Bless Their Little Hearts
| Bless Their Little Hearts | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Billy Woodberry |
| Screenplay by | Charles Burnett |
| Produced by | Billy Woodberry |
| Starring | Nate Hardman Kaycee Moore |
| Cinematography | Charles Burnett |
| Edited by | Billy Woodberry |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Bless Their Little Hearts is a 1984 American drama film produced and directed by Billy Woodberry, starring Nate Hardman and Kaycee Moore. It was shot and written by Charles Burnett. The film had a limited theatrical release: it played for a week at the Royal in West Los Angeles and also at the Film Forum in New York.
In 2013, the film was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[1][2][3]
In 2019, it was released on Home Video in a 2K restoration by Milestone Films.[4]
Plot summary
[edit]Unemployed, depressed and running out of options for supporting his wife and three children, Charlie Banks (Nate Hardman) is just barely eking out a living in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Watts in the early 1980s. His wife, Andais (Kaycee Moore), accuses him of irresponsibility, and even of cheating on her, an allegation that isn't true until Charlie decides it may as well be. Charlie's friends try their best to help him get by, but their well-intentioned plans don't always pan out as he struggles to find dignity and a meaning for life.
Cast
[edit]- Nate Hardman as Charlie Banks
- Kaycee Moore as Andais Banks
- Angela Burnett as Banks Child
- Ronald Burnett as Banks Child
- Kimberly Burnett as Banks Child
- Langston Woodberry as mistress' son
Critical response
[edit]Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 100% based on reviews from 18 critics.[5] At the time of its release, Vincent Canby of The New York Times concluded his review with "[the film] is so understated that at times it seems diffident, as if it were too shy to display its fury in more robust terms. This, however, is the style of the film that Mr. Woodberry, Mr. Burnett and their splendid cast, headed by Mr. Hardman and Miss Moore, have chosen to make, and it works beautifully."
References
[edit]- ^ "Library of Congress announces 2013 National Film Registry selections". The Washington Post (Press release). December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "Cinema with the Right Stuff Marks 2013 National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ "L.A. Rebellion classic 'Bless Their Little Hearts' is now on video". Los Angeles Times. December 28, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ Bless Their Little Hearts, retrieved February 23, 2023
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Bless Their Little Hearts at IMDb
- Bless Their Little Hearts at the TCM Movie Database
- Bless Their Little Hearts at AllMovie
- Bless Their Little Hearts at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Bless Their Little Hearts at UCLA Film & Television Archive ("L.A. Rebellion")
- Interview: Billy Woodberry on Bless Their Little Hearts by Steve Macfarlane and Madeline Coleman in Filmmaker Magazine, May 25, 2017 [1]