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Black filmmaker finds rich material in ordinary lives
February 2, 1997
Web posted at: 9:45 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent Cynthia Tornquist
NEW YORK (CNN) -- Charles Burnett has been making films for nearly three decades, focusing on the everyday lives of African-Americans.
"Usually you see them in urban environments and things like that, something which is a small percentage the black population takes part in, and I just wanted to do just regular stories," says Burnett.
Burnett's "Killer of Sheep" is the story of a slaughterhouse worker who tries to make more of his life. His mainstream success came in 1990 with "To Sleep with Anger" -- a drama on family values starring Danny Glover.
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Vivo's technical FAQ His current release, "Nightjohn," shows how literacy spells freedom for a slave.
"You could say they are art movies in the sense that they have a very serious point of view. There are no plots where people are robbing banks or trying to stop speeding busses or anything," says film critic Armond White.
"Charles tends to be more Zen-like in his approach to directing. He's there for you if you want to ask questions, but he really lets you find your own way," says Beau Bridges, star of "Nightjohn."
Unlike Spike Lee or John Singleton, Burnett is virtually unknown to most mainstream moviegoers. Yet his talents have not gone unnoticed.
"Killer" was entered into the Library of Congress's National Film Registry. He also has received a Getty Fellowship and a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" award.
This week the Human Rights Watch is honoring his efforts with a retrospective of his films.
"I think anybody who goes to see any of the films of Charles Burnett in this next two weeks will begin to think about human rights in much broader ways -- whether it's the freedom of expression, the understanding of labor rights and labor issues or the corruption of our police forces," says Bruni Burres of Human Rights Watch International Festival.
Burnett says too many Hollywood movies distort reality -- especially African-American reality.
"It's unfortunate his first film, 'Killer of Sheep,' was not seen by more people," says White.
"I don't think I'm capable of answering problems that have been here for many years," says Burnett. "But I think the best I can do is present them in a way where one wants to solve these problems."
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