start the riot at Sal’s when Radio Raheem is killed. The other example comes with Sal and Buggin’ Out, in regards to the lack of black people on Sal’s wall of fame. Eventually the turmoil and hate created between the two men leads to the death of Radio Raheem as well. There’s no respect between either of them and constant conflict in regards to lack of equal representation on the wall.
Spike Lee certainly has adopted a dialectical montage from that can be seen throughout several examples in his film Do the Right Thing. A great example is the opening of the film, here we see Rosie doing somewhat of an aerobics routine during the opening credits. We see a montage of shots where Rosie’s cloths and the background are constantly changing, set to the music “Fight the Power.” We take note that in some shots she seems to be symbolically fighting the power as she’s throwing punches she alternates hands and the colors change back and forth with the hands, this can be thought of as an example of where the movie implies about racial tensions.
Another implication of Eisenstein’s methods can be seen by the way that Lee uses extreme angles to distort spatial awareness; I’ll use the example of the ending scene where the argument ensues before the climax. Throughout the scene all shots are shot from abnormal angles, this strives from other typical narrative methods, the conflicting shots both add to the conflict ensuing they also show things are more hectic and chaotic adding to the drama of scene.
An example of dialectical content can be seen in the overall character conflict between Sal and Mookie. The depiction of Sal shows him as sympathetic but exploitative and racist. Mookie takes on a role as a mediator between Sal and the community, but in the end he ends up instigating the riot and destruction of the pizzeria.
Secondly for an example of dialectical content, Lee at the end of the movie makes the decision to have Radio Rahim be the one who ends up being killed. We would think that perhaps instead here in the story we would see the death of a better character, one who would naturally draw more emotion from the audience. But instead we see the neighborhood bully get killed. This makes us think more about the ending, questioning whether it’s justifiable.
Overall, according to Fabe, Lee’s use of dialectical form brings the viewers to a more complex understanding of race relations in the United States.
Andrew Fleckenstein
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