Now That's An Opening!

It is said that the opening credits of Spike Lee's film "Do The Right Thing" is one of the most memorable of all time. Lee draws upon the elements of music, color, heat, costume, and camera positions in order to convey the personal identity of his characters. These elements allow the audience to further understand the history of the urban community as well as the current state of the film's characters.

The film opens with the official song of the NAACP, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." A saxophone soloist delivers the hymn in a slow and somber manner. This calming effect is soon interrupted by the jarring rhythm of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power." Punctuated by the beat of the song, a montage of a dancer accompanies the sudden switch in tempo.

As far as color is concerned, the brightly dressed dancer performs in front of an almost muted background. A brownstone serves as her backdrop and is only illuminated by subtle flashing white lights in select shots; otherwise, the housing unit is either brown or black in color. However, the dancer's outfits sharply contrast this muted background. There are three different scenes in which she dons a red dress, a neon blue leotard, and a pair of silver boxing shorts. This fact that the dancer stands out so much adds to the idea that she is the most important aspect of the opening credits and all attention should be focused on her until the actual movie begins.

Much like music and color, heat has a large significance the opening of "Do the Right Thing." Emphasis on the temperature is heard and seen throughout the beginning of the film. Señor Love Daddy, the local radio DJ, comments on how young people should stay inside. Jade fights with her brother Mookie telling him that it is too hot to do anything.

The way in which characters are dressed in the opening speaks volumes to their individual identity. For example, Mookie wears a basketball jersey which emphasizes his young urban personality. Señor Love Daddy wears a colorful patterned shirt and hat with big sunglasses which matches his eccentric and loud personality. As far as the Sal and his son's, who are of Italian decent, light-colored pants and half-buttoned shirts with gold chains plays off of the stereotypical Italian in New York.

Last, but not least the camera angles of the opening scene hold great importance. High angle shots of the dancer when boxing/punching toward the camera match the impression given by the song "Fight the Power" - angry and menacing. Also, because the medium shots are short-lived it can be inferred that the larger picture of the dancer is most important, just as individuals of the neighborhood are not as important as the community as a whole.

These characteristics of the film "Do The Right Thing" offer a glimpse into the world of urban communities and bring attention to the many social problems that are present in these communities.