Director Daniel Petrie's highly acclaimed drama is a seminal portrait of African American life in the mid-1950s, based on Lorraine Hansberry's ground breaking play, that achieved critical and commercial success at a time when the viability of a black audience or a white crossover audience was not considered a possibility. Lena .. Read more
| Starring | Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ruby Dee |
|---|---|
| Director | Daniel Petrie |
| Genres | Drama |
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Director Daniel Petrie's highly acclaimed drama is a seminal portrait of African American life in the mid-1950s, based on Lorraine Hansberry's ground breaking play, that achieved critical and commercial success at a time when the viability of a black audience or a white crossover audience was not considered a possibility. Lena Younger (Claudia McNeil), the stalwart matriarch of an impoverished black family, dreams of owning a nice home in a tidy, integrated suburb. In the meantime, she shares a small apartment on Chicago's South Side with her underemployed adult son, Walter (Sidney Poitier); his emotionally resilient wife, Ruth (Ruby Dee); their child, Travis (Stephen Perry); and her daughter, Beneatha (Diana Sands). Though there's plenty of love in the family, the close quarters breed desperation and discontent. But Lena's prayers are finally answered when she receives a $10,000 insurance policy her husband left behind. The money becomes a symbol for freedom for each member of the Younger family: Lena sees it as a ticket out of the ghetto and into a home of her own, Walter sees it as a chance to regain his dignity and start his own business, while Beneatha dreams of medical school. Their internal struggle threatens to tear the Younger family apart in this moving and claustrophobic vision of life in the bigoted and oppressive environment of a 1950s tenement. Petrie's film features strong and captivating performances from the cast, reprising their 1959 Broadway roles.
| Starring | Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Ruby Dee, Stephen Perry |
|---|---|
| Director | Daniel Petrie |
| Studio | SONY PICTURES HOME ENT. UK |
| Run time | DVD: 2 hrs 3 mins |
| Certificate |  |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | Production year: 1961 To Rent: DVD: 10 Nov 2003 |
Earnest but claustrophobic play-on-film which long outstays its welcome but contains good performances.
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A golden Oldy
When I ordered this film I thought it was a relatively new release..! I was shocked when I put it on I found it was quite an old classic movie. I nearly turned... read more »
[Highly rated reviewer]
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DAYS GONE BY MOVIE SEE IT
I Have waited a long time to see this movie and was not dissappointed. A strong cast with Sidney and Ruby Dee with strong performance from characters .
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Raisin in the sun
Good performance from the whole cast and a strong Hollywood film touching quite well on issues of the time without going the whole distance. Very enjoyable.
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A good film
This film had a powerful cast who gave some good performances. The first half went at a cracking pace. Being mostly filmed in a small apartment it was ... read more »
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