Canada 
Mexico 
Spain 
UK 
Ireland 
Australia 
Argentina 
Chile 
Colombia 
Uruguay 
Paraguay 
Peru 
Ecuador 
Venezuela 
Costa Rica 
Honduras 
Guatemala 
Bolivia 
Dominican Rep. Killer of Sheep
- Original title
- Killer of Sheep
- Year
- 1978
- Running time
- 83 min.
- Country
United States- Director
- Screenwriter
- Cast
-
- Cinematography
Charles Burnett (B&W)- Producer
- Genre
- Drama | Family Relationships. Racism. Independent Film (US). Cult Movie
- Synopsis
- The first feature film from acclaimed independent African American filmmaker Charles Burnett, this intensely emotional drama concerns a man who makes his living at a slaughterhouse as he struggles for economic and emotional survival and tries to patch up his often strained relationship with his family. Shot on weekends over a period of several years, it was added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 1990.
Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse.
Frustrated by money problems, he finds respite in moments of simple beauty: the warmth of a coffee cup against his cheek, slow dancing with his wife in the living room, holding his daughter. The film offers no solutions; it merely presents life — sometimes hauntingly bleak, sometimes filled with transcendent joy and gentle humor.
Killer of Sheep was shot on location in Watts in a series of weekends on a budget of less than $10,000, most of which was grant money. Finished in 1977 and shown sporadically, its reputation grew and grew until it won a prize at the 1981 Berlin International Film Festival.
Since then, the Library of Congress has declared it a national treasure as one of the first fifty on the National Film Registry and the National Society of Film Critics selected it as one of the "100 Essential Films" of all time. However, due to the expense of the music rights, the film was never shown theatrically or made available on video. It has only been seen on poor quality 16mm prints at few and far between museum and festival showings.- Awards
-
1981: Berlin Film Festival: Won FIPRESCI Prize (Forum of New Cinema)2007: New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Special Award Winner
- Critics' reviews
-
-
The film was chosen by the National Society of Film Critics as one of the 100 Essential Films. In 1990, Killer of Sheep was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." In 2015 the BBC named the film as the 26th greatest American movie ever made.
-
- Movie Soulmates' ratings
-
Register so you can access movie recommendations tailored to your movie taste.
- Friends' ratings
-
Register so you can check out ratings by your friends, family members, and like-minded members of the FA community.
Is the synopsis/plot summary missing? Do you want to report a spoiler, error or omission? Please send us a message.
If you are not a registered user please send us an email to [email protected]All copyrighted material (movie posters, DVD covers, stills, trailers) and trademarks belong to their respective producers and/or distributors.
For US ratings information please visit: www.mpaa.org www.filmratings.com www.parentalguide.org
