| 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. |