Charles Burnett (director)
Encyclopedia
Charles Burnett is an African-American film director, film producer, writer, editor, actor, photographer, and cinematographer. 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) He has been involved in other types of motion pictures including shorts, documentaries, and a TV series.
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.
.
Burnett has said that the neighborhood had a strong Southern influence due to the large number of Southerners living in the area. The Watts community strongly influences the subject matter of his movies, which often revolve around southern folklores mixed with modern themes. His film Killer of Sheep
was set in the Watts neighborhood.
to study electronics in preparation for a planned career as an electrician. Dissatisfied, he took a writing class and decided that his earlier artistic ambitions needed to be explored and tested. He went on to earn a BA in writing and languages at the University of California, Los Angeles
.
, Julie Dash
, Haile Gerima
, and Billy Woodberry
. The students' involvement in each other's films is highlighted by Burnett's work as a cinematographer for Haile Gerima
's 1979 movie Bush Mama
, as a crew member for Julie Dash
’s 1982 Illusions, and as a writer and cameraman for Billy Woodberry’s Bless Their Little Hearts. His professors Elyseo Taylor, who created the department of Ethno-Communications, and Basil Wright
, a British documentarian, also had a significant influence on Burnett's films. The turbulent social events of 1967 and 1968 were vital in the establishment of the UCLA filmmaking movement that would be dubbed “the Black Independent Movement”, a movement Burnett was highly involved in and influenced by. The films produced by this group of African and African American filmmakers had a high relevance to the politics and culture of the 1960s, yet stayed true to the history of their people. Their film characters shifted from the middle class to the working class to highlight the tension caused by class conflict within African American families. The independent writers and directors strayed away from the mainstream and won critical approval for remaining faithful to the true African American history. Another accomplishment of the Black Independent Movement and Charles Burnett was the creation of the Third World Film Club. The club joined with other organizations in a successful campaign to break the American boycott banning all forms of cultural exchange with Cuba
. Many critics have compared the films of the Black Independent Movement to Italian neorealist films of the 1940s, Third World Cinema films of the late 1960s and 1970s, and the 1990s Iranian New Wave. At the time the movement flourished, many countries in the Third World were involved in a struggle for revolution, a concept inspiring them to take it into their own hands to create films appropriately expressing their own indigenous views of their history and culture. In addition to staying true to history, many of the films of the Black Independent Movement have been considered to be a response to the White Hollywood and Blaxploitation
films that were popular at the time.
was written for his UCLA master’s thesis. The black and white film took Burnett five years to finish, apparently due to the imprisonment of one of the film's actors. The low-budget film was finally released to the public in 1978. The cast consisted mainly of his friends and film colleagues and was filmed primarily with a handheld camera, seemingly in documentary style. The main character was played by Henry G. Sanders, a Vietnam veteran who had studied cinema at Los Angeles City College and was enrolled in several classes at UCLA as well. Since his performance in the movie, Sanders has gone on to a career in films and TV, including roles in Rocky Balboa, ER
, Miami Vice
, and The West Wing. The lead female character in Killer of Sheep
was played by Kaycee Moore, who later went on to act in former UCLA classmate Julie Dash’s film Daughters of the Dust
. The story follows the protagonist Stan, a slaughterhouse worker, who struggles to make enough money to support his family. According to the film’s website, the movie “offers no solutions; it merely presents life”. Killer of Sheep revolves around rituals, in the family, childhood, oppression, and resistance to oppression. The soundtrack of ballads, jazz, and blues includes artists Etta James
, Dinah Washington
, Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Paul Robeson
, and Earth Wind & Fire. The film was only screened occasionally because of its poor 16mm print quality and failed to find widespread distribution due to the cost and complexity of securing music rights. It was recently restored by the UCLA Film & Television archive in a new 35mm print of much higher quality. The rereleased film won an array of awards including the critics' award at the Berlin International Film Festival
, first place at the Sundance Film Festival
in the 80’s, then called the USA Film Festival, and a Special Critics’ Award from the 2007 New York Film Critics Circle. It was also recognized as a national treasure and included among the first 50 films entered in the National Film Registry
for its historical importance by the Library of Congress
in 1990. In addition, it was chosen as one of the 100 Essential Films of All Time by the National Society of Film Critics in 2002. Burnett was awarded a Guggenheim Foundation
Fellowship in 1981, following the film's completion.
