A Raisin in the Sun (1961)

Three generations of a struggling black family living in a small Chicago apartment in a deal with a sudden financial windfall. Based on Lorraine Hansberry's ground breaking play and staring most of the stage cast, "Raisin in the Sun" is a poignant portrayal of conflicting values and hopes in poor family, both between generations and between genders. Sidney Portier is excellent as Walter, a young father who feels trapped in a servile and dead-end job who sees the insurance payout as an opportunity to go into business, as is Claudia McNeil as his mother, the beneficiary of the settlement who dreams of buying a house for her family. McNeil also brings the perspective of the struggles and sacrifices that brought the family to their modest but dignified lives and who bristles when the younger children complain about their lot. Diana Sands is also very good as daughter Beneatha, a university student for whom the settlement would cover medical school tuition. Beneatha also represents the growing involvement of black youth in racial-politics and interests in their African origins. Ruby Dee rounds out the cast as Walters' pregnant and desperate wife. The story is driven by the conflicting values of the characters with some references to the external issues, such as racism (as personified by a community representative (John Fiedler) who tries to convince the family not to move into his neighbourhood). For a story dealing with such sensitive and politicised issues, the film is refreshingly not heavy-handed, preachy, or self-righteous. I am very much an outsider with respect to the film but found it entertaining, thought-provoking, and very well done.

When you rent A Raisin in the Sun, get ready for some seriously intense acting and a beautiful script. Usually, when a film is made of a play, one or two members of the Broadway cast are used, and the rest is filled with Hollywood names. In Daniel Petrie's adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's play, almost everyone in the 1959 original Broadway cast reprised their roles on film. And, while Sidney Poitier and Claudia McNeil, as well as the direction and play itself, were nominated for Tonys, the film was universally ignored at the Oscars.In a small apartment that doesn't even have a bathroom, there lives the widowed Claudia McNeil, her son Sidney Poitier, her daughter Diana Sands, and Sidney's wife Ruby Dee. They're all dissatisfied with their lives, but each family member deals with their disappointment and frustration in different ways. Sidney throws his heart into untrustworthy schemes, Diana is studying to become a doctor to better herself, Ruby keeps her head down as she tries to get through each day, and Claudia tries to continue mothering her grown children.Unlike most plays, A Raisin in the Sun isn't overly wordy, and not a single moment is boring. It's terribly sad, but still a bit optimistic at times, and very thought-provoking. Perhaps my favorite element, besides the superbly heart-wrenching performances of Sidney and Claudia, is the character development in the script. Every single person in the story is three-dimensional, and no one is a villain or a saint. Audiences can understand their thought-processes and motivations, and it's nearly impossible to choose a favorite character. Depending on how well you handle sad stories, this might be a staple you add to your collection, or it might be a film you watch only once but remember forever.

A Raisin in the Sun is a wonderful movie about a poor black family trying to achieve the American dream. The odd thing, probably something that speaks to the heart of African American audiences, is that this family has been in the country for six generations and still doesn't have anything to show for it because of racism in the country. The movie is full of deep well made characters, each with internal conflicts, who are all having conflicts with each other. The movie is essentially about politics within a family household, who is the leader and has the power, and who gets to decide what is best for the family. Each of the characters seem to have their own personal agenda and there is conflict between the characters that exist outside of the squabble for the $10,000. The film manages depicts the many avenues that the family members (and African Americans in that era) are trying to explore to escape poverty to achieve a better future. This film taught me something new, every time a different character enters a scene a new scene begins. The scene takes on a different tone and adds a new conflict to drive the scene without changing the setting or time, it's done just by introducing a different character through the door. Ultimately the film was wonderful but I felt some of the end scenes dragged on a little too long and kept me waiting too long for the final resolution. The last scenes leading up to Walter's final decision weren't filled with tension or conflict like the previous scenes, it was literally them just waiting and sobbing, something that could of been cut down. Still this is a great film that is a must see for any up and coming screen writer, I highly recommend it.

Sidney Poitier's A Raisin in the Sun exceeded my high hopes. Easily a 10/10 film, it is so very touching and uplifting with great characters and great performances. Humorous, too! This film delivers in a major way.Ideally, a film should have something intelligent to say about life, about reality. A Raisin in the Sun is such a film and more. So, if the reality of human life in general interests you, consider yourself well-advised to watch this powerful film. I have little doubt that you will enjoy it.It is, as of this posting, number 34 on my top 250.