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Charles Burnett in 2008

Charles Burnett (April 13, 1944, Vicksburg, Mississippi) is an African-American film director, film producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer [1]. His most popular films include Killer of Sheep (1977), My Brother’s Wedding (1983), To Sleep with Anger (1990), The Glass Shield (1994), and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007) [1] He has been involved in other types of motion pictures including shorts, documentaries, and a TV series [1].

Considered by the Chicago tribune as “one of America’s very best filmmakers”, and by the New York Times as, “the nation’s least-known great filmmaker and most gifted black director”, Charles Burnett has had a long and diverse filmmaking career [2].

Background

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Charles Burnett was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on April 13, 1944 to a nurse’s aide and a military father [3]. In 1947, Charles’s family moved to Watts, a largely black neighborhood in South Los Angeles [2]. Although Burnett was interested in expressing himself through art since a young age, the pressure to attain a stable job for strictly financial purposes initially kept him away pursuing film or art in college [3].

Influence of Watts

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The neighborhood of Watts had a significant impact on the life and the work of Charles Burnett. The community, that gained attention in 1965 when violent riots in the area caused the deaths of 34 people and injured more than 1000 people, also found fame in 1992 when protestors took to crimes like looting and arson following the acquittal of police officers detained for the beating of Rodney King [3]. Burnet has said that the neighborhood had a strong Southern influence due to the large number of Southerners inhibiting the area [2]. The Watts community strongly impact the themes of his movies that often revolve around southern folklores mixed with modern themes [3]. His film, Killer of Sheep, was set in the Watts neighborhood [4] .

College

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Charles Burnett first enrolled in a community college in Los Angeles [3] to learn the study of electronics in pursuit of a career as an electrician [2]. Dissatisfied, he took a writing class and decided that his earlier ambitions as an artist needed to be explored and tested. He enrolled in the University of California, Los Angeles for a bachelor of art in writing and languages [5].

UCLA Film School and the Black Independent Movement

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Burnett continued his education by enrolling in the UCLA film school for a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater arts, and film [5]. His experiences in UCLA had a profound impact on his work, and the students and faculty he worked with became his mentors and friends. Some fellow students include filmmaking greats like Larry Clark, Julie Dash, Haile Gerima, and Billy Woodberry [5]. The students' involvement in each others films is highlighted by Burnett's work as a cinematographer for Haile Gerima's 1979 movie Bush Mama, a crew member for Julie Dash’s 1982 Illusions, and a writer and cameraman for Billy Woodberry’s Bless Their Little Hearts [6]. His professors Elyseo Taylor, who created the department of Ethno-Communications, and Basil Wright, an English documentarian, had a significant influence Burnett's films [2]. The events of the 1967 and 1968 were vital in the establishment of the UCLA filmmaking movement that would be dubbed “the Black Independent Movement”, a movement that Burnett was highly involved in and influenced by [7]. The films coming out of this group of African and African American filmmakers had a high relevance to the politics and culture of the 1960’s, yet stayed true to the history of their people [7]. The characters of the movies shifted from the middle-class to the working class to highlight the tension caused by the class conflict of African American families [7]. The independent writers and directors strayed away from the mainstream and won critics response as staying in line with the true African American history [8]. Another accomplishment of the Black Independent Movement and Charles Burnett was the creation of the Third World Film Club. The club forged with other organizations in a successful attempt to break the American boycott that banned all cultural exchange forms with Cuba [9]. Many critics have compared the films of the Black Independent Movement to Italian neorealist films of the 40’s, the 60’s and 70’s Third World Cinema films, and the 90’s Iranian New Wave [6]. At the time the movement flourished, many countries in the Third World were in the midst of a struggle with revolution, a concept that inspired them to take it into their own hands to create films that appropriately expressed their view of their history and culture [7]. In addition to staying real to history, many of the films have been considered as responses to the White Hollywood and Blaxploitation films that were populat during the time [6].

Early Career

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Charles Burnett earliest works include his student films which he made with friends called Several Friends in 1969, and The Horse in 1973 in which he was the director, producer, and editor [10].

Major Films

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Killer of Sheep (1977)

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Charles Burnett’s first full-length feature film Killer of Sheep was written for his master’s thesis [3]. The black and white film took Burnett five years to finish, apparently due to the imprisonment of one of the actors in the movie [3]. The low-budget film was finally released to the public in 1978 [2]. The cast mainly consisted of his friends and colleagues and was filmed primarily with a handheld camera, seeming to mirror a documentary [6]. The main character was played by Henry G. Sanders, a veteran of Vietnam who studied cinema at Los Angeles City College and enrolled in a couple classes at UCLA as well [6]. Since his performance in the movie, he has gone on to perform in many other films and TV series including roles in Rocky Balboa, ER, Miami Vice, and The West Wing [6]. The prominent female character in Killer of Sheep was played by Kaycee Moore, who later went on to play a part in former UCLA classmate Julie Dash’s film Daughters of the Dust [6]. The story follows the protagonist Stan, a slaughterhouse worker, who struggles to make enough money for his family [11]. According to the film’s website, the movie, “offers no solutions; it merely presents life”[11]. Killer of Sheep is highly revolved around rituals, both in family, childhood, oppression, and resisting oppression [12] . The soundtrack of ballads, jazz, and blues include artists Etta James, Dinah Washington, Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Paul Robeson, and Earth, Wind & Fire. The film was only screened occasionally because of it’s poor 16mm print quality [6] and couldn't find widespread distribution due to the cost and complication of the music rights [6]. It was recently restored by UCLA Film & Television archive to a new 35mm print for much higher quality [6]. The film won an array of awards including the Critic’s Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, first place at the Sundance Film Festival in the 80’s, then called the USA Film Festival [13], and a Special Critics’ Award in the 2007 New York Film Critics Circle [14]. It was also recognized as a national treasure and put among the first 50 films entered in the National Film Registry for its historical importance by the Library of Congress in 1990 [6]. In addition, it was chosen as one of the 100 Essential Films of All Time by the National Society of Film Critics in 2002 [6]. Burnett was chosen as the winner of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in 1981, following the film's completion [15].

My Brother’s Wedding (1983)

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Charles Burnett worked as the director, producer, director of photography, and he wrote the screenplay for My Brother’s Wedding [1]. My Brother’s Wedding was Charles Burnett’s second full-length film, but unfortunately, it was not released because of a mixed review by the New York Times after playing at the New Directors/New Films festival in 1983 [16]. Like Killer of Sheep, many of the actors are amateur, best shown by his costume designer wife’s role in the movie [2]. Pierce Mundy, the main character, was played by Everett Silas < ref name=IMDB/>. My Brother’s Wedding was centered around the character of Pierce Mundy, who struggles with choosing between his brother’s middle-class existence and his best friend’s working-class world [12]. The movie was the first feature he shot on 35mm film and was in color [3]. The cost of the film was estimated at $80,000, a small amount by most standards [3]. The movie was acquired by Milestone Films and the film was restored by the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley and digitally re-edited by Burnett [16].

To Sleep with Anger (1990)

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To Sleep with Anger was Burnett’s first higher budget film that cost an estimated $1.4 million dollars [3]. The grant he received from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation award helped Burnett support his family while working on the film [3]. The $250,000 grant spread over the course of 5 years is rewarded to gifted individuals to pursue personal projects [3]. The movie took place in South Central LA and followed the same themes of family drama with a southern folklore combination that most of his films follow [3]. The story is about a lower middle-class Los Angeles family that welcomes a guest from the south who overstays his welcome and causes a major disturbance to the family [17]. The instablity of the family seemes to highlight the larger community’s volatility [17]. To Sleep with Anger was Burnett’s first film that featured professional actors [3]. The main actors include Danny Glover, Paul Butler, Mary Alice, Carl Lumbly, and Vonetta McGee [10]. Danny Glover, who plays Harry Mention, agreed to play the main character for a reduced fee and went on to invest in the production [3]. Glover, a box office favorite known for his role in Lethal Weapon, went on to star in many successful productions including The Royal Tenenbaums, Dreamgirls, 2012, and Death at a Funeral [10]. Although highly acclaimed by critics, the movie had a low box office performance [3]. Burnett attributes this box office failure to poor distribution and the industry that he considered void of good taste [3]. The film won many awards including best screenplay from the National Society of Film Critics, which was the first award of its kind given to an African American writer [13]. Other awards include two Independent Spirit Awards including Best Director and Best Screenplay, the American Film Institute’s Maya Deren Award [4], the Special Jury Recognition Award at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival [3], a Special Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, nominations for both Burnett and Glover by the New York Film Critics Association [2], and was named a national treasure by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry like Killer of Sheep [3].

The Glass Shield (1994)

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The Glass Shield follows a story about the corruption and racism in the Los Angeles Police Department [4]. It was Burnett’s first film that catered to a wider audience, casting Ice Cube, the rap artist, as a wrongfully convicted murder suspect [3]. The protagonist of the movie, JJ Johnson, is played by actor Michael Boatman [15]. The themes of the movie include a strong emphasis on the powerlessness of the African American characters and of the female characters in the movie [15]. JJ Johnson’s female police officer, the first in the precinct is forced to deal with sexism both within the confines of the police department and outside on the streets [15]. The female officer is played by Lori Petty [15] who turned into a director herself in the 2008 movie The Poker House [10]. The Glass Shield was nominated for a Golden Leopard award in the 1994 Locarno International Film Festival [1]. The film grossed approximately $3,000,000 in the U.S. box offices [1].

Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (2007)

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Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation follows the story of the country Namibia’s hardships while attempting to release itself from South African rule [4]. The film is based loosely off the memoir of Namibia’s first president Sam Nujoma, who was the former leader of SWAPO which stands for the South West Africa People’s Organization [4]. The script was written based on Nujoma’s autobiography Where Others Wavered [4] and was reported to be a government-commissioned celebration of liberation [18]. Both main actors of the movie, Carl Lumbly, and Danny Glover participated in Burnett’s prior films, with Lumbly and Glover both previously acting in To Sleep with Anger [10] . The movie was filmed in Namibia and casting was especially difficult for Burnett because the over 200 speaking parts were given to many locals, many of whom had differing dialects [4]. The film was selected as an opening-night selection for the 2008 New York African Film Festival [4].

Documentaries

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Burnett has made many documentaries including America Becoming (1991), Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland (1998), Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property (2003), For Reel? (2003), and Warming By the Devil’s Fire (2003) which was part of a TV series called The Blues [1]. America Becoming was a made-for-television documentary financed by the Ford Foundation [3]. The documentary concentrated on ethnic diversity in America, especially the relations between recent immigrants and other racial groups [3]. Dr. Endesha Ida Mae Holland was a short documentary about a civil rights activist, playwright, and professor that fought hard to overcome obstacles caused by racism and injustice [1]. Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property featured Burnett’s actor and friend Carl Lumbly [1]. The movie won a Cinematography Award in 2003 from the Long Beach International Film Fesitval [1]. Warming By the Devil’s Fire [1] was an episode for Martin Scorsese’s 6-part [2] compilation PBS documentary [4]. Burnett worked as a producer for the documentary For Reel? [1].

Shorts

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Burnett was involved in many shorts that include Several Friends (1969), The Horse (1973), When It Rains (1995), Olivia’s Story (2000), and Quiet As Kept (2007) [1].When It Rains follows the story about a musician that tries to assist his friend with paying his rent [1]. Quiet As Kept is a story about a relocated family after Hurricane Katrina [1].

TV Movies

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Charles Burnett has made many made-for-television movies that include Nightjohn (1996), Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding (1998), Selma, Lord, Selma (1999), Finding Buck McHenry (2000), and Relative Stranger (2009) [1]. Nightjohn was a project that was adapted from a Gary Paulsen novel, and went on to premiere on the Disney Channel in 1996 to high praise [5]. The story followed an escaped slave that learns to read and returns to his home to teach others to read and write [3]. Nightjohn was awarded with the Vision Award from the NAMIC Vision Awards in 1997, a Special Citation Award from the National Society of Film Critics Awards in the U.S. in 1998, and was nominated for a Young Artist Award by the Young Artists Awards in 1997 [1]. Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding was directed by Burnett with Oprah Winfrey as an executive producer [10]. Halle Berry and Carl Lumbly stars in this film about drama surrounding the wedding between a wealthy African American woman and a poor white musician [10] . Selma, Lord, Selma, a Disney movie, followed the story of a young girl inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. who decides to march in the famed protest from Selma to Montgomery [1]. Selma, Lord, Selma was nominated for a Humanitas Prize from Humanitas Prize in 1999, and an Image Award from Image Awards in 2000 [1]. Finding Buck McHenry is a film about a young boy who tries to discover if his baseball coach is a former legend in baseball [1]. Finding Buck McHenry won a Daytime Emmy from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2001, a Silver Award from WorldFest Houston in 2000, a Young Artists Award from Young Artists Awards in 2001, and was nominated for an Image Award from Image Awards in 2001 [1]. Relative Stranger was nominated for an Emmy from the Emmy Awards in 2009, an Image Award from Image Awards in 2010, and a Vision Award from NAMIC Vision Awards in 2010 [1].

Director Awards

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Charles Burnett earned the Freedom in Film Award from the First Amendment Center and the Nashville Independent Film Festival [19]. The award was given to Burnett as praise for his decisions to put commercial success behind cultural and historical content that he felt needed to be discussed [19]. Burnett was honored by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in 1997 [2]. In addition, Burnett was presented grants by the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the J.P. Getty Foundation [2]. The prestigious Howard University’s Paul Robeson Award was given to Burnett for achievement in cinema [2]. To highlight his achievements, the mayor of Seattle declared the 20th of February in 1997, Charles Burnett Day [2].

Recurring Themes

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The recurring themes in Charles Burnett’s work were primarily history’s effect on the structure of family [20].He also strived to make films about middle-class African Americans that denounced stereotypes and clichés [13]. Burnett has told critics that he makes films that deal with emotions coming out of real problems like maturity and self-identity [21]. He also found a recurring theme in liberation and struggle perhaps after the influence from the UCLA’s Third World Film Club that championed the revolutions occurring worldwide in the 60’s and 70’s [4].

