We Gotta Have It: Twenty Years of Seeing Black at the Movies, 1986-2006 [Paperback]

Esther Iverem (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 13, 2007

An essential look at the cultural dissemination of African-American in film with an exclusive interview with Spike Lee.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Iverem's collection of reviews and commentary from seeingblack.com and various print venues surveys African Americans in film since Spike Lee's mid-1980s emergence. She considers "films that were decidedly Black in content and tone, movies featuring Black stars, other people's movies (OPM) . . . that were of some significance to [blacks]," and "happenings outside the Black movie universe [that were] relevant" to it. Thus she ranges from Lee's She's Gotta Have It and Jumpin' Jack Flash in 1986 to Lee's When the Levees Broke in 2006, inserting various think pieces and interviews along the way. Her take on an OPM like Wal Mart: The High Cost of Low Price is incisive, and that piece's positioning next to the entry for Get Rich or Die Tryin' invites comparisons of the roads to wealth taken by Wal Mart's Waltons and the fictional movie's central character. An omnibus resource for black film studies. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"The work of African-American filmmakers continues to outpace critiques and commentary by African-American film critics. Esther Iverem closes this gap b providing the reader with reviews and comentary on a genre that, over the last twenty years, has moved from the margins to the mainstrem of American cinema" -- Warrington Hudlin, President of the Black Filmmaker Foundation

"Esther Iverem, a veteran of the media wars, brings a voice that is deft, insightful, and good-humored to the subject of African-American culture. In this groundbreaking collection, spanning twenty years of Black film, she proves that we have our own way of seeing-and appreciating-the movies." -- Tavis Smiley, Talk Show Host

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Product Details

• Paperback: 640 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560259167
• ISBN-13: 978-1560259169
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,578,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars (RAW Rating: 3.5) - Faces on the Big Screen, August 3, 2007

By 

The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers (RAWSISTAZ.com and BlackBookReviews.net) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We Gotta Have It: Twenty Years of Seeing Black at the Movies, 1986-2006 (Paperback)

WE GOTTA HAVE IT by Esther Iverem examines African-Americans' contributions to film over the past twenty years -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Iverem is unapologetic as she takes African American directors, actors, producers, and writers to task over their works which she feels did not help to enhance society's view of African-Americans. However, her complaints are not one sided and she also calls out white society for the role they have played in the film industry as well.

From the point of view of a culture critic, she writes about popular films such as Menace to Society, Jungle Fever, Diary of a Mad Black Woman and even recent movie's like 2006's Pursuit of Happyness and Dreamgirls. She also covers movies that include black cast members even though the stories do not center around their lives (i.e. Star Wars, Gladiator, Déjà Vu). But, this is more than just a collection of movies. Iverem also writes about the history of films, includes interviews with various stars and commentaries on events such as the Oscars and smaller, lesser known film festivals.

Overall, WE GOTTA HAVE IT is a great resource for anyone interested in film, especially African American film. The reader will find write ups on well known films and lesser known films and documentaries as well. However, the reader must be sure to go into this book with an open mind because you may not always agree with her view. Also there is an inconsistency with which she writes about the different films. For example, some movies can contain a whole review while others only get a one or two line synopsis. Still, WE GOTTA HAVE IT, is a candid look at African-American cinema that will make you think.

Reviewed by Criss
for The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers