See Killer of Sheep

Charles Burnett is a big hero of mine. To Sleep With Anger is one of my favorite films. He truly is a poetic filmmaker. His first film, Killer Of Sheep, thirty years after its debut, has been restored to a new 35mm print by UCLA’s Film & Television Archive. (Previously, it had only been seen in small screenings because of music rights issues. I am glad those issued are resolved because seeing the cutest little girl you’ve ever seen sing Earth, Wind and Fire’s Reason is a highlight of the film.)

The film is currently playing at The IFC Center here in New York. I just saw it last night and was impressed by how packed it was. How often is there a full house for a black and white film with minimal dialogue about an inner city neighborhood in LA?

Killer of Sheep is one of those incredible first films that lets you know that a new voice has arrived. I can imagine how exciting it must have been to see a film like this in the 70s when it first came out. It is also one of those films that has clearly influenced other films. I wonder if David Gordon Green saw it before he made his first film, George Washington? Did The Hughes Brothers see it before they made Menace to Society?

The film is a social commentary and I am fairly sure that is his intent. One his website, he states:

"I don't think I'm capable of answering problems that have been here for many years. But I think the best I can do is present them in a way where one wants to solve these problems." — Charles Burnett

Here is the trailer: