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Killer of Sheep: The Charles Burnett Collection(2 disc)

 

 

Directed by Charles Burnett


US 1977 / Drama /  Family / 115+82 min / Black & White / Monaural / 1.33: 1  Original Aspect Ratio / NTSC / English Language



A masterpiece of African American filmmaking and one of the finest debuts in cinema history, KILLER OF SHEEP was chosen for the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. In the Los Angeles community of Watts, Stan, a sensitive dreamer, is growing detached and numb from the toll of working at a slaughterhouse. Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty: the warmth of a teacup against his cheek, slow dancing with his wife, holding his daughter. Combining lyrical moments with neorealist style, Burnett unfolds his story with compassion and humor. KILLER OF SHEEP's haunting images and extraordinary soundtrack are a revelation in this new high-definition transfer from the UCLA Film & Television Archive's brilliant 35mm restoration.

The 2-disc special edition also includes an additional full-length feature (original release & director's cut), MY BROTHER'S WEDDING: When MY BROTHER'S WEDDING was rushed to a festival screening before the director could make his final cut, it received mixed reviews and was never released - denying audiences the chance to discover Burnett's remarkable second feature. The film critic Armond White called this 'a catastrophic blow to the development of American popular culture.' Revisited decades later, following restoration by the Pacific Film Archive and a complete re-edit by Burnett, MY BROTHER'S WEDDING proves to be funny, heartbreaking and timeless. Pierce Mundy works at his parents' South Central dry cleaners with no prospects for the future - his childhood buddies are all in prison or dead. With his best friend just getting out of jail and his brother busy planning a wedding to a snooty upper-middle-class black woman, Pierce navigates his conflicting obligations while trying to figure out what he really wants.

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Bonus Features:

Burnett's 2nd Feature, My Brother's Wedding: Original 115-min. cut + Director's 82-min. cut (Restored by the Pacific Film Archive)
Three Rediscovered Short Films
The New Short on Hurricane Katrina, Quiet as Kept
Killer of Sheep Commentary Track With Charles Burnett and Richard Pena
Documentary With Cast of Killer of Sheep by the Film's Archivist, Ross Lipman
Killer of Sheep Trailer