d Bensonhurst: one that has become the epitome of Black, and another, of (White) Italian. Choosing these two neighborhoods, which are separated by what seems to be another borough, as the location for this story increases the feeling of distance between black and white. Somewhat more importantly, however, is that Bensonhurst is the neighborhood where Yusef Hawkins, a black male, was killed by a group of Italian males for allegedly dating a white girl from their neighborhood in 1989. According to a commentary written by Richard Grenier, Lee dedicates this movie to Hawkins in an attempt at explaining why interracial dating is not acceptable (Grenier 50).
             Unfortunately, Lee's movie does not actually explain this why it is unacceptable. Rather it condones the violent actions provoked by interracial relationships. However, before there is any mention of interracial relationships, Lee creates two worlds: one where Flipper (Wesley Snipes), Drew (Lonette McKee), and Ming are the ideal American family, the other where Angie (Annabella Scorilla), her two brothers and her father are trapped by sexist and stereotypical roles. The problem here is that while Lee moves away from some of the stereotypes of the black family, he is unable to remove the "male gaze" from behind the camera, creating yet another chance for black women to be objectified.
             In the first scene, Flipper Purify is engaged in a steamy sex scene with his half-black-half-white wife Drew However we do not yet know that she is his wife, or that she is interracial. We do learn however, from exhausted and muffled shouts from Drew that his name is Flipper and that there is a baby. The distinct skin color difference is most compelling in this scene because it sets the tone for the rest of the film. Drew's light skin color illuminates the "darkness" of Flipper's complexion. He is black and therefore, Angie deliberately chooses to venture into the forbidden (Stone 9).
             This scene intr...