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Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: Do The Right Thing - Recommended (1 Viewer)

Kevin EK

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DO THE RIGHT THING

20TH ANNIVERSARY

EDITION



Studio: Universal
Film Year: 1989
Film Length: 2 hours
Genre: Urban Drama/Comedy

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

BD Resolution: 1080p
BD Video Codec: AVC @ over 30 mpbs
Color/B&W: Color

Audio:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 @ an average 4.0 mbps
Spanish DTS 5.1
French DTS 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Film Rating: R (Language, Sexuality, Mild Violence)






Release Date: June 30, 2009

Film Rating

Starring: Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Richard Edson, Giancarlo Esposito, Spike Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro and John Savage

Produced, Written and Directed by: Spike Lee




Do The Right Thing is probably the most significant film in the body of work that has come from Spike Lee since his graduation from film school in the 1980s. His first non-school film, She’s Gotta Have It immediately announced a sensibility and style that practically jumped off the screen. His third film, Do The Right Thing augments that style with a level of confidence and professionalism he had not previously demonstrated. The story is a simple one: We spend one day in the life of one block in a primarily black neighbourhood in Bed-Stuy. As it happens to be one of the hottest days of the year, tempers run short and people begin to grate on each other in ways that normally wouldn’t happen. And things escalate from a series of back-and-forth racial insults into physical confrontation and go farther until the primary location of the story is literally in flames.

As I look over that description, I realize I may be giving the impression that the entire film is a polemic on racial violence. And there is some truth in that idea, but it would diminish the many other qualities on display here. In telling this story, Spike Lee has presented a clean, almost dreamlike version of this neighbourhood, and he has stylized the interactions between everyone with something approaching a hypnotic rhythm in the dialogue. And in my first viewing of this film back in 1989, I was struck by how even-handed the presentation appears; the motivations of each of the characters are made fairly clear, as well as each person’s strengths and weaknesses. The notion of people trying to do the right thing is explicitly stated early on by the film’s conscience, Da Mayor (played by Ossie Davis). And at the same time, there is a real edge on display here. Lee starts things off with a quiet presentation of Branford Marsalis, and then blasts into an in-your-face dance routine by Rosie Perez to the tune of Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power”. (“Fight The Power” is then used as an anthem for the rest of the film, as heard from the boom box of a character who figures prominently in how things develop.) If that doesn’t serve as enough of a wake-up call, Lee plants references throughout to various racial issues – from the metaphor of John Savage running over Giancarlo Esposito’s new Air Jordans to a scene being played with a graffiti backdrop of “Tawana Told The Truth!” Having listened to Lee’s commentaries on this disc, as well as his statements in all of the special features, I am forced to admit that my reaction from 1989 did not match with Lee’s intentions. He makes very clear what he feels this film is saying, and what he thinks of the characters in it. I leave it to the readers to decide for themselves if they agree.

Do The Right Thing has been released in the past on multiple video formats, but it sees its first Blu-ray release in time for its 20th Anniversary. The Blu-ray receives a 1080p AVC transfer that brings out a lot of the rich primary colors on display throughout the movie. The Blu-ray also gets a DTS-HD MA 5.1 mix that mostly lives in the front channels, but provides some directional effects from time to time. The extra features here combine some new material (a new commentary by Spike Lee, some deleted scenes presented in high definition and a new series of interviews with the cast) with the features found on the 2001 Criterion DVD for this title. (a group commentary, etc.) I will detail these features in the appropriate section, but it’s safe to say that the new features do add both valuable information and perspective to one’s experience of the film. I have a feeling that Spike Lee fans will likely pick up this title one way or another, but I recommend it as a purchase to more casual fans as well – the materials here serve both as a “film school in a box” and as an instructive look into how it is that films can reflect their times and the people in them.


VIDEO QUALITY: 3 ½/5 :star: :star: :star: ½


Do The Right Thing is presented in a 1080p AVC transfer that vividly brings the primary color palette of the film to life. Given that the film is trying to present heat as a palpable element, Spike Lee and cinematographer Ernest Dickerson openly use color psychology to great effect. The warm side of the color spectrum is firmly emphasized here, with scenes being presented in an amber glow at times, and all the “cornermen” scenes taking place on a street corner where the backing wall is painted solid red. The emphasis on reds and oranges is strong enough that when cooler colors occasionally appear (Savage’s green Celtics jersey) they literally jump off the screen. The advantage of the high definition transfer here is that the colors are solid and deep. I note that I am watching the movie on a 40" Sony XBR2 HDTV. If anyone is watching the film with a larger monitor and is seeing any issues, please respond in this thread.

