Hot, Hot, Hot!

While Do the Right Thing may not be set in the past, don't let that fool you into thinking it doesn't rely on Mise en Scéne. This entire movie is dedicated to making you feel the heat, no pun intended. From the loose-fitting, bright colored clothing of the characters to the brilliant red paint on the building behind ML, Willie, and Sid, Spike Lee and his team have do everything they could think of to portray the swelter. The heat of this movie is more than temperature, however. About halfway through the movie it seems like plot wandered of and we were treated to a series of hateful, slur-filled monologues by several of the characters. It's sudden, it's unexpected, and makes you feel really uncomfortable, but it works somehow. The blocks is a pressure-cooker and this scene is to bring everything that has been implied to the surface. From that point on, the cards are on the table and you can begin to see how dire circumstances really are.

When Sal confronts Buggin' and Radio, the seals locking back all that emotion begin to blow. The smashing of the boom-box is Sal's release and everyone else bursts as a result. When Radio is killed, the whole block reaches the boiling point. Even though Da Mayor is quick to jump to the aid of Sal and his sons, nothing sort of true release can satisfy them. It is Mookie who really saves their lives by turning the destructive energy on the building. His cry of "Hate!" is a clear reference to an earlier monologue from Radio about the battle between love and hate. Though hate had taken over the block for the evening, Mookie's actions ensured that it would not be as lasting a victory as it could have been. Buildings can be rebuilt after all.