http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-tc-arts-spike-lee-0520-0524may24,0,2553611.story
Recalling the heat of 'Do the Right Thing' By Jason Matloff | Tribune Newspapers May 24, 2009 LOS ANGELES -- On Christmas, 1987, the 30-year-old Brooklyn-based filmmaker Spike Lee started working on the script for his third feature. His first, the 1986 surprise hit "She's Gotta Have It," was a trailblazing romantic comedy about young, upscale African-Americans, and his sophomore effort, "School Daze," a musical look at black college life, was in the can and set to be released two months later. In this new project, Lee wanted to examine the racial tension that enveloped New York City at the time, most of which was due to an incident that occurred in the predominantly white Howard Beach section of Queens a year earlier: A group of white youths attacked three black men outside a pizza place for simply being the wrong color in the wrong neighborhood. One of the black men, 23-year-old Michael Griffith, was chased onto the Belt Parkway and was struck and killed by a car. The new film, which Lee titled "Do the Right Thing," detailed how a single block in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant -- one with the white-owned Sal's Famous Pizzeria at its heart -- erupted in racial violence on the hottest day of the year. The movie featured an extraordinary ensemble cast, a striking visual style and an idiosyncratic blend of comedy and tragedy. It also instantly established Lee as a major talent who couldn't be ignored or dismissed. When "Do the Right Thing" was released, audiences and critics were divided. Lee was criticized for a drug-free presentation of a crack-ravaged neighborhood and for being recklessly incendiary. In his review in the June 26, 1989, issue of New York magazine, David Denby said that "the end of this movie is a shambles, and if some audiences go wild, [Lee's] partly responsible." The critics' fears underestimated the audience; no riots resulted. The movie received two Oscar nominations (best supporting actor for Danny Aiello and best original screenplay) but no awards. On June 30, the film celebrates its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, Universal is releasing a two-disc special edition DVD with hours of extras, including a never-before-seen documentary and a new commentary track by Lee. Since making "Do the Right Thing," Lee has averaged nearly a film a year -- his latest is the basketball documentary "Kobe Doin' Work." But "Do the Right Thing" continues to be his most celebrated and memorable movie. Members of the cast and crew, including Lee, recently sat down for two lengthy interviews, and an excerpt is below. They were eager to discuss the controversy that accompanied the film. http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/arts/chi-tc-arts-spike-lee-0520-0524may24,0,2553611.story