I should note that a complaint has been raised about this title on other forums, specifically that a warm filter present in the Criterion DVD transfer appears to have been removed for this transfer. For some viewers, this may be a problem as it is a part of the color psychology approach to the film, in that the filter can tint everything an additional two steps into the warm color palette. However, I need to point out that there are still plenty of places where the image is noticeably in the orange/yellow zone, and there is a palpable sense of heat in the transfer.


AUDIO QUALITY

Do The Right Thing is presented in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix in English, as well as standard DTS mixes in Spanish and French. The English mix definitely has some oomph, particularly in the opening title dance sequence and any other time that Public Enemy is heard. One sequence in the film with duelling boom boxes will give your home theatre a pretty good workout, with both directional effects (as each box’s volume gets turned up) and active subwoofer work. Again, any time that Public Enemy is heard, the soundtrack really jumps. Aside from that, most of the time the dialogue sits in the front channels and the rear channels play either score or mild atmospheric effects.



SPECIAL FEATURES: 3 ½/5 :star: :star: :star: ½

The Blu-Ray presentation of Do The Right Thing combines some new material created for this edition with existing material from the earlier Criterion release. All of it works together to provide a tremendous enhancement of the viewer’s experience of the film. I will indicate which of these features is new to this edition, and which have been carried over.

THERE ARE SOME SPOILERS IN MY DISCUSSION OF THE SPECIAL FEATURES HERE. IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE FILM BEFORE, I RECOMMEND WATCHING IT BEFORE READING THIS SECTION OF THE REVIEW.

  • Commentary with Spike Lee, Ernest Dickerson, Wynn Thomas and Joie Lee – This commentary was originally prepared for the 1995 Criterion Laserdisc, and it’s loaded with information and opinion. It’s scene-specific, but it’s not an actual group commentary; instead, each participant has been recorded separately. Lee and Dickerson offer the most information about what we are seeing and how it was put together, while production designer Thomas offers some information about the art direction. The most interesting contribution, particularly given the other materials on this disc, actually comes from Lee’s sister Joie, who appears in the film playing his character’s sister. Joie Lee’s comments primarily serve to defend various choices made by Spike Lee. She specifically tries to distance her brother from the “Tawana Told The Truth!” graffiti, saying that this should be seen as typical graffiti that could be seen in Bed-Stuy, and not as an endorsement of Tawana Brawley by Spike Lee. (see the next commentary for a complete refutation of this by Spike Lee) She also tries to make the point that Mookie’s tossing of the trash can does not necessarily make him responsible for the mayhem that follows, saying that the crowd is responsible for what they did, as Mookie is responsible only for his own actions. Of course, in doing this, she completely misunderstands the nature of these actions: Mookie is clearly quite aware of how his behaviour will be interpreted by the crowd. As the one local employed by Sal in the pizzeria, his action is a trigger for everyone else, and he does indeed have some responsibility for what happens as a result of his choice.

  • 20th Anniversary Edition Commentary by Spike Lee – NEW COMMENTARY – Here we have a brand new scene specific commentary recorded by Spike Lee this year, in which he recounts stories about the making of the film and confirms his own beliefs about the meanings of specific scenes and the film itself. Among other things, he briefly discusses the Tawana Brawley graffiti, saying that he specifically had it placed on the set, that he believes that “the real truth hasn’t been told” about her, and that he believes enough of her story to think that she didn’t do all those things to herself. (Anyone curious about the Brawley matter would do well to follow Lee’s instructions and “google it.”) Lee also confirms his thinking about why the climactic inferno happens, making pointed comments along the way about John Savage’s character being a “homesteader” and the inherent racism of Sal and his family. Essentially, he almost completely refutes the statements made by his sister in the prior commentary! One other note about this commentary: It appears to me to possibly be out of sync with the picture by about one second. In several places, Spike Lee will discuss a specific shot that isn't onscreen yet, and one second later, the shot will appear. This may be due to him anticipating what's coming, or the whole thing may be one second off. Either way, it isn't enough to completely jar me, and it's too minor of a quibble for me to raise the roof about it.

