Movie Review: 'Do the Right Thing'

The most important work from a black filmmaker in the last 25 years, Spike Lee’s heated exploration of race on a summer’s day throbs with frustration in every frame, and this two-disc set provides an intriguing insight into a man and his message. We get to see: footage from an early read-through of the script, where young actors like John Turturro and Giancarlo Esposito assert their legitimacy in a cast toplined by veterans Danny Aiello and Ossie Davis; behind-the-scenes footage; the Cannes film festival press conference at which Lee defended his film to an international throng of journalist; Lee’s recent journey back to the Brooklyn locations; and some newly recorded examinations by Lee of the film’s critical reception. But the film itself is the star of this package, and the new anamorphic wide-screen transfer jumps with pungent color. Lee’s occasionally mannered style clicks here in a way it hasn’t in any of his other films; the movie paints every character in a sweltering coat of blame and challenges us to confront the absence of answers in the search to find out why we can’t all get along. A