A Raisin in the Sun

Rating:
Summary: Subject matter still an issue today
Review: This film is excellent. I first saw it on television umpteen years ago and in school, and I was touched by the whole plot. An African-American family obtains a large amount of money from an insurance policy and they decide to use it to buy a home in the suburbs. But the residents of the white suburban neighborhood where this family wants to move don't want them there. And prior to that, there is contention between family members for even entertaining the thought of moving there. Powerful performances by Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil and Diana Sands. This is still a relevant topic today, even though this film was made 40 years ago because these things are still happening. No doubt Lorraine Hansbury, the playwright, was influenced by the very public genrification story of entertainer Nat King Cole, who faced the same kind of racial problems when he brought a house in a wealthy white neighborhood in California in 1948.

Wonderful family film. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: The Best of Black Cinema
Review: This is acting at its best. Not only for African American Actorsand Actress,but for acting period. The story is based on the everyday struggles of a Black family. The story is based sometimes in the early 60ds or late 50ds but these struggles still go on today. As a black women in the struggle I related to every part of the story, not only do we get knocked down by the world as per say, but we also get knocked down by our own people.Black men try hard to find a way to take care of their families and sometimes things look better on the other side, as brother in the story does he trusts his friends because his mother trusts him and things go bad for him, but out of every thing bad comes something good, I don't want to tell the story for those who hasn't seen it, the family still go own to move on with their plans and whole their heads up high as they go on and that makes the struggle even better, as least the family still has their self worth and dignity. And as usual Momma the head of the family per say teaches them lesson and also teaches them a lesson in the lost that they experince. always keep your head up and never do anything to loose your self worth or your diginty. This is one movie that every black family shouid see. I recemmond it highley.!!!!! [e-mail].

Rating:
Summary: "Timeless Treasure"
Review: This movie is a classic in every sense of the word. Phenomenal acting from the entire cast. The story line is a timeless piece because some of these same issues are still being dealt with in 1999. Sidney Portier & Ruby Dees' talents will carry this drama into another century. Diane Sands (Benetha) was an incredible talent. I recommend this movie for ALL people. You will definitely be inspired by this beautiful piece.

Rating:
Summary: Every human being needs to see this movie
Review: this movie is one of the best I've seen that dealt with human basic humanity. The world would be a better place if everybody saw the movie. We all lose our priority in term of what is truely important in our lives. It's our family, neighbors, friends, etc., not money or material things. Please see it.

Rating:
Summary: A Classic
Review: When I was in school, I had to read this in English class. We also saw the movie. It was the first time I saw it and didn't remember much from it. As I got older, I decided to rent it. This has become one of my favourite movies of all time. I am a huge Sidney Poitier fan and this movie solidifies his talents as an actor: smooth, dramatic, and oh so classic!!! Although made almost 40 years ago, the themes still apply today. I wholeheartedly recommend this movie and I will never get tired of seeing it!

Rating:
Summary: "I am a giant, and I'm surrounded by ants."
Review: With perhaps the best cast ever assembled for this play, David Susskind's 1961 production of Raisin in the Sun is a classic film and a landmark achievement during the civil rights struggles of the early 1960s. Starring a young Sidney Poitier as Walter Lee, Claudia McNeil as his mother Lena Younger, Ruby Dee as his wife Ruth, and Diana Sands as his sister Beneatha, the film closely follows the script of the play, and director Daniel Petrie wisely confines the setting almost entirely to one room, as it is on stage. This intensifies the emotions and interactions of this three-generation family, which share a small, two-bedroom apartment in South Chicago, and makes their longing to break free obvious both visually and emotionally.

Sidney Poitier as Walter Lee is the "giant...surrounded by ants" as he dreams of escaping his job as a chauffeur and investing in a liquor store. Poitier's body language and subtle gestures as he argues about how to spend his mother's ten thousand dollar life insurance check powerfully convey his anguish. The close-up of Poitier's slow transition from an insolent and angry young man to a tearful and repentant son in one scene with his mother is unforgettable. Claudia McNeil, as the mother, is stalwart, strong, and full of pride. Ruby Dee, as the devoted wife, trying to decide whether to have an abortion in order to lighten her husband's load, is simultaneously resolute and resigned. Diana Sands, as Beneatha, the agnostic medical student, reflecting the beginning of the "Roots" and "Black Power" movements, provides some comic relief as she practices African "home-from-the-hunt" dances.

At the heart of the play is the issue of discrimination against black people and the limitations on their dreams, and the filming in black and white is appropriate. The small dying houseplant that Lena nurtures remains the major symbol here, as it is in the play, but through the cinematography new symbols emerge. The kitchen cupboard door opens and shuts as family members open and shut themselves to each other and the outside world, and numerous scenes take place between two people with a door in the background, opening and closing as their emotions change. The film quality and its high contrast have withstood the test of time, the sound is good, and the acting, especially as revealed in the close-ups, makes this a classic film, better than any stage version I have ever seen or imagined. Mary Whipple