Did you enjoy last month’s Classic Film of the Month, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”? I watched it this past weekend. Always a favorite! February is Black History Month and I’ve chosen “A Raisin in the Sun” for our film. I think I watched it many, many years ago but don’t recall much about it. I think this is an excellent time to watch it again.
You truly can’t go wrong with a film starring Sidney Poitier. He passed away a little over a year ago at the age of 94. What a stunning career he had!
Sidney Poitier, Who Paved the Way for Black Actors in Film, Dies at 94
Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun was the first play by a black woman to be on Broadway and is now an immortal part of the theatrical canon. Two years after its premiere, the production came to the screen, directed by Daniel Petrie. The original stars—including Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee—reprise their roles as members of an African American family living in a cramped Chicago apartment, in this deeply resonant tale of dreams deferred. Following the death of their patriarch, the Youngers await a life insurance check they hope will change their circumstances, but tensions arise over how best to use the money. Vividly rendering Hansberry’s intimate observations on generational conflict and housing discrimination, Petrie’s film captures the high stakes, shifting currents, and varieties of experience within black life in midcentury America.
At the time I’m writing this, I don’t see streaming free on any of the subscriptions we have. It’s available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Prime Video and on YouTube for the same price.
The Criterion Collection has it on Blu-Ray:
If I find it free anywhere, I’ll let you know. And if you know, please leave us all a comment!
As mentioned above, the film was based upon an original play. Here is one option available free on YouTube. I intend to watch it, as well as the film.
A Raisin in the Sun
Harvard College American Repertory Theater 2018
A Raisin in the Sun, drama in three acts by Lorraine Hansberry, first published and produced in 1959. The play’s title is taken from “Harlem,” a poem by Langston Hughes, which examines the question “What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up/like a raisin in the sun?” (Britannica)
I didn’t realize this (or had forgotten) when I also selected Langston Hughes as this month’s LWD Poet of the Month. Or maybe I should pretend it was intentional. 😉
Previous Classic Films of the Month…
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