Educational Media Reviews Online

Thirty years after it was made as part of a UCLA thesis, Killer of Sheep. (1977) has been acclaimed as one of the best films of 2007in the media. It has been reviewed with praise bestowed upon Milestone Film and Video for releasing it and making it available to an audience that had never seen it, along with UCLA Film and Video Archive for their in-the-nick-of-time meticulous restoration of Charles Burnett’s 16mm negative. Milestone and UCLA have saved an important piece of African American culture and film history, but beyond that they have made it available to anyone interested in the development of independent African American film. To restore a film and let it sit on shelf is only part of a good deed, but to make it available in a format that can reach numerous communities is the commendable part.

It is difficult to distinctively add to the praise already awarded this film that captures life in post-riot Watts. The blending of scripted scenes and documentary footage of life in this neighborhood, with kids playing in open fields and around housing projects, creates a stark reality. Yet, the black and white photography, camera position and camera movement present an almost lyrical realm in contrast to the footage of the slaughterhouse in which the protagonist, Stan, works. Great care has been taken with the composition within the frame: the placement of the characters and objects allows for static shots to be more dimensional during scenes of dialogue. Stan and his wife have a resigned dignity and represent the 1970s urban African American experience as a reaction to both contemporary Hollywood stereotypes and blaxploitation films.

Killer of Sheep is now instated into the film studies canon and with the help of the other material on this 2-disc compilation, Mr. Burnett’s second feature film, My Brother’s Wedding, is also included in both its 116-minute first released version and the recent 83-minute director’s cut. The DVD set also contains 3 short films as well as the most recent short, Quiet as Kept (2007), and a reunion with the cast.

Milestone will keep receiving awards and recognition for bringing us Killer of Sheep but it is the academic community who is the richer for it. Highly Recommended.