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23 out of 24 people found the following review useful: An Underrated American Classic, 21 February 2002 Author: Snazel from Seattle, WA
Some stories leave you shattered. They speak to you on such a level and you identify with such intensity that by the end of the film, your nerves and emotion are raw.Is Raisin in the Sun a play about racial prejudice? Yes indeed, an important one too. No story illustrates the ignorance of 'restricted neighborhoods' better. No film offers the ugliness of white arrogance and presumption, something that still lives and breathes in this country.For me personally, this is also a movie about being a man.This movie illustrates so well how men are composed. We honor the father, love the mother and protect the traditions that raised you. Mixed in with all of that and no less important, are our dreams and aspirations.This movie teaches us, with immense power and clarity, that to be a man, to be a real man, you must never sell out your pride. Never. No matter how badly your dreams have been shattered, your pride and your manhood belong to no one. Simple, basic redemption lies within that truth.It's an important lesson, a deep lesson, that men of today (including myself) need to remind themselves of from time to time. There is a pride within all men. It can be stubborn, it can be arrogant and it can be so full of dreams that it can lead to bitter heartbreak. But it is there, burning in all men and it's our most treasured asset. I can't think of a contemporary play that illustrates more strongly, the struggle and rites of manhood in American culture today. How ironic and perhaps appropriate that the film is written by a woman. It is after all the women in this film who patiently wait for Walter to find himself. The love, faith and patience of the women in this film, illustrate the grace, power and importance women have in all our lives, regardless of our gender. A Raisin in the Sun, is a marvelous film and brilliant play. It is, from my perspective, an American classic and I believe one of the most underrated American plays of all time. I recommend it to any man that is struggling to find themselves or trying to recapture what is real and what is untouchable within our souls and within our dreams.
18 out of 20 people found the following review useful: Must see movie, 16 October 2006 Author: thowen1988 from United States
"A Raisin in the Sun" is one of the finest American films ever made. This film discusses many vital issues, such as racism, abortion, trust, family values, greed, and even atheism.My favorite character in this film is matriarch Lena Younger, impeccably performed by Claudia McNeil. Mrs. Younger is a wise, loving mother and grandmother to her family. While she may not always agree with her children's decisions, she never stops loving them.Sidney Poitier is brilliant as the defeated Walter Lee Younger. Walter is frustrated with his job as a chauffeur, and believes he has more to offer the world.Ruby Dee is great as Walter's supportive and level headed wife.The dialogue and issues that are discussed reinstate the values upon which America was built. I strongly recommend this excellent film.
16 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Masterpiece, 14 June 2000 Author: ivan beshkov (ivanbeshkov@msn.com) from Los Angeles
Diary entry 1996:For decades I have been waiting for American TV to see fit to exhibit the movie version of "A Raisin in the Sun". The day will never come. So I grabbed the opportunity to check out the video from the library. I didn't expect to be moved as much as I was when I first saw the TV play. After all, I knew the plot. The novelty effect was no longer there. Yet I was tearful throughout the movie, and was wiping away tears for the last half hour. There are wonderful lines like "Seems God saw fit to give the black man nothing but dreams - but He sure saw fit to give'em children to make the dream seem worthwhile". "A raisin in the Sun" is not only the greatest movie drama, but also the greatest American play. This play transcends race and addresses universal issues. It combines drama with humor with admirable balance.
10 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Best Black Cinema Ever, 27 November 2005 Author: shadgurl79 from United States
My applause goes to director, Daniel Petrie, for a masterpiece movie that concentrated on one set of a black family's small apartment, in the projects of Chicago. This movie shows every hardship that black families went through in the fifties. A Raisin in the Sun movie is a remake of Lorraine Hansberry's classic stage play of how a black family tries to escape from their crowded apartment life to a house in an all white neighborhood. Sidney Politer delivered his usual outstanding performance in this film, which sends a message about the limited opportunities open to blacks in this time period. My favorite character was Mama, played by Claudia McNeil. She did an excellent job showing how the mother is always the backbone of black families through every trial and tribulation. I am not usually a fan of black and white movies, but this movie displayed a wonderful storyline for me to understand the struggle they went through. There was never a movie that I can think of that was this excellent with one set most of the movie and was in black and white. The part of the movie that meant a lot to me is how Mama took the money she received and did something with it that would benefit the whole family. Overall, each main character portrayed a strong black person. For example, Walter Lee realized that he is suppose to follow behind his father and be a strong black man and raise a family. Ruth always stood by her husband no matter his wrongs, Beneatha was a young black student going to college to be doctor and Mama was just their for any of her family member's and remain strong for everyone.
11 out of 12 people found the following review useful: One of the best films ever made, 27 September 2003 Author: gtownes from ny, nEW yORK
I watch this film with my children, to show them that although there are no special effects, no explicit sex scences, and very little profane language this is a movie that GRABS you from beginning to end. It breaks beyond race and color, it is about HUMANITY. Sidney and Ruby are BRILLIANT in this film, but the accolades belong to the grandmother. She is the ROCK that holds everything together. I urge everyone to watch this movie. EVERYTIME I WATCH IT I CRY.
