killer of sheep

'killer of sheep'
dir. & wir., charles burnett
1977

i read an article in the ny times a week or so ago about charles burnett and his recently unearthed masterpiece , 'killer of sheep.' shot on a modest budget and starring unprofessional actors, the film offers a poetic portrait of life in watts, california in the 1970s. praised for its realism and technical brio, 'killer of sheep' was an auspicious debut that was selected by the national film registry for preservation but has only been seen on the festival circuit or grateful college campuses. the film was in release limbo due to the uncleared rights to the contemporary music burnett used in the film. the rights have finally been cleared, thanks to a ucla film grant and the hefty pockets of steven soderbergh (more reason to be endeared by him), and the film has garnered a release in theaters around the country. however, it's a limited run and i doubt it will come anywhere near louisville, but a dvd release is planned for the fall.

i'm eager to see this film for many reasons. burnett made the film during a unique time in "black cinema" when pimps, prostitutes, and afroed sex objects pervaded the screen in the somewhat regressive genre, blaxploitation. most of these films put blacks in leading roles, but their perspective of black life in america was either never treated as a viable topic or something on the periphery hinted at only by its unconscious subtext. burnett's film, so it seems, aimed to explore black life as something more humane and less hyperbolic. a family and a community portrayed in all of its dramas and banalities was more of interest for burnett than reinforcing or creating a stereotype. one could also argue that it's not so much a black story, but an american story. black representation has always been complicated in hollywood and it makes you (or more specifically, me) think of where we are currently with the "black experience" on film. yes, we are seeing more people of color win awards and star in more mainstream hollywood fare, but what are these films revealing about being black in a post-civil rights, post-9/11, and post-y2k america or should they even dare approach the subject? it's almost impossible to capture the experience of a group of people on film because of the inevitable cultural generalizing, but it is of some worth and weight in art to express the personal experience of belonging (or not belonging, for that matter) to a group. it seems burnett achieved this and now we are lucky enough to be apart of his world for 81 minutes.


listen to this npr interview about burnett and his influences, the importance of his work, and its lasting impact on american cinema.