. My Brother’s Wedding was Charles Burnett’s second full-length film, but unfortunately was not released because of a mixed review in the New York Times after playing at the New Directors/New Films festival in 1983. As in Killer of Sheep, many of the film's actors were amateurs, best shown by his costume designer wife’s role in the movie. The role of Pierce Mundy, the protagonist, was played by Everett Silas. In the film Pierce Mundy struggles to choose between his brother’s middle-class existence and his best friend’s working-class world. The movie was the first feature Burnett shot on 35mm color film. The cost of the film was estimated at $80,000, a small amount by most standards. The movie was acquired by Milestone Films and was restored by the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley
and digitally re-edited by Burnett.
, Paul Butler, Mary Alice, Carl Lumbly, and Vonetta McGee
. Danny Glover, who plays Harry Mention, agreed to play the main character for a reduced fee and went on to invest in the production. Glover, a box-office favorite known for his role in the Lethal Weapon
films, has continued to star in many successful productions including The Royal Tenenbaums
, Dreamgirls
, 2012, and Death at a Funeral
. Although highly acclaimed by critics, To Sleep with Anger did poorly at the box office. Burnett attributes this box-office failure to poor distribution and the industry that he considered void of good taste. 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). Other awards include two Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay, the American Film Institute’s Maya Deren Award, the Special Jury Recognition Award at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival
, a Special Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, nominations for both Burnett and Glover by the New York Film Critics Association. The film was also named a national treasure by the Library of Congress
’s National Film Registry
as had Burnett's earlier Killer of Sheep.
. It was Burnett’s first film catering to a wider audience, featuring Ice Cube
, the rap artist, as a man wrongfully convicted of murder. The protagonist of the movie, JJ Johnson, is played by actor Michael Boatman
. The themes of the movie include a strong emphasis on the powerlessness of its African American characters and of the female characters in the movie. JJ Johnson’s female police officer, the first in the precinct is forced to deal with sexism both within the police department and outside on the streets. The female officer is played by Lori Petty who went on to become a director herself in the 2008 movie The Poker House. The Glass Shield was nominated for a Golden Leopard award in the 1994 Locarno International Film Festival. The film grossed approximately $3,000,000 in the U.S.
Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep is a 1977 American film written, directed, produced and shot by Charles Burnett. It features Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, and Charles Bracy, among others. The drama depicts the culture of urban African-Americans in Los Angeles' Watts district...
(1977), My Brother's Wedding
My Brother's Wedding
My Brother's Wedding is a tragic comedy written by Charles Burnett about a man named Pierce Mundy who has low ambitions and no plans for the future. He settles for a job at his parent’s dry cleaners in South Central Los Angeles after being fired from his previous job...
(1983), To Sleep with Anger
To Sleep With Anger
To Sleep with Anger is a 1990 drama film directed and written by Charles Burnett.-Plot:Harry Mention , an enigmatic drifter from the South, comes to visit an old acquaintance named Gideon , who now lives in South-Central Los Angeles...
(1990), The Glass Shield
The Glass Shield
The Glass Shield is a 1995 crime drama film starring Ice Cube, Michael Boatman and Lori Petty, directed by Charles Burnett.-Plot:Deputy John Johnson is a rookie in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the first black deputy at the station to which he is assigned...
(1994), and Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation
Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation
Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation is a 2007 epic film on the Namibian independence struggle against South African occupation as seen through the life of Sam Nujoma, the leader of the South-West Africa People's Organisation and the first president of the Republic of Namibia...
(2007) He has been involved in other types of motion pictures including shorts, documentaries, and a TV series.
Considered by the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
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.
