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Killer Of Sheep (1977)
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 and named one of the 100 Essential Films by the National Society of Film Critics. 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.
My Brother's Wedding (Original 1983 & 2007 Director's Cut Version)
When My Brother's Wedding was rushed to a festival screening before Burnett could make his final cut, it received mixed reviews and was never released. 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 and his childhood buddies are 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, Pieces naviagets his conflicting obligations while trying to figure out what he really wants in life.
Henry G. Sanders