WSR Detailed LaserDisc Review

She’s Gotta Have It
Genre:Comedy

Reviewed In Issue 10 Of Widescreen Review® Stars:
Tracy Camila Jones, Tommy Redmond Hicks, John Canada Terrell, Spike Lee, Raye Dowell, Joie Lee, Epatha Merkinson, Bill Lee.

WSR Review Scores
Picture Rating: 3
Sound Rating: 2.5
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Reference Systems
Critics' Composite Score:
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Supplementals
Supplementary footage is presented on both sides. Side 1 contains a deleted scene and a music video composed of clips from the movie, set to Bill Lee’s music. After the film on Side 2 there is more music and a glimpse of the director’s hand-written original screenplay, plus other material.

DVD General Information
(Studio/Distributor): Criterion Collection
(Catalog Number): CC1381L-229
(MPAA Rating): Not Rated
(Retail Price): $49.95
(Running Time In Minutes): 88
(Color Type): Color With Black & White Sequences
(Chaptered/Scene Access): Yes
(Closed Captioned): No
(Theatrical Release): 1986
(LD Release Date): 06/01/94
(THX® Digitally Mastered): No

Credits Information
(Director): Spike Lee
(Screenplay/Written By): Spike Lee
(Story): NA
(Music): Bill Lee
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer): Wynn Thomas
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor): Spike Lee
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers): NA
(Co-Producers): NA
(Producers): Shelton J. Lee

DVD Picture Information
(Principal Photography): Academy Standard Flat
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio): 1.85:1
(Measured LaserDisc Aspect Ratio): 1.55:1

DVD Sound Information
(DVD Soundtrack): Mono Sound
(Theatrical Sound): Optical Mono
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(Remastered Dolby Digital): No
(Remastered DTS Digital Surround): No
(Additional Languages):

WSR Narrative Review
Story Synopsis:
She’s Gotta Have It is a Spike Lee Joint Production, his first feature film debut. This is the unrated version of his romantic comedy that is original and fresh. It is about the days in the lives of young Brooklynites. Nola Darling (Tracy Johns) is educated, articulate and proudly sleeping with three men. She is the image of an independent black woman, pro-vocative in being wholly female and entirely sexual, challenging her male counterparts and their ideas about their own insecure male identity. This is a telling and modern story about love and the youth culture that beholds it.

LaserDisc Picture:
The picture has been matted at 1.55:1. The black and white renderings appear to be washed out with poor contrast while the one color sequence is rendered vividly. A slight grain is apparent throughout, but otherwise the transfer suffers from no artifacts and overall the presentation is extremely clean.

LaserDisc Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is inconsistent and un-distinguished monaural.
(Surround Bass Below 50Hz): No
(Aggressive System Surround): No
(Intense 25Hz Bass): No
(Deep Bass Challenging): No
(Aggressive 0.1 LFE):
(Holosonic Soundfield): No
(Aggressive Split Surround): No
(Center Back Surround Imaging): No
(Directionalized Dialogue): No
Superb Sound Effects Recording Quality:
Superb Music Score Recording Quality:
Superb Special Visual Effects Quality:
Superb Color Fidelity:
Superb Cinematography:
Reference LaserDisc:
Collector Edition: