Visual Essay II (Question 1)

Directors often try to emulate certain aspects of their lives into their films. They often start with this type of vision and then gradually broaden their scope. Steven Spielberg grew up fascinated with extra terrestrial and other science fiction fantasies; he therefore focused on these topics in the beginning of his film career. Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee, both grew up in the boroughs of New York City, started filming what they saw as their surroundings. Lee focused on Bed-Stuy [Bedford-Stuyvesant] which is neighborhood in Brooklyn, where he grew up. Scorsese, based his film Mean Streets on events that he witnessed in Little Italy where he lived out his adolescence. As many of us do, Lee and Scorsese, imitate what we see, and eventually build upon that. They began with concentrating just on the cultures and ethnic groups that they are part of, and progressively began to show multi-ethnic urban environments [which is what began to occur]. We are all highly influenced by changes that occur in our everyday lives and surroundings.

Spike Lee’s senior thesis, Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads, took place in Bedford-Stuyvesant. In the film, the neighborhood is depicted as seemingly all African American. The barbershop, apparently only has African American patrons; so anyone would think, no, Bed-Stuy is not at all multi-ethnic. Yes, many think that indeed, Bed-Stuy is a rather African American prevalent part of Brooklyn, just as Harlem is to Manhattan. Brooklyn though has a great deal of multi-ethnic groups; a Jewish community in Borough Park, while Italian-Americans were originally dominant in Bensonhurst, now there are large numbers of Chinese and Russians as well. Originally each ethnic group had their own neighborhood, but it is changing becoming rather diverse and integrated. The census taken in 2000 [US Census Bureau] stated that forty percent of the population in Brooklyn, was white, thirty-six was African American, six was of Asian decent, and eighteen percent were of Hispanic or Latino origin. So in Lee’s Joe’s Bed-Stuy film, there were only African Americans; fast-forward a couple years and in his Do the Right Thing, there is a slight mixture [in comparison to the earlier film].

During the first half hour or so of Do the Right Thing, we are introduced to all of the characters as the camera “walks” around the block and so on. At first glance it seems that this area of Bed-Stuy is mainly populated by African Americans and Puerto Ricans. Then we come to the businesses on a particular corner, a pizzeria owned by Italian Americans and a grocery store owned by a Korean couple. This pizzeria is the main focus of the film; all the patrons that dine there are of African American heritage, yet there is a “Wall of Fame” adorned with only renowned Italian American talents and no African American talents (Verdicchio, P. 108).

A specific scene where we kind of get to know the characters in a slightly humorous way is when several characters go through racial slurs; the way this scene was filmed is rather creative. It starts with Lee’s character of Mookie standing in the middle of the street, but he is about ten to fifteen feet away from the camera. Then the camera glides forward [rather speedy] to a close up as he continues his epithets to Italian Americans. It continues to Pino in the pizzeria, a Puerto Rican on the street, a white cop, and the Korean store owner. The scene ends with DJ Love Daddy; instead of the camera gliding to him, he actually glides forward to us in his chair, a clever change in the pattern. And within each racial epithets, you get up close to the character and see that they are barely taking a breath and rarely blinking. This scene is incredibly witty and rather symbolic for the film; the way it is filmed and the subject matter sums up Do the Right Thing!

Another scene that is rather innovative to emphasize the incredible heat is when DJ Love Daddy does the roll-call of all the famous African American entertainers. We are not sure if all of these people are actually listening to the radio, but you don’t really think about that. The heat is really stressed; the camera highlights several characters; Mother Sister is fanning herself, then it jumps to Da Mayer who is so warm that he is falling asleep (you can see that his beer is rather slippery and he might lose his grasp). Then the camera “spots” the three unemployed men, who are somewhat at a distance and you can actually see the heat moving in front of the camera. With the close ups in the scene you can see the sweat dripping down their arms and the dampness on their shirts – the hotness of the day is completely apparent. Also, in this scene and throughout the movie, the heat is accentuated with the bold colors used by the cinematographer Ernest Dickerson. He used a lot of yellows, oranges, and red [very little blue] for the color schemes (Aftab, Kaleem). This innovative trick truly underlines the heat and adds thoughts in your mind that the characters are already on edge because of the uncomfortable weather.

