Week 4 / Do The Right Thing (1989)

Good day, when thinking about chapter 5 and mise en scene and actors, I think of the movie “Do The Right Thing” (1989). The reason I chose the movie do the right thing is because it has a lot of up and coming actors in it and the movie relates to everyday struggles and arguments of the hood or “ghetto”.

The struggles are the racial tension that come about when a neighborhood changes right in front of your eyes from what you are used to what reality is. When thinking about the word mise en scene the word means “the physical things we see in a scene, including setting, props, costumes, actors, makeup, lighting, colors—anything that would be on the set before the camera is even brought in.” (Goodykoontz, Jacobs. 2014).

When thinking of three actors from do the right thing the actors I chose to speak about were “Mookie” (Spike Lee) “Buggin Out” (Ginancarlo Esposito) and “Sal Fragione (Danny Aiello). I chose these three actors because I feel they played vital roles in making this movie and they had very distinctive acting styles.

When looking at Spike Lee character I feel his acting style is personality acting. I feel this way because in this movie and other films he played in to include Malcolm X (1992) and Girl 6 (1996) he has maintained the same up beat personalty. I feel actors who naturally have this style seem to blend in the movies and things they are comfortable to talk about and know in life.

The second actor I want to highlight is Danny Aiello and when looking at his acting style it reminds me of a true character. The reason I feel this way is when you look at him in other movies to include “Harlem Nights” (1989) he changes his roles very well to fit the character he plays. I think this makes him a very great actor because not only do you know your role but you adapt to the script and part.

When looking at the final actor I want to highlight Ginancarlo Esposito I find his acting style to be wild card. A wild card actor is “an actor who is difficult to classify as one certain type, often because he or she can play a wide variety of characters equally well without becoming typecast.“(Goodykoontz, Jacobs. 2014).

Ginacarlo is a wild card actor because he has played in many movies, roles to include TV shows and cartoons and is an actor who roles change with every part he picks up. He is probably one of my favorite actors in Hollywood because his scenes are so well acted, every role he plays you feel he was born to do it. I remember him in a lot of key movies but the one that struck out the most for me was his time in Breaking Bad (2008-2013).

If I had to chose one actor to go more in depth with it would have to be Ginacarlo Esposito. When looking at his films and other things he has worked with I feel his style is very diverse as an actor. I feel this way because in his 45 plus roles, he has been funny, serious, controversial, and uplifting as a character and that speaks a lot of his acting and style. He brings a lot to the table of acting and his role in do the right thing was a jump start to a very well crafted career for his self.

Reference Section:

Goodykoontz, Bill & Jacobs, Christopher P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed). Retrieved From.

https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG225.14.1/sections/sec5.5

Google Images. (2015). do the right thing. Retrieved From.

https://www.google.com/search?q=do+the+right+thing&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI- IGerbHfxgIVCouSCh0ykQDy&biw=1280&bih=614#imgrc=YHy9OYA5LAZweM%3A

IMDb. (2015). Do The Right Thing (1989). Retrieved From.

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm1999686656/tt0097216?ref_=ttmd_md_nxt#

YouTube. (2015). Do the Right Thing (3/10) Movie Clip- Boycott Sal’s! (1989) HD. Retrieved From.