CINEMA AT THE WHITNEY
Friday, October 19
THE FILMS OF CHARLES BURNETT—WITH CHARLES BURNETT!
With the recent theatrical release of his debut film Killer of Sheep
Charles Burnett is finally getting the recognition he's long deserved.
The Cinema at the Whitney is proud to present Sheep, as well as some of
Burnett's rarer films. Burnett himself will be coming from Los Angeles
to introduce the films and give a Master's Tea at Calhoun. Check this
website for updated information on more events and 35mm screenings
throughout the weekend! Co-sponsored by the Film Studies Program, the
African American Studies Program, Calhoun College, the Afro-American
Cultural Center, and Sphere Magazine. "Charles Burnett is not only the
most important African-American director but one of the most
distinctive filmmakers this country has ever produced." — Salon
Friday, 7pm
Killer of Sheep (USA, 1977) 83 min. Dir. Charles Burnett
Recently restored and re-released as the most acclaimed film of the
year, Burnett's debut film is a poetic portrait of everyday life for a
black family that gets caught up with crime in the ghetto: the father
works for the slaughterhouse, and the children goof around innocently.
“In retrospect, it can be seen that the two great independent features
of the late '70s were Killer of Sheep and Eraserhead ” — J. Hoberman,
The Village Voice . Preceded by Several Friends (1969), made when
Burnett was a student.
Friday, 9:15pm
My Brother's Wedding (USA, 1983) 115 min. Dir. Charles Burnett
A young man who works for his parents' dry-cleaning agency must choose
between going to his brother's affluent wedding or the funeral of his
friend from the ghetto. “If a better film has been made about black
ghetto life, I haven't seen it.” — Jonathan Rosenbaum, The Chicago
Reader .
Saturday, 3pm
The Glass Shield (USA, 1994) 109 min. Dir. Charles Burnett
The sole black officer in an all-white Sheriff's department struggles
with racial discrimination and moral dilemmas when he discovers
corruption and blackmail within the police force.
Saturday, 7pm
Bless Their Little Hearts (USA, 1984) 80 min. Dir. Billy Woodberry
Something of a companion piece to Killer of Sheep and a key work of
American independent cinema, Bless Their Little Hearts examines a
similar milieu seven years later, when life in South Central Los
Angeles seems to have gotten even worse. Charles Burnett scripted and
served as cinematographer on Billy Woodberry's unflinchingly bleak
portrait of a family struggling with economic and domestic hardships.
Saturday, 8:45pm
To Sleep With Anger (USA, 1990) 102 min. Dir. Charles Burnett
An uninvited yet charismatic visitor from their Southern past shows up
on the doorstep of a devout middle-class black family living in Los
Angeles, casting what seems to be a spell of pure evil over their
lives. Burnett's darkly comic allegory-cum-exorcism, which recasts
themes from African-American folklore in a modern setting, manages to
be at once hilarious and subtly disturbing. Preceded by Burnett's
acclaimed short film When it Rains (1995).
THE CINEMA AT THE WHITNEY IS LOCATED IN THE AUDITORIUM OF THE WHITNEY HUMANITIES CENTER,
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