The Korean fruit ‘n’ vegetable stall is placed opposite Sal’s shop. This is to signify that as these two businesses are not owned by black people, they are grouped into one area of the neighbourhood. The Koreans would feel more secure there, because, although they would be in the minority, they would feel less vulnerable being near Sal’s Pizza place. This is very significant in the 7 minute sequence I am studying. As Sal’s Pizza place is being burnt down by the black rioters, we see the action unfolding from inside the Korean’s shop looking out across the street. This shows us that the action is very close to the shop front and the drama could move over to their business.
The décor of the buildings is very old and rusted, and the colours are dark reds and browns. They are square in shape, and are very closely built together (terraced like). The railings leading up to doors are steel painted black. This implies that the people in the neighbourhood are socially insecure and they feel they have to reinforce the statement of their skin colour. This is shown when Da Mayor leads Sal, Vito and Pino, the three Italians away from the destruction of their restaurant and into the front yard of one of the houses. The camera zooms in on the black railings, and then retreats as the three Italians are being shut inside the yard. This is showing that Da Mayor is separating them from the other people, which is again because of the colour of their skin.
The Korean shop is much more modern and clean than the rest of the neighbourhood which means they are very different compared to the rest of the street. However, when the Korean owner feels his shop his being threatened in the riot, he argues with one the black bystanders. The Korean claims that he and the bystander are the “same”. The black man does not feel the same way, which is separating them from the rest of the community.
The costume and make-up used in the sequence is vital to creating response from the viewer in this scene. The rioters are all wearing summer clothes (T-shirts, shorts etc) and these are very bright colours. This is because throughout the film, all the characters make references the heat, by saying things like, “It’s gonna be a hot day”. They turn out to be right in more ways than one. During the day the heat was the topic of the conversation and in the evening the burning down of Sal’s business is a major incident in the community.
The brothers, Pino and Vito, are wearing clothes which are very significant to the meaning of the sequence. During the film, Vito was the character who did not have a problem with black people and was a friend of Mookie’s. Pino, however, was a racist and was always telling his brother not to associate with black people because they will “stab you in the back”. In the 7 minute sequence, Vito is wearing a white T-shirt and Pino is wearing a black T-shirt. This is because Pino is insecure about his skin colour and when the rioting is occurring he mutters “Fucking niggers”. He is wearing black because he feels he will probably be able to fit into neighbourhood more easily.
There is very little movement at the beginning of the sequence when Radio Raheem has just been murdered. The people of the street stand still, their faces in shock with their hands by their sides. But when Mookie smashes Sal’s shop window, all hell breaks loose. Suddenly the people of the street are filled with energy and their faces are twisted with rage and desperation. When Da Mayor separates the three Italians from the rioting crowd, they have a look of sadness to them.
The other micro-element I am studying is cinematography. The positioning of the camera plays a key role in the developing of the sequence. At the beginning of the scene, the camera pans across the civilians as they chant “Murder” etc. It moves very slowly to allow you to read the expressions of the faces and to hear their point of view. They also wait for their turn to speak, which shows they have respect for their fellow people.
An example of off-screen space is when Mookie decides to smash Sal’s window. When he walks over to one of the yards to get a dustbin, the camera does not track him fully, leaving him at the side of the shot. This is showing that Mookie is going out of his way to break Sal’s window and turn his back on his friend, and not just picking up a stone by his foot in the heat of the moment.
When the police cars arrive, the camera shot is high angle, as if it was placed on one of the buildings. This is showing that the police have had to travel from a different area to get to the riot, it portrays them as “outsiders” and they do not know the people of the street and they can not associate with their problems. This is signified when a police officer on a speakerphone tells everyone to “Go home” For which Mookie replies “It’s our home”
Towards the end of the sequence Mother Sister can be seen screaming and in distress. Da Mayor walks over to comfort her, then the camera cranes upwards to give a bird’s eye view of the two of them in each others arms. This can be seen as them being two of the most vulnerable people in the neighbourhood. They may be in the majority skin gender, but their elderly age is a factor in them feeling unhappy and insecure.
In the final section of the scene, we see Smiley inside the flaming pizzeria. He is undeterred by the engulfing flames as he bends down to pick up one of his photos of a black civil right’s leader. As he sticks the photo to the wall, we see a close-up of his face as he is smiling. This conveys the message that no matter what it took to get a photograph of a black person on the wall, it was worth it, and it shows he is feeling a sense of achievement.
The colour of the sequence is very bright but with a dark element which forms a shadow over the scene. For example, the sky is pitch black compared to the neighbourhood, this gives the feeling that this incident is the only thing happening in the world at this time of any importance, and the action is taking place in this one particular area. The orange and reds are an important factor because the heat and structure of the fire, matches the rest of the buildings in the neighbourhood.
In conclusion, there are many incidents in “Do the Right Thing” which create meaning and generate response in the viewer. The mise-en-scene and cinematography are micro-elements which both summarise the meaning of the film in the same way. They can both be combined to create similar responses. For example, when the Italians are witnessing the riot, the cinematography focuses on panning slowly, where as the mise-en-scene shows their facial expressions. Both these micro-elements create the meaning of the Italians feeling sad and helpless.
