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By Kamau Austin
She's Gotta Have It
I remember quite vividly being excited reading about Spike Lee's new independent Black Film "She's Gotta Have It" back in 1986. Also I remember reading about it in one of the large local papers when the New York Times and Daily News were the dominant media in NYC before the Internet. I was frenetic with anticipation!
The film release was a watershed moment for subsequent Black films. It originally cost less than $185,000 and made over 7 million at the box office. That was some return in investment even today for a film.
It was unheard of for a Black film back then! The New York Times displayed the following response to the film's success. "For an independent, shoestring production, this was remarkable. For an independent shoestring production by a black man about black people, it was astounding."
I couldn't wait to go see this pioneering film by this emerging director Spike Lee. I rushed out to see the film. After watching the movie I was happy this independent film was made although I was ambivalent about the timing of the subject matter...
...It just seemed to me the first independent Black film, in possibly decades, for a Black director was centered around the hyper-sexuality of a Black woman. It just seemed to be feeding into the stereotype of Black people and Black women as being overly sexualized.
These are still questions to be concerned about no doubt. However, Spike Lee has an impressive body of work with films like Malcolm X, Mo Better Blues, He Got Game, and Miracle At St. Anna - to just name a few. Although I have mixed emotions about the original film, I'm glad Lee's understanding of human nature and marketing has helped him usher in the floodgates of talented Black filmmakers after him in a plethora of movie genres and topics.
Moreover, I'm glad Black artistic media talent has a lot more options today. Lee is bringing Nola Darling's passions back to the viewing audience in a television series update on NetFlix this time
The 10-episode series is a contemporary update of Spike Lee's revolutionary debut independent film. She's Gotta Have It centers on Nola Darling, a Brooklyn-based artist in her late twenties struggling to define herself and divide her time amongst her Friends, her Job and her Three Lovers: The Cultured Model, Greer Childs, The Protective Investment Banker, Jamie Overstreet and Da Original B-Boy Sneakerhead, Mars Blackmon.
Lee is directing the entire series and serves as creator and executive producer along with his producer wife Tonya Lewis Lee, who will also executive produce. She's Gotta Have It is produced by Netflix. "She's Gotta Have It" will launch on Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd.
See The Trailer For The She's Gotta Have It Television Show
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Posted by community events coordinator, Nzinga Lonstein Austin, is a prolific blogger who writes on the entertainment industry and issues for people with developmental and physical challenges.She is presently in high school looking to have a career in video, film, and media. You can see more of her entertainment writing on Lonstein Movies.
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