Spike Lee’s film, Do the Right Thing, was made as a drama in the current era – many people can relate to this time period and the issues going on. This is not exactly apparent in the film Gangs of New York directed by Martin Scorsese. The film set in New York City [primarily at the five points region] starts off in 1846 and continues on in 1862 – where times were a bit different. Gangs highlights a very versatile and strenuous relationship between the so-called Natives and the newly arrived Irish. The story starts off with an encounter between the Natives led by William “Bill the Butcher” Cutting and the Irish Catholic [their gang is nicknamed the Dead Rabbits] led by Priest Vallon. A fight ensues between the two groups and Priest Vallon is killed by Bill the Butcher; the whole murder is witnessed by the Priests very young son Amsterdam. The film somewhat fast-forwards to when Amsterdam comes back to the area [after being taken away to an orphanage/prison]. Some particular situations are the same; Bill the Butcher has as much power (if not more) and has seemingly accepted former members of the Dead Rabbit gang. He still detests the Irish, especially the thousands of immigrants arriving on boat each day. He thinks of them as lazy, wild, and even groveling souls; the Nativists look down upon the Irish, just as they do African Americans living in the slums of the city (Roedier, P. 133-134).

Amsterdam is taken under Bill the Butcher’s wing, but Bill does not know that there is a connection to the Priest he murdered until later on in the film. During this time, the Civil War is occurring and a draft has been ordered. This issue upsets all the poor – all different nationalities, they do not want to be drafted because that is announcing death early for them.

This historical drama, filmed rather recently, received a lot of success. Scorsese filmed it incredibly beautifully and that definitely says something, judging that many scenes take place in the dirtiest slums imaginable. Many have hailed Scorsese for being historically accurate in many of the scenes. One particular scene that has been considered highly accurate was the riot scenes toward the end of the film. Not only is this part of the film filled with action, but done in a rather novel way. Scorsese filmed action of those who were rioting against the rich, but also incorporated pictorials of what was going on as well. One would see the actual event occurring, and then it would jump to what would have been in the paper the next day. A very creative way to stress the occurrences of the riot and the aftermath.

Another example of innovation was more of an editing step that just emphasized the impact of a situation. When Amsterdam finds that his friend, Johnny has been tortured and left to die on a street corner. Johnny is begging for Amsterdam to put him out of his misery, which Amsterdam does after a moment of reflection. As the shots ring out in the street, the camera cuts to Bill the Butcher who is sharpening his knives and daggers; he pauses, seemingly knowing what that shot meant, and quickly continues his task. Bill the Butcher, here is shown that he does not have any feelings or even a heart for that matter. Shooting and killing your friend, is not an easy task to do and it is asking an incredible amount of emotion to do so. The butcher in pausing for a second or two, seems to say that if faced with that situation he would not blink an eye and not have any feeling of sorrow after the act. This scene shows the true colors of Bill the Butcher in a very inventive way.

An additional example to show innovation, is earlier in the film, when Amsterdam is recollecting his father’s death and the butcher’s roll in it. Whenever Amsterdam thinks back to that fateful day, his visions are blue. The blue hue to these visions, make one feel coldness and hate that Amsterdam is feeling toward the butcher. In the beginning when we originally see these visions they lack the hue later represent. So perhaps this color shows that over time, hatred can cultivate deeply into the heart and mind.

The final scene I would like to discuss is, once again towards the end of the film. As the riot is just starting to gather steam, several characters begin to pray for God’s help and protection. Bill the Butcher, is shown first kneeling by an American flag, then the camera jumps to a rich and powerful family sitting down to breakfast. This family will be a victim of the riot in mere moments, yet they are praying and thanking God for blessings. Then again the camera jumps, this time to Amsterdam praying for the victory of the Dead Rabbits and other Irish gangs, and once again asking for God’s protection. As the scenes jump, the voices do as well – but they are all in continuous prayer. They all share a belief in God, but differ in areas of ethnicity, power, and economic status.

