Do The Right Thing

Bar one or two minor scratches on the original print, the picture quality is perfect. The bright colours of the hot summer day are on the screen in all their glory. The audio quality is as good as it should be. Subtitling is available on both the main feature and the extras.

Do The Right Thing has some of the finest extras I've seen in a long time. The hour long Making Of documentary makes a welcome change from the usual 10-minute borefests you get on DVDs, where everyone claims it was such an honour to work with Pauly Shore. Here, we are treated to seeing how it actually was to make the film and, in particular, how it affected the people who lived on the street where it was shot. Spike Lee made a concerted effort to do right by the local residents, including employing many of them as crew and extras - something that not many directors would have done - and doesn't shy away from airing criticisms that the locals may have had, which makes for a fascinating hour of viewing that stands up well as a documentary in its own right.

Lee's commentary is of an equally high standard. His discussion of the process and of the issues raised by the film are as thought-provoking as all the other commentaries I've heard from him. Members of the cast and crew enter into it as well, which works surprisingly well. Often such collaborations are patchy, but Do The Right Thing's has been achieved for all the right reasons and not just to fill gaps. It's a shame that Danny Aiello wasn't involved, as the Making Of indicates that he and Spike had some interesting debates about the nature of Aiello's character, and thus of the issues in the film. I'd have liked to have heard a reprise of that debate.

The remaining featurettes are fairly ignorable. It's probably best if you look upon them as things that didn't quite fit into the Making Of - extras of the extras, if you will.

An excellent DVD of an excellent film. What are you waiting for? Go buy it.