Other Projects

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Burnett worked on a film called the Annihilation of Fish (1999), a TV series called American Family (2002), and is rumored to be starting another documentary called Stanley Ann Dunham: A Most Generous Spirit (2011) [1]. Annihilation of Fish is a romance film starring James Earl Jones and Lynn Redgrave [5] that won the Jury Award from the Newport Beach Film Festival in 2001, the Audience Award at the Sarasota Film Festival in 2001, and a Silver Award at WorldFest Houston in 2000 [1]. Although screened at many festivals, Annihilation of Fish was never released [22]. Burnett and two other directors, Barbara Martinez Jitner and Gregory Nava, directed the TV series American Family [1]. American Family was nominated for 2 Emmys and a Golden Globe Award and won many other awards [1]. Burnett also acted in the documentary Man Of Cinema Homme De Cinema Pierre Rissient with Clint Eastwood [10].

Personal Life

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Charles Burnett is married to Gaye Shannon-Burnett and they have two children Steven and Jonathon [3]. Gaye Shannon-Burnett is a costume designer [2].

Filmography

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0122344/
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n http://www.killerofsheep.com/filmmaker.html
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x http://www.answers.com/topic/charles-burnett
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/60/60burnettiv.php
  5. ^ a b c d e http://movies.nytimes.com/person/83593/Charles-Burnett/biography
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l http://www.killerofsheep.com/about.html
  7. ^ a b c d Black American Cinema pp. 107-108
  8. ^ Fifty Contemporary Film Directors pp. 61
  9. ^ Black American Cinema pp. 110
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h http://fii.chadwyck.com/person/full_rec?action=BYID&ID=00070276
  11. ^ a b http://www.killerofsheep.com/index.html
  12. ^ a b Black American Cinema pp. 112
  13. ^ a b c http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/user/CharlesBurnett
  14. ^ http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/133281/Killer-of-Sheep/awards
  15. ^ a b c d e http://www.filmreference.com/Directors-Bu-Co/Burnett-Charles.html
  16. ^ a b http://www.milestonefilms.com/movie.php/brother/
  17. ^ a b Fifty Contemporary Film Directors pp. 62-63
  18. ^ Fifty Contemporary Film Directors pp. 65
  19. ^ a b http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10649
  20. ^ Black American Cinema pp. 111-112
  21. ^ The Representation of the Black Male in Film pp. 7
  22. ^ Fifty Contemporary Film Directors pp. 64

References

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1. Ankeny, Jason. “Charles Burnett”. Movies.nytimes.com. New York Times Movies & TV, 2010. Web. 13 Feb. 2011.<http://movies.nytimes.com/person/83593/Charles- Burnett/biography>.

2. "Charles Burnett." Contemporary Black Biography. The Gale Group, Inc. Answers.com, 2006.14 Feb. 2011. <http://www.answers.com/topic/charles-burnett>.

3. “Charles Burnett.” Fii.chadwych.com. Film Index International, 2011. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://fii.chadwyck.com/person/full_rec?action=BYID&ID=00070276&OFFSE T=4313842658&SUBSET=5&FILE=../session/1297406989_5821&ENTRIES=13>.

4. “Charles Burnett”. Unitedstatesartists.org. United States Artists, 2011. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/user/CharlesBurnett>.

5. Edelman, Rob. “Burnett, Charles.” Filmreference.com. Film Reference, 2011. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.filmreference.com/Directors-Bu-Co/Burnett-Charles.html>.

6. Imdb.com. The Internet Movie Database, 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2006.

7. killerofsheep.com. Ed. Milestone Films . Killer of Sheep: A Film By Charles Burnett, 2007. Web. 13 Feb. 2011.

8. Kleinhans, Chuck. “Charles Burnett.” Fifty Contemporary Film Directors. Ed. Yvonne Tasker. New York: Routledge, 2002. 60-69. Print.

9. Masilela, Ntongela. “The Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers.” Black American Cinema. Ed. Manthia Diawara. New York: Routledge, 1993. 107-117.

10. Miller, Chris. “The Representation of the Black Male in Film.” Journal of African American Studies 3.3: 19-20. Springer Link. Web. 13 Feb. 2010.

11. “My Brother’s Wedding”. Milestonefilms.com. Milestone, 2003. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.milestonefilms.com/movie.php/brother/>.

12. Smith, Damon. “A Quiet Storm: Charles Burnett on Namibia and His Post-Killer of Sheep Career.” Brightlightsfilm.com.Bright Lights Film Journal, 2011. Web. 13 Feb. 2011. <http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/60/60burnettiv.php>.

13. Taylor, Phillip. “Burnett Accepts First Freedom Award.” First Amendment Center, 1999. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10649>.

14. "Watts." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/637726/Watts>.

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