In both of the films discussed, the characters fully embrace their ethnicity and are willing to defend it. And the fact that they take place over a hundred years apart, just shows that this is how we humans are. We stand up for what we are, whether it be the color of our skin, our heritage, or our religion. Scorsese and Lee have used film to emphasize strength and hope of people, doing so in several ingenious ways. They use amazing techniques with both the story and the camera, to show struggle and humility. And at the end of each of these films, tragedy occurs for the characters so they realize that ethnicity should not be something to be afraid of but embraced.

Works Cited

Aftab, Kaleem. Spike Lee: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2006. P. 73-99.

Reckner, Paul. International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Volume 6, No 2, 2002. “Remembering Gotham: Urban Legends, Public History, and Representations of Poverty, Crime, and Race in New York City.” 2002. P. 95-108.

Roediger, David. Irish American Workers and White Racial Foundation in the Antebellum United States. Verso: London. 1991. P. 133-135.

Verdicchio, Pasquale. Bound By Distance. “If I Was Six Feet Tall.” Associated University Presses, Inc. 1997. P. 106-110.

The era of New Hollywood ushered in a new, vibrant, and exciting time in history for movie audiences. There were many that created innovative and exhilarating films that were not only entertaining but relatable; and with that many up-and-comers were highly influenced by these novel creations. Both Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee were significantly transfixed by the New Hollywood period and took the ideas and implemented them into their handiwork. Scorsese and Lee found a new way to reach out to the youth and have continued doing so with many ingenious films.
Martin Scorsese was part of the New Hollywood scene, while Spike Lee was heavily influenced by it. They both accomplished some of the same incredible goals; they brought controversy to the cinema and did so while appealing to the youth. Let’s start with Scorsese. When one thinks of Scorsese, many things come to mind; violence [the Mafia/Gangsters], Catholicism [struggles with guilt and salvation], and Italian-Americans. All three of those are entailed in his 1974 film, Mean Streets. This film is a brilliant example of a product of the New Hollywood era for many reasons. This movie was not set in some far away land with all beautiful people with perfect manors or polite language. Mean Streets seemed real to so many because it was relatable. The plot of this film alone drew people in. Youth, especially always has doubts regarding the future; what should I do about my career?, will God forgive me even if I keep committing the same sins and I do not learn from them?, and so on. Those thoughts are going through the main character, Charlie throughout the film. We all have friends that have some growing up to do and many of us want to protect and help them, Charlie has to deal with this with Johnny Boy. The youth can relate to this, because they are experiencing this or something close to it in their lives. Scorsese made this film with a some-what edgy type of documentary style, no perfect lighting for it is shot on location (New York City) not in a studio stage. Robert Casillo comments on the film in his Gangster Priest stating, “The film’s realism is owed in large measure to its documentary and naturalistic style, with frequent use of the hand-held camera along with rapid and abrupt editing.” (page 180). Scorsese does not stick to one way of filming; there are jump cuts, use of slow motion and long-tracking shots, along with point of view shots throughout Mean Streets.

The picture in the reddish tint is a great example of Scorseses’ crafty work; shot on location at a bar, with dark lighting so that not everything is clearly visible. And if you watch this particular scene, it starts with one slow motion shot of the bar, with a voice over of Charlie’s thoughts – no noise of the bar scene is heard until the camera goes at a normal pace. These film techniques that Scorsese used were very rather creative and modern. Also, the actual happenings of this scene have to do with the current issues facing the youth; in many ways it was socially unacceptable to date a different race than you. The character of Charlie is admiring the beautiful dancer and once again you hear a voice over – saying twice that she is really good looking. His thoughts end though when he states, “but she’s black”; Scorsese brought this social/racial/sexual issue into the film because it was occurring in that time period.

