Principal cast
Danny Aiello as Sal, Ossie Davis as Da Mayor, Ruby Dee as Mother Sister, Richard Edson as Vito, and Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin Out
Film 114 of 244 on the Screen Path
Do the Right Thing
It's the hottest day of the summer. You can do nothing, you can do something, or you can...
About the film
Do the Right Thing at a glance.
Screen Path places this 1989 film at stop 114 in one curated journey through cinema. The learning experience adds context before you watch and deeper analysis after.
Sal is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.
Key craft credits
Ernest R. Dickerson (director of photography), Barry Alexander Brown (editor), Bill Lee (original music composer), Spike Lee (screenplay), and Wynn Thomas (production design)
- Director
- Spike Lee
- Release
- 1989-06-14
- Runtime
- 120 minutes
- Genres
- Drama
- Country
- United States
- Quiz
- 50 questions
The Screen Path journey
Before. After. Remember.
The featured film is watched outside Screen Path. The app provides the learning experience around it: a guide, an analysis, and a quiz with explanations.
01
Before you watch
Start with a spoiler-free video guide to the context and filmmaking choices worth noticing.
Spoiler-free02
After the film
Return after watching for a deeper video analysis of craft, meaning, and legacy.
Contains spoilers03
Quiz yourself
Answer 50 questions with clear rationales designed to make the ideas stick.
50 questions in this journeyWant to try a complete journey on the web? The Citizen Kane page includes the spoiler-free guide, after-film analysis, and a sample quiz.
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