To Sleep with Anger

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To Sleep with Anger
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCharles Burnett
Written byCharles Burnett
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyWalt Lloyd
Edited byNancy Richardson
Music byStephen James Taylor
Distributed byThe Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date
  • October 12, 1990 (1990-10-12) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.1 million[1]

To Sleep with Anger is a 1990 American black comedy film written and directed by Charles Burnett.[2][3]

In 2017, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4] It had a remastered home media release from the Criterion Collection on February 26, 2019.[5]

Plot[edit]

Gideon and his wife Suzie live in South Central Los Angeles. Harry, a longstanding friend from the South whom they have not seen for many years, makes a surprise visit. The couple are delighted to see him and insist that he stay with them for as long as he wishes. Harry has a charming, down-home manner, but his enigmatic and somewhat amoral presence brings to a crisis trouble simmering in the family—especially as regards the younger son, Samuel or "Babe Brother", and his relationships with his parents, wife, and older brother, Junior.

Harry's presence threatens to break up Samuel's marriage and seems to be related to an illness Gideon develops. It proves ultimately purgative, though Harry's precise role remains ambiguous.

Cast[edit]

Reception[edit]

The film has received critical acclaim.[6] On Rotten Tomatoes, To Sleep with Anger holds a rating of 88% from 34 reviews, with an average score of 7.30/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "To Sleep with Anger examines cultural tensions with a deft hand and a potent blend of comedy and drama, stirred skillfully to life by a strong cast led by Danny Glover."[7]

Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine called it a "neglected masterpiece of African-American cinema."[8] IndieWire's Brandon Wilson has called it Burnett's "other masterpiece," as well as numerous other favorable comparisons to Killer of Sheep, saying "Like all great art, To Sleep With Anger triumphs because it works both on a personal level... and it is provocative enough thematically to fuel hours of discussion about tradition versus modernity and how it has affected African-Americans, for better or worse... [Burnett]'s asking us to think about the generation gap, Christian faith versus backwoods mysticism, the grip of the past versus the pull of the present, African-American yearning for financial prosperity versus our sense of altruism & duty and complications within both sides of each coin."[9]

Roger Ebert, however, called it "too long" in a mixed review.[10] Entertainment Weekly's Owen Glieberman called it "too ambitious" and said it "never finds a mood".[11]

Accolades[edit]

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1991 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards Best Film Nominated [12]
1991 Independent Spirit Awards Best Feature Caldecot Chubb, Thomas S. Byrnes and Darin Scott Nominated [13][14]
Best Director Charles Burnett Won
Best Screenplay Won
Best Male Lead Danny Glover Won
Best Female Lead Mary Alice Nominated
Best Supporting Female Ethel Ayler Nominated
Sheryl Lee Ralph Won
1992 NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Motion Picture Nominated [15]
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Danny Glover Nominated
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Mary Alice Nominated
1990 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Best Screenplay Charles Burnett Nominated [16]
1991 National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Actor Danny Glover Nominated [17]
Best Screenplay Charles Burnett Won
1990 New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor Danny Glover Nominated [18]
Best Screenplay Charles Burnett Nominated
1990 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominated [19]
Special Jury Recognition Won

References[edit]

  1. ^ "To Sleep with Anger". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  2. ^ "To Sleep with Anger". Walker Art.
  3. ^ "To Sleep with Anger". Video Detective.
  4. ^ "2017 National Film Registry Is More Than a 'Field of Dreams'". Library of Congress. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  5. ^ "To Sleep with Anger". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  6. ^ Brody, Richard (February 10, 2016). "The Front Row: "To Sleep with Anger"". The New Yorker.
  7. ^ "To Sleep With Anger (1990)". Rotten Tomatoes. October 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Bowen, Chuck (September 6, 2016). "Film Review: To Sleep with Anger". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  9. ^ Wilson, Brandon (August 13, 2014). "Charles Burnett's Other Masterpiece 'To Sleep With Anger'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 26, 1990). "To Sleep With Anger Movie Review (1990)". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  11. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (November 9, 1990). "To Sleep With Anger". EW.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  12. ^ "Chicago Crix Laud 'Goodfellas'". Variety. January 20, 1981. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  13. ^ "6th Spirit Awards ceremony hosted by Buck Henry - full show (1986)". Film Independent – via YouTube.
  14. ^ "Charles Burnett". Oscars.org.
  15. ^ "New Restoration of Charles Burnett's 'To Sleep with Anger'". Film at Lincoln Center. July 28, 2016.
  16. ^ Mathews, Jack (December 17, 1990). "GoodFellas' Tops L.A. Critics Poll". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  17. ^ "Natl. Critics Group Favors 'Goodfellas'". Variety. January 13, 1991. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  18. ^ "'Goodfellas' Is No. 1 in Film Critics Vote". The New York Times. December 19, 1990. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  19. ^ "1990 Sundance Film Festival". sundance.org. Retrieved October 6, 2023.

External links[edit]

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