Recently celebrating its 25th anniversary, after Spike Lee and cast revisited Do the Right Thing, we now have another look at the director’s classic drama. The late St. Clair Bourne’s documentary on Lee’s critically acclaimed film is a modest, but thought provoking look at the production itself. The documentary follows the cast and crew of the film, but also offers a candid look at the Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn neighborhood in the late 1980s. The behind-the-scenes look at the film shows how Lee’s production had a huge impact on the community in a positive way and also created a means for honest dialogue about racial tensions.
The one-hour documentary The Making of Do the Right Thing opens with showing the impact on the Brooklyn community. Lee had his crew hire people from within the neighborhood to help build and create the sets; he also had religious groups come into the community with hopes of eradicating the drug problem. Lee’s determination to better the community while making his film is also evident in how he had open casting calls in order to find local extras who could be apart of the production.
Bourne’s film also touches on the main theme of Do the Right Thing, the racial tensions that were tearing the community apart. With clips from real news stories depicting racial violence in New York City cut between actual scenes from Do the Right Thing, Bourne creates a very honest piece that is effective and informative. Check it out below in full.
What did you think of the documentary?