7 out of 7 people found the following review useful: The Greatest Story Ever Told, 1 January 2004 Author: nsantiago_md from USA
This is the embodiment of the Mr. Langston Hughes poem that obviously inspired Ms. Lorraine Hansberry to write this wonderful piece. What indeed DOES happen to a dream deferred? Each of the adult main characters has a dream about what should be done with the $10,000 insurance policy paid after the Younger patriarch's death, and each person's dream is challenged. I most identify with the character of Beneatha, the doctor-to-be in a time when few women, and even fewer Black women, could achieve this dream. This is a story of dreams, of family, of strength, of sacrifice, of mistakes and of recovery from the consequences of those mistakes. Whenever I need a dose of inspiration, when things in my own life seem too difficult to conquer, I watch A Raisin in the Sun and feel strong again. The acting in this film is so incredibly moving that there are parts (and I won't give them away) that are so disheartening and sad that they still move me to tears, after all these years and after all the times I have watched it. It is truly the greatest story ever told.
5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Powerful performances, 9 June 2001 Author: alicebonaise from Vancouver, Canada
"A Raisin in the Sun" presents powerful acting performances from Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, and Claudia MacNeil. I was deeply engaged throughout the film due to the fine presence of the characters and meaningful dialogue. The conversations between the members in the Younger family reveal not only their unique personalities and dreams, but also, the complex nature of their relationships and the deep personal issues within each of them. Someone once said, "pride is a dangerous thing" and this film beautifully illustrates the consequences of pride. In my opinion, this is one of Poitier's finest moments in film but, more importantly, I believe this story offers a lesson to all of us, regardless of race, about love and pride. It is truly a classic film.
11 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Superb, Way ahead of its time, 22 May 2000 Author: smakawhat from Washington, DC
Brilliant performances all around. Amazing how far ahead this movie must have been in 1961. Watching it now it boggles my mind that these issues made it to cinema.Poiter is GOD and has such a stage presence that it is no wonder he is such a gifted actor. Truly Brilliant film.Rating 10 out of 10
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?, 31 October 2005 Author: JoeytheBrit from www.moviemoviesite.com
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Lorraine Hansberry's screen adaptation of her own stage play is a powerful depiction of a black family's attempts to drag itself out of the ghetto with the aid of a $10,000 insurance pay-out following the death of the father. However, instead of providing the answer to their problems, it creates a new set that threatens to tear them apart.Sidney Poitier got himself noticed with this flick, and it's not hard to see why. While it wasn't his breakthrough movie – he'd been around for years, and had co-starred with Curtis in The Defiant Ones a couple of years before – it was the film that led to him obtaining starring roles rather than supporting ones. He brings an exuberance to the screen here that few actors can match, and stalks the cramped set like a panther as he rages against his lot in life. His isn't a likable character, and yet it's a measure of Poitier's talent that, even though he tends to overact at times, he still manages to make the character a sympathetic one. Claudia McNeil, reprising her stage role, vies with Poitier for domination of the screen at times, but it is a contest that benefits the film rather than creating conflict, and both Ruby Dee as Poitier's long-suffering wife and the ill-fated Diana Sands as his feisty sister are overshadowed by the principle actors' performances.Films like this require a level of compromise on the part of the viewer than doesn't come easy to me. While the film itself is undeniably powerful and the rare quality of the writing can't be faulted, the relentless emoting and dramatic expression of deceptively complex themes and ideas begin to wear one down after a while. By their very nature they can only fail to be representative of the people they depict because the ideas expressed are rarely more than passing observations to those who do not devote the deep thought to such matters that are necessary for the creation of such a literate piece of work. In fact, praise of the writing in a play/film like this is a double-edged sword when you think about it: the 'real' people represented by the Youngers may feel trapped in the same way as Hansberry's characters, but it's unlikely that they would be able to articulate their feelings in the way the Youngers do. In this sense then, such films are unrealistic, and too often the ultimate nobility of the characters – as witnessed in the concluding scenes in A Raisin In The Sun – fails to ring true. There are few people who would have not taken the white racist's money when faced with the hardship that the Youngers are about to endure, and it would be the easiest thing in the world for anyone to convincingly justify such an act. Perhaps that's simply a sign of the changing times, but something tells me otherwise, and for that reason, Walter's change of heart fails to convince. But then if he didn't have a change of heart, what kind of film – and message – would we be left with?
4 out of 5 people found the following review useful: An exceptional screenplay., 21 December 2002 Author: Rob Deschenes (kalibur@softhome.net) from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
The cast is excellent. The dialogue is sharp and wise. Sidney Poitier pulls an absolutely riveting performance as the widow's son. Since RAISIN IN THE SUN is based from a play, most of the movie takes place in the house and has the characters talk and talk. But what they have to say is excellent, and the character study is something to admire. RAISIN IN THE SUN is a pure gem.The old man of the house passes away and leaves the Younger family with $10 000 in their pocket. What will they do with their destiny?Every character has an integral part in the movie. The man of the house, who longs to be one. The wife, who despairs in the house, while discovering she is pregnant. The daughter who strives to be a doctor. RAISIN IN THE SUN is far from the big booming special effect epics of today. But it is powerful for its time, and is a worthwhile classic rent. Two thumbs up.
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