Do The Right Thing
If Spike Lee did nothing else in his career, with this film he accomplishes more than most filmmakers in a lifetime of work
Tags: Misc DVD 2009 Categories: DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jun 22nd, 2009
I had never seen Do The Right Thing. Coming out on DVD and Blu-ray in a new 20h Anniversary Edition seemed like a good time to see what I had missed out on. I’m very glad I did too.
Do The Right Thing is a “statement” film without getting overly preachy or didactic about it. There is a message of racial equality and respect that is at the heart of the film, but it is also about community in the smallest of senses and what it takes to keep it together.
Set on a hot summer day we are introduced to the local cast of characters, each playing their part in the neighborhood. The cast is fantastic with big names such as Danny Aiello, Ossie Davie, John Turturro, Rosie Perez, Samuel L. Jackson, Ruby Dee, and a host of other recognizable faces. Everybody does a great job – except for Spike Lee himself, whose delivery was a bit wooden.
It’s a simple plot really, as sometimes the best films are. Yes, it ends in a neighborhood riot as tempers flare, and there is good reason. What I like about the film is that there is enough variety in the cast that we get a number of different viewpoints on the proceedings.
Do The Right Thing may not be absolutely essential viewing, but it comes damn close. This feels real and even 20 years later has a lot to say about how we as a society have come and where we need to go.
Both the DVD and Blu-ray comes with the same sets of special features. The DVD is a 2-disc affair with the Blu-ray packing everything onto one. This is a shame, really, because there is so much stuff that something had to be sacrificed, and in this case it is the fact that very little is in high definition on Blu-ray. At least none of the special features got dropped.
New for this release is the inclusion of 11 deleted/extended scenes that run about 15 minutes. Also new is a retrospective featurette that runs a little over 30 minutes and is well worth checking out for some perspective on the film and its production. We also get a new (and second) audio commentary with Spike Lee. It’s a decent track though there are a few too many gaps, so somebody (perhaps one of the stars that didn’t make it for the first commentary track) should have joined him in the booth.
As for that first audio commentary, it features Spike Lee along with his sister, and two members of the crew. It’s decent, but I didn’t listen to the whole thing, so listen to it at your own risk. Everything else is in standard definition on the Blu-ray (which is a shame) and seems to be carried over from the previous DVD releases. We get a documentary on the making of the film that runs an hour and an additional hour of behind the scenes footage shot by Spike Lee. Also quite lengthy (nearly 45 minutes) is a Q&A session from the film’s Cannes premiere in 1989. Lastly we get a small featurette on the films editor and a storyboard for the riot sequence.
This is a great package, and well worth picking up. It’s too bad that not everything was kicked up to high definition for the Blu-ray, but everything is there. Whether you choose to pick up the DVD or the Blu-ray, you’ll get a good film. The cost of the Blu-ray may be prohibitive since everything is not in HD. Still, if you haven’t yet to see Do The Right Thing, you might want to consider renting it, because it seems to be oddly relevant then and now.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Great examination of racial/neighborhood/community struggles and issues without getting preachy + Finds a middle ground to let the audience draw their own conclusions + Wealth of special features |
9.5 |
| What Doesn't | |
|
- Spike's acting is wooden - Most of the special features are in "standard" definition on the Blu-ray |
|
| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| Wow - why did I miss this when it first was shown? Do The Right Thing is a great film. This is a great package too, regardless of Blu-ray or DVD. | |
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Tags: Misc DVD 2009
Posted by Daniel "monk" Pelfrey on Jun 22nd, 2009 and is filed under DVD/TV Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