  • Do The Right Thing: 20 Years Later (35:47, 1080i) – NEW FEATURETTE – This is a new retrospective set of interviews conducted by Spike Lee with the cast as part of a 20th Anniversary event held earlier this year. Presented in 1080i VC-1 high definition, the material here is illuminating both in showing us how the cast has aged in the 20 years since the film was made and in deflating some of the mythology that has arisen about the production. Most amusing here is Spike Lee’s debunking of John Savage’s Larry Bird story (Savage has been saying for years that Larry Bird gave him or his sister the jersey worn by his character when it was actually purchased by Spike Lee).

  • Deleted Scenes (14:14 Total, 1080p) – NEW FEATURE – Nearly 15 minutes of deleted scenes are presented in 1080p VC-1 high definition, although the source print is clearly an old and distressed one. Most of this material consists of unnecessary scene extensions, but there are a couple of crucial additions here. In one extension, Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) clearly defines her role in the neighbourhood as the landlady of her brownstone, that being the last thing she has left from a failed marriage. The second extension is more critical: In an unused take from the final scene, Sal’s dialogue includes an admission that he actually could not get any insurance for his pizzeria, which effectively means that his character has been ruined by the film’s events. And it also includes an echo of Da Mayor’s advice to Mookie in the film’s first act to “always try to do the right thing.” Lee mentions this in his commentary, saying that he removed the line from the end to make it more special for Da Mayor. Nobody discusses the significance of the insurance line, but that small change in the theatrical film makes the catastrophe at least a bearable one for Sal. Had that line been left in, it would be extremely hard to understand why Sal would be handing or throwing money to anyone at the end of the film.

  • Behind the Scenes (57:59, 480p, Full Frame) – This material comes from the 1995 Criterion laserdisc. This is all full frame standard definition video footage recorded by other members of Lee’s family during the making of the film, starting with the cast readthru, and continuing into rehearsals and then farther along into the process. The readthru is especially instructive, particularly when Rosie Perez shuts down one of the cornermen from trying to find a complicated rationale for his character. Her take on the situation: “You’re a bum! I grew up in a neighbourhood just like this! These guys just sit out there all day!” There is a video introduction to this section, recorded by Spike Lee for the 2001 DVD.

  • Making Do The Right Thing (1:06:38, 480p, Full Frame) – This is a fairly in-depth documentary, originally included on the 1995 Criterion Laserdisc and augmented in 2001 with a video introduction by Lee and a follow-up visit to the neighbourhood called “Back to Bed-Stuy”. The documentary includes a lot of on-set interviews and footage, and it doesn’t pull its punches when it comes to showing the reality of what was happening in the neighbourhood during filming. One resident in particular is pretty vocal about his unhappiness about the way that the production took over the neighbourhood and disrupted the summer of everyone living there. Another resident is hired to help on the production, only to have her drug addiction resurface midway through the shoot. There’s some pretty raw material here, and it’s a lot more interesting than the usual mutual compliments found on many DVDs. Lee actually makes the point in his introduction that this will not be the usual EPK material, and he’s right.

  • Editor Barry Brown (9:38, 480p, Full Frame) – This is an interview with the film’s editor that was originally included on the 2001 Criterion DVD. It is a full-frame standard definition affair, but it contains some very interesting material. Brown discusses two significant contributions he made to the film – one where he supervised an additional shot to make a child rescue scene work, and another where he cut together a montage to the local DJ’s recitation of popular figures in music. (And as I haven’t mentioned it anywhere else, that DJ is played by Samuel Jackson, a full 5 years before people would know him as Jules in Pulp Fiction. His most common quote here is “That’s the truth, Ruth” in one form or another.)

  • The Riot Sequence (480p, Full Frame) – This is another feature from the 2001 Criterion DVD, starting with a 90 second introduction by Spike Lee. The viewer is then presented with a gallery of storyboard pages for the film’s climactic sequence at Sal’s Pizzeria.

  • Cannes 1989 (42:22, 480p, Full Frame) – This is another feature from the 2001 Criterion DVD, and it presents the full press conference from the film’s appearance at Cannes in 1989. The panel for the film is represented by Spike Lee (who does most of the talking), along with Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Joie Lee and Richard Edson. Lee makes a series of pointed comments during this event, defending himself from one accusation that he should have included drug use in the movie, and repeating a criticism from the time about the issues people had with Steven Spielberg making The Color Purple and Alan Parker making Mississippi Burning.