In a later scene, there is a welcome home party to Vietnam Veteran. The scene is very interesting in the way Scorsese uses the camera to emphasize the action occurring. The camera starts with the veteran sitting in the background and then seemingly creeps up to him. When he smashes the cake and jumps up to grab the girl on the dance floor, the camera backs up. The act of moving the camera, seemingly like a person to stay out of the way, accentuates the movement that the veteran is doing and causing. Throughout this longer shot, the camera continues to back up, even when the guys are trying to get the girl to safety.

So the era of New Hollywood has ended, but now those who came of age during the era are going to express themselves. Spike Lee definitely was influenced by the innovations of the era and he implemented them with his very first works. Lees’ senior year thesis project, Joe Bed-Stuy Barber Shop: We Cut Heads, had many aspects of the New Hollywood period intertwined in it. In Houston A. Baker Jr.’s essay, Spike Lee and the Commerce of Culture he states that, “The texture of the film is grainy, muffled, slightly unfocused, giving the “joint” an air of both realism and low-budget independence.” (paragraph 4). Realism was one of the main aspects of the New Hollywood period, as was making low budget films; so visually the film seemed to be a product of this famous era. The storyline also emanates New Hollywood characteristics with the struggles of good and evil. The main character, Zacharias debates with himself whether to join in the evil Lovejoy’s gambling operation. Everyday people have temptations of evil, especially the youth because they have not had enough experience to rely on their conscience – a relatable storyline!

With Spike Lee’s first real motion picture, She’s Gotta Have It, he also implemented many New Hollywood tactics in the storyline and in the making process. First of all, this film released in 1986 was made in black and white, with only one scene in full color (a Wizard of Oz appreciation). Lee and one of his collaborators, Ernest Dickerson saw Raging Bull (by Scorsese!) and was greatly inspired. This is evident in Kaleem Aftab’s Spike Lee: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking to It, where Dickerson states, “Raging Bull was a big lightening for us, especially the speed changes and the sound design of that film. Martin Scorsese was always playing with the medium and using film expressionistically to heighten the experience the film was giving the audience.” (page 35). That alone, shows that Lee was greatly influenced by the New Hollywood era and learned a great deal from those who were part of it. And then there is the factor that the story is being told directly to the camera – several of the characters speak directly to the audience. First it’s Nola Darling explaining how she met her lovers – then later in the film it’s the lovers discussing their thoughts on Darling. Yes that is lovers, multiple – a very controversial social issue that seemed to be ingenious; men can have multiple partners and people think nothing of it, while if women have more than one partner they are thought of as whores or sluts. Lee thought, why not turn the tables around? A very interesting topic for the youth and particularly women. Spike comments on how this idea first came to him in Kaleem Aftab’s book, “ It amused me to listen to my male friends talk about how many girlfriends they had, that type of stuff - and what their reaction was if they ever found out one of their girls was straying. So I just thought, Why don’t we flip the tables and this film about a sexually active woman who is living her life like a young man, having multiple partners?” (page 27). That first part of that quote is rather relatable – everyone whether male or female, worries about if their partner strays – and since we are human they will have some sort of reaction!
Nowadays, directors seem mold movies in many creative ways. When the New Hollywood era started, they techniques of editing films, filming, and so on were changing and it was all new to everyone. In Spike Lee’s film She’s Gotta Have It, the character of Mars Blackmon (played by Lee) is introduced with a series of jump cuts and an up-beat hip hop track; this was a new way of introducing a character – these days it is a very common way of doing things. Those who were part of the New Hollywood period [like Scorsese] and those immediately following [like Lee] were so incredibly imaginative with the entire filming process. They are definitely film auteurs and in many ways are defining examples of film auteurs.

Works Cited

Aftab, Kaleem. Spike Lee: That's My Story and I'm Sticking To It. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2006. P. 27.

Baker Jr., Houston A. "Spike Lee and the Commerce of Culture." Black American Literature Forum. 1991.

Casillo, Robert. Gangster Priest: The Italian American Cinema of Martin Scorsese. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2006. P. 180.