Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Killer of Sheep (1977)
Director: Charles Burnett
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
From its acerbically blunt title downward, ‘Killer of Sheep’ is a comedy of sorts, albeit a comedy that – like the best of ’em – is about hardship, disenchantment and loneliness. Produced for the paltry sum of $10,000 as part of his film degree, Charles Burnett’s debut film – re-released after 30 years in legal limbo – is nothing short of a gorgeous, humanist miracle. Loosely flanking the woe-stricken day-to-day life of Stan (Henry G Sanders) – a reticent family man and slaughterhouse stiff living in LA’s Watts ghetto – the film comprises a series of jokes, social encounters and family ‘scenes’ that coalesce to create a rich and realistic (or so it feels) depiction of black urban America. In terms of story, that’s pretty much it, but for a film in which each frame bursts with texture, mood and an aching sensitivity towards life’s small moments of pain and euphoria, there’s little need for more.As Stan toils, local youths pass the time in disused railway sidings, scuttling about aimlessly, throwing stones, fighting and laughing: these scenes are as rhapsodic as any in Malick’s ‘Days of Heaven’. Photographed in shimmering monochrome which is given additional depth with this polished new print, the film offers a firm rebuttal to black stereotypes in cinema while rendering the torpor of the daily grind as a prolonged and beautiful struggle for survival. Accompanied with auspicious music selections (from Gershwin to Dinah Washington) Burnett’s film is a singular achievement which offers the reassuring sidenote that other such treasures are out there just waiting to be unearthed.
Author: David Jenkins
User reviews of this film
-
- Milan said...
-
Posted on Jun 28 2008 00:08
I don't remember when the last film was given 6* in TO and I had such high hopes, but alas...
"...film offers a firm rebuttal to black stereotypes in cinema while rendering the torpor of the daily grind as a prolonged and beautiful struggle for survival." - Watching this film was less beautiful and more struggle
"In terms of story, that’s pretty much it (a series of jokes, social encounters and family ‘scenes’ that coalesce to create a rich and realistic depiction of black urban America), but for a film in which each frame bursts with texture, mood and an aching sensitivity towards life’s small moments of pain and euphoria, there’s little need for more." - Somehow pain and aching are the words that first come in mind after watching
"As Stan toils, local youths pass the time in disused railway sidings, scuttling about aimlessly, throwing stones, fighting and laughing: these scenes are as rhapsodic as any in Malick’s ‘Days of Heaven’." - I'd say the stress is on "pass time" and "aimlessly" then on rhapsodic
Some good music though.
A good début film on a low budget, but it is an insult to many brilliant films out there that TO marked 3* or 4*. - Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Charles Burnett
Producer: Charles Burnett
Cast: Henry Gayle Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry, Jack Drummond full cast
Duration: 84 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
The ultimate 'Harry Potter' crib sheet
Our resident potter professor, Wally Hammond, offers the ultimate introduction to 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'
Bruno is here!
Sacha Baron Cohen hits the streets as Austria's premiere gay fashionista in 'Bruno'. Read our review of the film plus see the pics from our cover shoot
Lars von Trier's 'Antichrist': joke or masterpiece?
Dave Calhoun invites seven experts to watch Lars von Trier's latest and share their reactions
Classic Film Club: 'Smiles of a Summer Night'
Each week Tom Huddleston watches a classic film he's never seen before. The rules are simple: each film must be considered a masterpiece and each must be completely new to him.
Has Michael Mann lost it?
Adam Lee Davies mourns the passing of a major Hollywood talent as Michael Mann's 'Public Enemies' sees the great director running on empty
Why 'Ice Age 3' is really for adults
Tom Huddleston takes a look at a selection of films which bring adult problems to a pre-teen audience
Is this Summer 2009's best film?
The French filmmaker Claire Denis speaks to Dave Calhoun about her new film, '35 Shots of Rum', a tender portrait of a father-daughter relationship in Paris
Outdoor film screenings in London 2009
Derek Adams offers a guide to the best places to see films outside in London this summer
50 essential sci-fi films
With 'Star Trek' making serious waves, we thought it would be a perfect time to select 50 must-see sci-fi films












What do you think?
Post your review now