Mise en scene Do the Right Thing
Andrew Rubin
Intro to Film
11/1/14
Mise-en-Scene Question 1
Props and Lighting in Do the Right Thing
Spike Lee’s classic film Do the Right Thing uses props and lighting throughout to convey meaning and emotions. One of the first props you see is clothing, which is relevant in the opening credits as Tina dances in various outfits. Her first outfit is a red dress, which could symbolize her love for her son and Mookie, or the bloodshed that is soon to come for this African American Brooklyn neighborhood. Her next is a typical 1980’s workout outfit which reinforces the time period, and reminds the audience of what is going on in popular culture. The final outfit is boxing attire, which shows there’s some sort of struggle for the characters in the film. The main character Mookie also conveys his emotion through what he wears. In the beginning of the film he is wearing a Jackie Robinson jersey. Robinson was the first black player in the Major Leagues, breaking the color barrier in 1947. This relates to Mookie in one way because he is the only black worker in Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, therefore he has broken that barrier. His shirt also opposes Clifton’s Larry Bird Boston Celtic shirt, because the same city’s baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, were the last team in the Major Leagues to integrate a black player. Also, in the scene where “Buggin’ Out” and Sal are in the argument of why there aren’t any famous black people on his wall, Mookie’s shirt stands as his own wall of fame, setting his character apart from the rest. Mookie’s clothing also depicts his change in alliances with the characters in the film. The movie starts with him wearing the baseball jersey, then he changes into the pizzeria jersey after he showers, but during the riot scene he’s wearing the baseball jersey, and finally when he goes to get his money from Sal he is back in the pizzeria jersey showing his final emotions. Baseball is a very prominent theme with the props in this film, along
Intro to Film
11/1/14
Mise-en-Scene Question 1
Props and Lighting in Do the Right Thing
Spike Lee’s classic film Do the Right Thing uses props and lighting throughout to convey meaning and emotions. One of the first props you see is clothing, which is relevant in the opening credits as Tina dances in various outfits. Her first outfit is a red dress, which could symbolize her love for her son and Mookie, or the bloodshed that is soon to come for this African American Brooklyn neighborhood. Her next is a typical 1980’s workout outfit which reinforces the time period, and reminds the audience of what is going on in popular culture. The final outfit is boxing attire, which shows there’s some sort of struggle for the characters in the film. The main character Mookie also conveys his emotion through what he wears. In the beginning of the film he is wearing a Jackie Robinson jersey. Robinson was the first black player in the Major Leagues, breaking the color barrier in 1947. This relates to Mookie in one way because he is the only black worker in Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, therefore he has broken that barrier. His shirt also opposes Clifton’s Larry Bird Boston Celtic shirt, because the same city’s baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, were the last team in the Major Leagues to integrate a black player. Also, in the scene where “Buggin’ Out” and Sal are in the argument of why there aren’t any famous black people on his wall, Mookie’s shirt stands as his own wall of fame, setting his character apart from the rest. Mookie’s clothing also depicts his change in alliances with the characters in the film. The movie starts with him wearing the baseball jersey, then he changes into the pizzeria jersey after he showers, but during the riot scene he’s wearing the baseball jersey, and finally when he goes to get his money from Sal he is back in the pizzeria jersey showing his final emotions. Baseball is a very prominent theme with the props in this film, along