  • Trailer and TV Spots (2:12, 480p, Non-Anamorphic for Trailer) (0:31 each, 480p, Full Frame for TV Spots) – Standard Definition presentations of the film’s theatrical trailer and two TV spots are included here.

  • BD-Live - This Blu-ray includes access to Universal’s BD-Live online site, allowing for the viewing of trailers online.


    Subtitles are available for the film and the special features. A full chapter menu is available for the film. The special features also come with their own chapter menus and can be watched in terms of the specific chapters or through a “Play All” function.

    The Blu-ray menus also include a “My Scenes” bookmarking feature, a BD-Live User Guide, and within the setup menus, a Playstation 3 controller guide.


    IN THE END...

    Do The Right Thing should be part of the collection of any DVD enthusiast who is interested in Spike Lee’s contribution to cinema, as well as anyone who wants to get a thorough look at one of the most controversial films of the 1980s. The film itself still holds up, partially due to the dreamlike haze that much of the film plays in, but it also still has a visceral impact, particularly once the racial slurs and the fists start flying. The Blu-ray edition of the movie includes a solid new transfer and some worthwhile new extras, including an illuminating new commentary with Spike Lee. I recommend it for purchase.

    Kevin Koster
    June 26, 2009.

: 3/5 :star: :star: :star: : :star: :star: :star: ½
Edited by Kevin EK - 7/2/2009 at 12:27 am GMT
Edited by Kevin EK - 7/2/2009 at 12:29 am GMT
Edited by Kevin EK - 7/2/2009 at 12:30 am GMT
 

Marc Colella

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I don't understand how this can get a "Recommended" review.

The color timing is all wrong in this release. There's supposed to be an orange/yellow hue that conveys the heat in the film, but it's been totally stripped out of this release. The Criterion release has it and that transfer was approved by the film's cinematographer.

DVDBeaver has a comparison between the Criterion and the Blu-Ray releases.

This "adjustment" is not much different than releasing it in the wrong aspect ratio.

This was definitely not the film I originally saw all those years ago.
 

Robert Crawford

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Have you actually watched this BRD or are you strictly going by what DVDBeaver has stated?






Crawdaddy
 

Kevin EK

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I certainly noticed a very strong orange/yellow hue at times, in addition to the scenes that had solid red backdrops, like the cornerman scenes. Regardless of the impression from the screencaps at DVDBeaver, there are still plenty of places in the film where there is a noticeable filtration. (One example is the opening moment with Da Mayor waking up in the heat.) The point of color psychology was not simply the application of the filter, as Dickerson makes clear in his statements on the Criterion commentary and in the documentaries.

For me, this most definitely is the film I originally saw 20 years ago.

Again, I'm watching the film on a 40" set, but I did not have a problem here.

In looking at the DVDBeaver review and the DVD Talk discussion, I can see that some people are pre-judging this title based on the screencaps. I strongly recommend actually watching the title - renting it if you wish, before doing that.

That said, I will add a note into the video portion of the review as a qualifier. I am also adding back in a note I intended regarding Spike Lee's new commentary - that it appears to be slightly out of sync by about 1 second. There were several places where he appeared to to be discussing something that hadn't happened quite yet, and then a moment later, I could see it onscreen. I can't tell if this was due to him anticipating things or if it is truly out of sync, and the amount is close to negligible, but it did strike me at times.

My recommendation of this title wasn't just for the picture. It was also for the inclusion of the Criterion extras (albeit without the "Fight the Power" video and Chuck D. commentary) and the addition of the new ones. It was also due to the extensive nature of those new and old extras and to the significance of this film in Spike Lee's filmography. People new to this, particularly film students, absolutely should see this film, and this Blu-ray contains a lot of material that will make it worth their time.

I suppose we could also ask Robert Harris about this. I look to him as the expert on these matters. His post on this subject didn't mention an issue of filtration - he was seeing something else that didn't work for him - some kind of electronic edge or "force field" visible in some shots, but nothing along the lines of a complete color timing disaster.
 

Robert Crawford

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That's been a major beef of mine for 10 or more years now, but certain people keep relying on them as an accurate judge to what they may or may not see without actually watching the moving video.





