Viewing notes

• Boycotting Sal's:
• J-cut of RR’s leit motif ‘Fight the Power’ plays, announcing their arrival


  Politicised nature of its lyrics enhanced by volume it’s played
• MCU Dutch angle as BO + RR enter pizzeria

  Bold, unconventional camerawork --> auteur
• Camera pulls out and characters walk towards it, cuts to POV canted, subtle H/A of Sal as he leans in and stares directly at camera

  Shows Lee’s innovative directing --> New Hollywood, auteur

  Bold, unconventional subjective camerawork shows racial tension spilling through camera --> auteur

  Skewed world view as RR + S can’t see eye-to-eye
• Angle accentuates perspiration on S’s forehead

  Visual reminder of heat literally and metaphorically rising

  Racial tension manifested in heat
• Emphasised with various altered shots switching between high + low canted angles as they argue, lit with dim, uneven natural lighting 

  Rising tension
• RR places boombox on counter and S takes out his baseball bat (cultural/metaphorical props

  Cultural symbols found in everyday urban life -particularly among young African American people targets youthful audience --> New Hollywood
• S destroys boombox (RR's cultural identity) with baseball bat (symbol of cultural violence against black people) 

  Reinforces racially charged violence + resonates with largely black audience 
• Gentrification scene...
• Brooklyn neighbourhood in background displays vibrant colour palette –orange walls 


  Brooklyn, location shooting, colour palette --> auteur

  Emphasis of heat and reminder of simmering tensions
• Eyeline match as BO looks at trainers, fast zoom from CU to XCU of Nike Air Jordans (cultural prop) 

  Bold, unconventional camerawork, specific character intro, trainer represents nuanced discussion of race as it is BO’s cultural identity stepped on by white man --> auteur

  Cultural prop appeals to young audience --> New Hollywood
• L/A MCU of BO’s exaggerated expression “Yo!”, camera remains fixed on him, no SRS as Clifton is ignorant 

  Bold, unconventional camerawork --> auteur
• MLS trucking as BO runs towards him 

  Increases dramatic effect
• Clifton wearing Larry Bird t-shirt juxtaposing M’s Robinson one from earlier 

  Racial dynamics presented through cultural references --> auteur
• Crowd gathers, camera remains fixed 


  claustrophobic feeling, rising tension
• L/A on Clifton as he walks up to his expensive brownstone, H/A on BO and group putting them below him 

  Gentrification --> auteur

  Establishes Cliftons position of dominance and white privilege as he remains calm, doesn't feel threatened 
• “I was born in Brooklyn”, group all exasperated 


  Heightened idiosyncratic tone in addressing serious topic of gentrification --> auteur
• Race rant scene...
• Breaks 4th wall as characters address audience directly 

  Auteur

  Brechtian distancing technique encourages active audience, prevents them from losing itself completely in the narrative
• Disrupts narrative flow to address social issues

  Auteur

  Aggressive racial stereotyping between minority groups, utilises the juxtaposition of different racist viewpoints to show undercurrent of anger bubbling under New York’s surface fuelled by ethnic difference 
• CU centre framed fast paced pull in on each character 

  bold, unconventional camerawork --> auteur
• Static camera breaks pattern as MSLD moves towards camera instead of camera moving towards him “you need to cool down” 

  Acts as Greek Chorus addressing audience

  Urging to approach each other with love not hate (MLK)

  “cool down” metaphorical for racial tension expressed through heat
• Riot scene...
• Eye level LS as police pull up to frame

  Ready for action like they were expecting this - readiness of law system at the time to persecute black people
• CU of RR being choked with policeman’s stick (metaphorical prop like S’s bat)


  Uncomfortable, upsetting, reminiscent of Michael Griffiths 
• Cuts to CU of his feet dangling in air 

  Reminiscent of lynching

  Draws attention to his Nike Air Jordans (Cultural prop) --> young black audience - New Hollywood
• Camera static on ground level as RR falls next to it in foreground 


  Emphasises thud as he falls, emotional
• Da Mayor attempts to calm people down (chooses love -MLK), M physically crosses over street to the black people 


  Choosing his black identity and going against Sal to ‘fight the power’
• Trucking dolly shot of crowd chanting “Howard Beach” + references to Eleanor Bumpers, Michael Stewart who DTRT was dedicated to 


  Directly addresses audience to speak out against racially motivated crime and injustice of law system NYPD --> auteur