Killer of Sheep is a black and white movie, shot on weekends by the African American student Charles Burnett who is famous for the depicting street life in his films, as well as African American experience. This film is a substantial piece of black history in America. (Yigitce, n.d.).
Though Killer of Sheep has not been broadcast widespread due to its soundtrack, the film became a real knockout. Charles Burnett could not purchase the rights for the film’s soundtrack. However, the film was announced a national treasure, and was one of the first films with historical significance (p. 4). It goes without saying, that the film is revolutionary. Its subject is African Americans’ daily lives in Los Angeles. Lives full of sorrows, poverty and depressions. It should be stressed that black American actors were rarely screened in Hollywood films. This creates a unique character of the film and gives it a great historical significance (p.8).
Speaking about film style, it is a neo-realistic one. According to Marjorie Baumgarten (2000), “the film is a blistering assessment of the L.A. ghettos 10 years after the Watts riot”. It depicts day-to-day lives of black Americans of Los Angeles. Burnette once has said that the film was supposed to be like documentary. It really shows the reality of the that time world, it shows the inner struggle of the protagonist Stan and his burning desire to preserve dignity while having an unacceptance for himself job (Norton, n. d).
Killer of Sheep was shot on the grant money that amounts nearly 10,000 dollars. It was a student film. That is why Burnette included songs in his film, buying rights to which he could not afford. In 1977, its release was limited, but it did not prevent the film from getting worldwide recognition. 30 years later UCLA restored the film and provided the whole world with the opportunity to enjoy watching a brilliant picture with a significant historical importance.
The plot of the film is rather intense. One image is promptly changed by others; scenes with adults take turns with the playing children. Stan is the main character of the film. It is hard not to sympathize with those people, who are on the edge of poverty. Stan is going every day to work which he hates. On the one hand, he hates it, but on the other hand, he understands that finding a new job is not easy. That is why he appreciates everything he has, irrespective of his feelings and wishes.
Primarily the film was designed to show a working class of African Americans as they were. Charles Burnett states that Killer of Sheep “was an attempt to make a film about the people I grew up with and their concerns”. Burnett wanted to draw the attention of the society to the multiple difficulties of African Americans’ working class. Every day they encountered many problems, most of which could not be solved.
Stan feels very bad because of his disgusting work. He suffers from insomnia. However, he has to provide for his family. He feels responsible for his children. Moreover, he is an honest person. He does not want to earn money illegally. His children have few toys but he can do nothing with that. Baumgarten (2009) states that Charles Burnett founds poetic parallels between lambs that are going to be killed, and work class African Americans under conditions of capitalist system. “It's a stunning, though sometimes grim, psychological portrait”, Baumgarten adds.
Killer of Sheep is a real masterpiece, which perceived its genius and brought it through the century. Great gratitude should be brought to the filmmaker who acquainted us with the history of African Americans in the 1970s and enabled us to understand better the complicity of living at that time. History should never be forgotten.
Works Cited
Baumgarten, Marjorie (2000). The Austin Chronicle. Killer of sheep. Retrieved from http://www.austinchronicle.com/calendar/film/2000-04-06/killer-of-sheep/
Milestone Film (2007). Killer of sheep. Milestone Film & Video: Harrington Park, NJ.
Norton, Chris (n. d.). Black Independent Cinema and the Influence of Neo-realism. Killer of sheep. Retrieved from http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue05/features/black2.htm
Yugitce, Erdinch (n. d.). The Culture Trip. Killer of sheep: The urban poetry of Charles Burnett. Retrieved from http://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/mississippi/articles/killer-of-sheep-the-urban-poetry-of-charles-burnett/
