One thing that really stood out to me in “Do the Right Thing” was how the mise-en-scene was able to foreshadow this theme of fire/heat and water. The vibe of the beginning of the movie is a typical hot summer day were people are baring the heat but also enjoying their summer days. The mood seems to be pretty uplifting. A scene in which this is prominent is when one of the neighborhood boys opens a fire hydrant for all the kids to come play in and cool off in the water. This seems like a uplifting time in the movie. Very soon does this happiness take a turn though. A white man is splashed in his car by the fire hydrant and he makes a very rambunctious scene. This small incident foreshadows the ending of the movie when Sal’s pizza place is burnt to the ground. Again we see the theme of heat and water being portrayed. The neighborhood began an uprising to Sal’s after one of their own is killed by NYPD. The citizens of the neighborhood start a fire and begin to act violently towards Sal and the police officers. The NYPD then uses hoses not only to set out the fire but to break up the riot. This symbolism of fire and water is a prominent one in “Do the right thing” in that it foreshadows how the ending of the story is going to play out.
I agree, and I believe that fire and heat symbolized violence and fury throughout the film. It is easy to see violence and out of control behavior when Sal’s pizza place is covered in flames. However, fire and heat are used subtly in other scenes. One example can be the scene of when Mookie and his girlfriend fight about how they never see each other. The mise en scene displays hues of red and orange, which not only displays the intense heat on that summer day but also depicts the anger between the two characters.