On Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 21), TCM is showing two features and three shorts by Charles Burnett.
Killer of Sheep (1977) @ 8:00pm (EST)
The Horse (1973) @ 9:40pm
My Brother's Wedding (1983) @ 10:00pm
When It Rains (1995) @ 11:30pm
Several Friends (1969) @ 12:00am
Since seeing Killer of Sheep at a local art-house/revival theatre on successive nights a few months ago, Burnett has -- along with Welles and Cassavetes -- become my favorite American director. In addition to the above, I have seen To Sleep with Anger (1990), Warming by the Devil's Fire (2003), and a film for which he was a protege's screenwriter and cinematographer, Bless Their Little Hearts (Woodbury, 1983). Each is a profoundly moving rendering of life, especially family life. The setting is African-American, but the emotion is universal. In that respect, and in the naturalistic look and feel of his films, he does remind me of Cassavetes. But as much as I love Cassavetes, I prefer Killer of Sheep over each of his films (in fact, it is among my five favorite films).
Of course, if you wisely took Mr. Arkadin's sound advice of a few months ago and purchased The Charles Burnett Collection, then you don't have to watch these on TCM.
But if you didn't take that advice -- and you still wish to regain your soul -- do not under any circumstances miss this night of great films.
Charles Burnett Night
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Mr. Arkadin
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The KOS set was one of my Christmas gifts. I'm so glad to finally have this on DVD. I've been going through all the extras intending to write something for the showing next week. All I can say to the people here at this point is RECORD THESE FILMS!
Burnett is one of America's unnoted treasures, especially when it comes to capturing images and the spirit of an America that is many times ignored or pushed aside by the mainstream. I will save my thoughts for what I intend to write, but like ChiO says, I can't urge you strongly enough to see Killer of Sheep. If you people lived within walking distance, I'd probably superglue your TV knobs and steal your remotes till the movie was over!
Mr. A
P.S. TCM should fire whoever wrote that voiceover for the promo--awful.
Burnett is one of America's unnoted treasures, especially when it comes to capturing images and the spirit of an America that is many times ignored or pushed aside by the mainstream. I will save my thoughts for what I intend to write, but like ChiO says, I can't urge you strongly enough to see Killer of Sheep. If you people lived within walking distance, I'd probably superglue your TV knobs and steal your remotes till the movie was over!
Mr. A
P.S. TCM should fire whoever wrote that voiceover for the promo--awful.
Hi ChiO and Mr. A:
Please give me a synopsis of these movies, because the names of all 5 of them turn me off completely, and give me absolutely no urge to watch them. If advised to see something, I generally do so, especially if I respect the opinion of the person advising, but as I said, these movies' names, for some reason sound radical to me. I can't explain why but I can tell you that despising blood and guts movies, if someone advised me to see a hypothetical movie named "Blood in the Sand", it would have to be explained that it was about red paint spilled on the beach by kids building and painting a beach house. I guess I learned my lesson about going by titles with the junk news magazines sold in grocery stores. i.e. Killer of Sheep sounds like shearers who screw up in the spring during shearing time for lambs. and Several Friends makes me think it's about closet gay friends. As I said, I can't explain why, but I've been so disappointed by movies the last decade, I'm extra wary now.
Anne
Anne
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I will leave the indepth synopses and analyses to Mr. Arkadin, but to put your mind at ease....
Killer of Sheep refers to the protagonist's employment in a slaughterhouse, but the story takes place (except for two or three shots) in the neighborhood. I cannot readily think of a more humanistic film. Trust me...I hate gore, etc. and I watched it twice on the big screen and bought it when it became available on DVD. This is a film that should not be missed by anyone who professes to love cinema. It may not end up being a movie you love (some people think Citizen Kane is boring), but it will not be because of violent images.
Killer of Sheep refers to the protagonist's employment in a slaughterhouse, but the story takes place (except for two or three shots) in the neighborhood. I cannot readily think of a more humanistic film. Trust me...I hate gore, etc. and I watched it twice on the big screen and bought it when it became available on DVD. This is a film that should not be missed by anyone who professes to love cinema. It may not end up being a movie you love (some people think Citizen Kane is boring), but it will not be because of violent images.