Black Cinema of the Mid-80’s & Early 90’s

Black Cinema of the mid-1980’s & early 1990’s. Truly a lost art form in today’s Hollywood. An era that seems to have occurred so long ago, though we are only some 30 odd years removed from the era in which Black Entertainment had meaning. The types of productions that were being putting out there from great Black Hollywood directors such as Spike Lee, Eddy Murphy, John Singleton & those alike were truly groundbreaking pieces of art that would likely not survive or would cause controversy in today’s climate of society. Black Cinema of the 80’s & 90’s taught & displayed empowerment within our communities, unity amongst our people in times of adversity, Black Love stories that would make any lost soul looking for love settle down for good. We could do more than just play sports, make good music & dance. When can make people believe in our stories, we can put on a show in more ways than one. These films put Black Education at the forefront, showing us that school was cool if you make the most of the experience. You could get the flyest girls, attend the best parties & get street & book smart all in one setting. These kinds of films showed the lighter side of things that were going on in Black Communities during those times. Though,a good amount of these films displayed the very real & turbulent side of the Community such as the cocaine/crack epidemic of the 80’s & 90’s, the War on Drugs, Gang violence & poverty. Much more realistic & true to life than the movies we are fed today. Black Men & Women were displayed to be strong, independent, free thinking, righteous people. I miss the times when our men didn’t have wear dresses & make up to get “the big role”. The overly saturated interracial relationship movies where a black women is grinning from teeth to teeth because a white man is raising her black son is not realistic. It doesn’t send the same message to our Youth nor our people. One thing’s for sure, two thing’s for certain; REAL Black Cinema is truly a lost art form. Hollywood would never allow these kinds of movies to be produced today, but they certainly need to make a comeback.

What are some of your favorite movies from the 80’s & 90’s ?