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Page 14 » THE MAROON TIGER October, 1986
by Packey Louis Clements
Spike Lee has made it big
in Hollywood.
Lee’s movie “She’s Gotta’
Have It’’ debuted in Atlanta
on September 12, at the Le-
font Tara theater. Officials
at the Lefont Tara theater
said that the first shows
have been sellouts.
Upon graduating from
Morehouse College, Lee
entered New York Universi
ty’s three year graduate film
making program. Lee said
that “the film school helped
polish up some of his film
making skills. Lee has pro
duced “The Awesome
Blue,” “Sara Color” and
“Joe’s Bed-Stay Barber
Shop-We Cut Heads.” Lee
had great success with Joe’s
Bed-Stay Barber Shop-We
Cut Heads” which won the
Student Academy Award.
This film has been
translated in to three dif
ferent languages.
Lee’s “She’s Gotta’ Have
It” is a comedy about a
young Black woman, Nola
Darling (Tracy Camila
Johns) who has three lovers,
Jamie (Tommy Redmond
Hicks), Greer Childs (John
Camada) and Mars
Blackmon (Spike Lee).
Lola’s lovers are pressuring
her to chose between them.
“She’s Gotta’ Have It” is a
great comedy about male
by Hillary Hopkins
If you walk past the
M.L.K. Chapel, you observe
a large graffitti drawing of
the letters “MB.” Also, on
the wall near the rear en
trance of Brawley Hall is a
full portrait of a nude, large
breasted woman.
Though we can accuse no
one, everyone in the A.U.
Center is affected by this in
cident. The issue of who car
ried out these malicious acts
is irrelevant.
If we were to single out
the individual(s) who defac
ed these buildings, what
would we do to them? How
would we treat them?
Without a doubt I am sure
violent overtones and
thoughts of cruel retribution
would come to the forefront.
“Mo’ Brown!” This is the
“Spike Lee’’
and female relationships.
Lee produced and directed
“She’s Gotta’ Have It” with
a small budget of $175,000.
He admits that it was very
difficult raising the money.
Lee stated that “it is very
difficult to raise money for a
film, especially even more
when you are a Black, in
dependent producer, with a
Black production crew and
cast. Lee states “that he
received money from grants,
friends, private donors and
through the grace of God.”
Lee states that “he was in
spired to write “She’s Got
ta’ Have It” by observing
his male friends brag about
all of the different lady
friends they had en
countered, and how his male
first thing I hear when one
refers to these incidents.
But “Mo’ Brown” (Morris
Brown College is the name
of this institutions for
higher learning) is also the
butt of several jokes I hear
in class. A teacher may be
referring to Morehouse as an
outstanding institution and
generally speak of others
which are not as good as
Morehouse. “Like Mo’
Brown!” yells a student
desparate for a laugh.
Some might view such
acts as being humorous, but
when brothers from Morris
Brown are in the class, the
humor kind of gets eerie and
downright rude. We are in
this boat together. Titles,
prominence, and egos are all
thrown into the salad bowl
and mixed together. Your
studies at Morehouse do not
guarantee you success; it’s
not written across your
friends would go crazy when
their lady friends would
leave the guy or go out with
someone else.
“She’s Gotta’ Have It”
won the Prix Dujeunesse
Best New Director 1986
Cannes Film Festival Awrd.
The film will premire in 14
European Countries in 1987.
When Lee was asked to
comment on the Color Pur
ple he stated that “he did
not like its negative por
trayal of Black Americans.”
Lee also states that “She’s
Gotta’ Have It” is not pro
jecting a negative imagine
on Black women. “She’s
Gotta’ Have It” is a comedy
that satires male and female
relationships. Nola Darling,
states Lee, “is a true
chest in neon the day you are
accepted. Success must be
earned. So you’re in
Morehouse. What of it?
What does it mean?
Beyond the superficial
level; beyond the
paraphrenalia; beyond the
mystique; what is the true
essence of being here at
Morehouse? If you can
answer these questions, then
maybe you will not look so
foolish when trying to con
form to the norm by being so
arrogant (acceptable for a
true Morehouse man).
The graffiti was truly an
act of ignorance, a blissful
and unjust deed. We should
pray for the brother or sister
who spitefully blemished
our buildings. We are here
trying to educate ourselves,
so that we may become pro
ductive citizens who bring
about positive change. This
deed does nothing for out at-
character who should not be
viewed as dextramental.
Lee’s future plans include
producing and directing a
film in the Atlanta Universi
ty Center, second semester.
The movie “School Daze”
will show the gala of
homecoming in a fictious
Black school in the South.
“School Daze” will have a
four million dollar budget
which will include the lovely
Ms. Vanessa Williams. Lee
states that students here in
the A.U. Center will have
the opportunity to audition
for parts and movie extras.
Lee stated that “Black
Americans need to make
their films that show our
real character and ex-
sistence.”
tempt to achieve this goal.
Because we have a sky
high tuition and selective
enrollment process at
Morehouse, doesn’t
automatically make us bet
ter than our counterparts at
Morris Brown. Since they
are Afro-Americans, we
have an immediate obliga
tion to help them in any way
we can. The same applies to
them in regards to our
welfare.
Let us assume that Morris
Brown did deface these
buildings. Maybe they were
fed up with the “obnoxious
arrogance” of the men at
Morehouse. Maybe you say,
“Who cares what Mo’
Brown thinks!”
Should we truley be sur
prised if we go behind
Brawley Hall and see a pic
ture of a man copulating
with his woman? You heard
it here first.
Marta —
Continued from Page 12
late one at that. Almost
every other day I can expect
to get home late. I’m lucky
it happens every other day
or else I’d probably be
unemployed.” He continued,
“I work 3 days a week —
Monday, Wednesday and
Friday. Luckily, the bus is
on time, or almost so, on
those days.
On a positive note, he com
mented. “There is one good
thing I can say about MAR
TA — I feel a lot safer
riding the bus here, than
I do in Chicago (which)
is where he’s from).” He add
ed, “In Chicago you have to
stay alert all the time
becuase you never know
when you’ll have to run for
your life — and that’s
whether you’re on the train
or the bus. I haven’t found
that to be the case here.”
Speaking of trains, they
have become one of MAR
TA’s most popular features.
According to MARTA, their
rail system — due to nation
wide attention — is a major
attraction for those who
come to this city. “I meet
people everyday from all
over the country, from as far
away as California to as
close as Columbus, GA.,”
says Charles Humphrey, an
eleven year veteran with
MARTA, whose primary job
is to operate the train. “Peo
ple, especially those from
places like New York, are
really shocked to see how
relatively clean our system
is compared to theirs.”
What do the students at
A.U.C. think about it? Nine
out of ten are pleased with
the rail system. However,
such things as the recent
shooting at the Five Points
station make some less
favorable towards the train.
Nevertheless, people like
Sam Ogura, a sophomore at
Clark enjoys the train
almost everyday as he
journeys back and forth
from College Park to Clark.
What puzzles this New York
native, is how a big city like
Atlanta can keep the trains
and the stations as clean as
it does. “It’s nothing like
this, where I come from. I
mean I love New York and
that’s my home, but our sub
way is not half as clean as
what I see down here.”
“Look down there,” he says,
pointing down at the rail
tracks, “there might be a
few pieces of paper or
something as minute as that
down there, but in New York
you’ll see beer bottles, drink
cans, dead pigeons and
anything else you can think
of.”
Deeds of Despair