Crawdaddy
 

Martin Teller

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I considered cancelling my pre-order, as the Beaver screencaps definitely do NOT look like the film *I* saw 20 years ago. It looks like a pleasant spring afternoon, not the hottest day of the year. But I decided to let my own eyes be the judge. I do wish Lee and/or Dickerson would make some kind of statement about it.
 

Kevin EK

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I noticed on another thread that posters were saying something about Spike Lee being at a release event, at which they intended to specifically ask him about this transfer. If he responds that he's very upset about it, then I'll take notice. And if Ernest Dickerson has the same reaction, it would get my attention.
 

Vegas 1

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Nice review Kevin, since I have the Criterion dvd I believe I will pass on this but I think one needs to at least give this a rent to make a fair judgement.
regards
 

urbo73

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I have it, and it the Criterion (supervised by Mr. Dickerson) looks different and resembles more of the color hue I saw the 4-5 times I went to see it in theaters (over the years, in special showings way past 1989, etc). This release looks very good, but the color is most definitely different. Wrong? Don't know - just very different. That orange was SO obvious in the theaters, my memory is not playing games, since I recall how different it looked. And the previous DVDs all looked the same.

Unless someone comes back and says that THIS is what the answer print lookes like, that all visual memories are wrong, or that Mr. Dickerson decided to change something here (even though he was not involved - a curious thing being this is the 20th anniversary), in my opinion, this is incorrect color. Is this another Dracula? Maybe - let's hope this is what was intended all along, but it's hard to believe. Those in the know please chime in.

Edited by urbo73 - 7/1/2009 at 04:59 pm GMT
 

Simon Howson

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Originally Posted by Robert Crawford
The page has a comparison of the DVD and the Blu-ray. The Blu-ray has completely different colour timing. How you can reject this comparison out of hand I have no idea.

Which one looks closer to original prints, I don't know. But it is possible that the Blu-ray doesn't have the orange look, because the sorts of people currently buying Blu-rays wouldn't accept such a manipulated looking film.

On the DVD commentary Ernest Dickerson says his inspiration for the film was Powell and Pressberger Technicolor films like The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death.
 

urbo73

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Interesting that Mr. Harris' review didn't mention any color difference - which IS obviously there (right or wrong):

http://new.hometheaterforum.com/forum/thread/288889/a-few-words-about-do-the-right-thing-in-blu-ray

There is no argument that there IS a major color difference. It's there. Like it was on Dracula. On Dracula we understood from Mr. Harris why the Blu-ray was the correct look. I'd like to understand that here. I have doubts this time though that Universal didn't just screw it up.
 

Kevin EK

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I have gone back and looked at the Criterion Laserdisc of this title (I'm one of THOSE people, I admit - I still keep a lot of my old Criterion Laserdiscs...). Yes, there is a pronounced orange hue on the film on the Criterion Transfer. Yes, it has a definite impact on the image - although I don't recall it being as pronounced when I saw the film in its original release 20 years ago. The transfer, approved by Ernest Dickerson, was actually done for the laserdisc, and transfer was anamorphically enhanced for their 2001 DVD. (They did several things for the DVD, including the anamorphic encoding and some additional video introductions and supplements. Most of that material has been carried over for this one, as I have documented.)

The transfer for this release appears to be in line with the prior Universal release, not the Criterion releases.

I am curious, given the feedback here and on other forums, whether any of the people who have shown concern about the filter issue, took the time to ask Spike Lee about it during his signing at Barnes and Noble last night in NYC.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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I was all ready to buy this, but now, I'm not so sure anymore. And like one or two others, I'm more inclined to think Universal messed up (yet) again on something like this thinking their target customers will prefer this. That certainly would be nothing new w/ them.

_Man_
 

Kevin EK

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The real question, to my mind, is why there has been no comment from Spike Lee or Ernest Dickerson on the transfer, if it's this much of a problem.

Spike Lee has had numerous opportunities to sound off about this, and he's not known for being shy about issues like this. In his public appearances, and in his commentary while watching this new transfer, he does not say anything about having a problem with the transfer or the presentation not being to his liking. If I am wrong, and if there is some public statement about this from him, I would be very interested to hear it. And I'd print a retraction as quick as can be, in that event.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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NVM. Just reread your review for the answer to my question.

Maybe this will be yet another case where they really should just offer both versions of the film (in one way or another).

_Man_
 

Kevin EK

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Man,

I hear you, and agree with the idea about trusting the art not the artist.

Never have I had to deal with this issue so specifically as with this title. As the review notes, I was really struck at how different the film is in my perception versus that of Spike Lee. The movie I thought I was watching does not seem to be the film he clearly was making.

If you ask him or his sister, things like Mookie throwing the trash can have a different meaning and a different value than the one I assigned to it. Out of respect for the artist, I have to admit that I must have been wrong on one level in terms of understanding what he was thinking. But on the other hand, I totally disagree when Joie Lee says that Mookie isn't responsible for what happens next.

And of course, arguments like this are what the movie is all about anyway...
 

Robert Crawford

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I'll tell you later today when I actually watch my BRD of it unlike some of you that are criticizing without doing the same. Also, you and I had this argument before about captures so we'll never agree about this issue.
Originally Posted by Simon Howson


The page has a comparison of the DVD and the Blu-ray. The Blu-ray has completely different colour timing. How you can reject this comparison out of hand I have no idea.

Which one looks closer to original prints, I don't know. But it is possible that the Blu-ray doesn't have the orange look, because the sorts of people currently buying Blu-rays wouldn't accept such a manipulated looking film.

On the DVD commentary Ernest Dickerson says his inspiration for the film was Powell and Pressberger Technicolor films like The Red Shoes and A Matter of Life and Death.
 

urbo73

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Originally Posted by Kevin EK

The real question, to my mind, is why there has been no comment from Spike Lee or Ernest Dickerson on the transfer, if it's this much of a problem.

Spike Lee has had numerous opportunities to sound off about this, and he's not known for being shy about issues like this. In his public appearances, and in his commentary while watching this new transfer, he does not say anything about having a problem with the transfer or the presentation not being to his liking. If I am wrong, and if there is some public statement about this from him, I would be very interested to hear it. And I'd print a retraction as quick as can be, in that event.
I thought the same thing, though I have not listened yet to the new commentary track yet. I just watched the film with the original soundtrack. Is it recorded when he is actually watching the Blu-ray transfer for sure? I too find it bizarre that he wouldn't say anything - wrong or right. Because as as we all agree, there is an obvious difference. He could have said - we'll on the Criterion it was too orangey and here we finally got it right. Or the other way around. But the latter would be weird to say. So? Very, very bizarre. Spike has chilled out a bit in the older age, and so has the hue of the film!
 

Kevin EK

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Based on the unfortunate exchange between Spike Lee and Clint Eastwood a couple of years ago, I'm not certain that much chilling out has happened. And Spike's comments on the film fall right in line with the last pair of commentaries I heard of his - for Inside Man and 25th Hour. He's quite up front about the issues that concern him. He openly talks about some of the more uncomfortable moments, like the climactic confrontation between Sal and Radio Raheem, and how Danny Aiello initially refused to say the dialogue or do the blocking. The former got taken care of when Giancarlo Esposito, at Lee's direction, threw a bunch of increasingly nasty epithets at Aiello, prompting the response you see on screen. And the latter simply got changed. On a funnier note, I appreciated one bit where Mookie and Vito are arguing about Roger Clemens and Dwight Gooden, and Mookie dismisses Clemens and proclaims Gooden the better player. Lee, in the commentary, announces "I was wrong!" Please let me know if you agree about the commentary being a second early in its timing. It's a minor thing, but that's the kind of thing that can make me think I'm losing my mind while going over the materials. (I remember Jackie Brown having a similar issue with its text commentary a few years back, but that was much more pronounced.)

Given that Spike Lee announces right off the bat that he's recording the commentary for the 20th Anniversary, and that he hasn't seen the film "in a while", I believe it's safe to say that he's watching the new transfer. He also attended an anniversary screening and event, as he tags it on "February 26 in the Year of Our Lord 2009"), during which he taped the interviews used for the new retrospective. In those materials, neither he nor Ernest Dickerson mentions having any issue with the transfer, which is part of the reason why I questioned the extent of the problem. (When The French Connection Blu-ray hit, I remember the public argument between director and DP...) At the same time, it appears to me in the retrospective documentary that the footage there HAS THE WARM FILTER...
 

urbo73

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OK, now I will have to listen to this commentary as soon as I can. Which won't be tonight since I'm going to see "Public Enemies". It sounds interesting, but still why no mention of the difference in color? A film about differences in race and color too! Now we're debating which color is right in the transfer! The irony!
 

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