Background
Charles Burnett was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi on April 13, 1944 to a nurse’s aide and a military father. In 1947, Charles's family moved to Watts, a largely black neighborhood in South Los Angeles. Although Burnett was interested in expressing himself through art from a young age, the economic pressure to maintain a stable job initially kept him from pursuing film or art in college.Influence of Watts
The neighborhood of Watts had a significant impact on the life and the work of Charles Burnett. The community, which gained notoriety in 1965 when violent riots in the area caused the deaths of 34 people and injured more than 1000, again made the news in 1992 when protestors turned to looting and arson following the acquittal of police officers tried for the beating of Rodney KingRodney King
Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...
.
Burnett has said that the neighborhood had a strong Southern influence due to the large number of Southerners living in the area. The Watts community strongly influences the subject matter of his movies, which often revolve around southern folklores mixed with modern themes. His film Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep is a 1977 American film written, directed, produced and shot by Charles Burnett. It features Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, and Charles Bracy, among others. The drama depicts the culture of urban African-Americans in Los Angeles' Watts district...
was set in the Watts neighborhood.
College
Charles Burnett first enrolled at Los Angeles City CollegeLos Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the East Hollywood section of Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard...
to study electronics in preparation for a planned career as an electrician. Dissatisfied, he took a writing class and decided that his earlier artistic ambitions needed to be explored and tested. He went on to earn a BA in writing and languages at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
.
UCLA Film School and the Black Independent Movement
Burnett continued his education by enrolling in the UCLA film school for a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater arts and film. His experiences at UCLA had a profound influence on his work, and the students and faculty he worked with became his mentors and friends. Some fellow students include filmmaking greats like Larry ClarkLarry Clark (filmmaker)
Larry Clark is one of the leading directors of the L.A. Rebellion . He directed the feature films, Passing Through and Cutting Horse...
, Julie Dash
Julie Dash
Julie Dash is a United States filmmaker. She directed Daughters of the Dust, which in 1991 became the first full-length film with general theatrical release in the United States by an African American woman...
, Haile Gerima
Haile Gerima
Haile Gerima is an Ethiopian filmmaker, who resides in the United States. He is a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers. His films have received wide international acclaim. Gerima has also been an influential film professor at...
, and Billy Woodberry
Billy Woodberry
Billy Woodberry is one of the leading directors of the L.A. Rebellion . He is best known for directing the 1984 feature film, Bless Their Little Hearts , which was honored at the Berlin International Film Festival.-Background:Woodberry was born in Dallas, Texas...
. The students' involvement in each other's films is highlighted by Burnett's work as a cinematographer for Haile Gerima
Haile Gerima
Haile Gerima is an Ethiopian filmmaker, who resides in the United States. He is a leading member of the L.A. Rebellion film movement, also known as the Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers. His films have received wide international acclaim. Gerima has also been an influential film professor at...
's 1979 movie Bush Mama
Bush Mama
-Plot:Bush Mama is the story of Dorothy and her husband T.C., a discharged Vietnam veteran who thought he would return home to a "hero's welcome." Instead he is falsely arrested and imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. Theirs is a world of welfare, perennial unemployment, and despair...
, as a crew member for Julie Dash
Julie Dash
Julie Dash is a United States filmmaker. She directed Daughters of the Dust, which in 1991 became the first full-length film with general theatrical release in the United States by an African American woman...
’s 1982 Illusions, and as a writer and cameraman for Billy Woodberry’s Bless Their Little Hearts. His professors Elyseo Taylor, who created the department of Ethno-Communications, and Basil Wright
Basil Wright
Basil Wright, , was a documentary filmmaker, film historian, film critic and teacher.-Biography:...
, a British documentarian, also had a significant influence on Burnett's films. The turbulent social events of 1967 and 1968 were vital in the establishment of the UCLA filmmaking movement that would be dubbed “the Black Independent Movement”, a movement Burnett was highly involved in and influenced by. The films produced by this group of African and African American filmmakers had a high relevance to the politics and culture of the 1960s, yet stayed true to the history of their people. Their film characters shifted from the middle class to the working class to highlight the tension caused by class conflict within African American families. The independent writers and directors strayed away from the mainstream and won critical approval for remaining faithful to the true African American history. Another accomplishment of the Black Independent Movement and Charles Burnett was the creation of the Third World Film Club. The club joined with other organizations in a successful campaign to break the American boycott banning all forms of cultural exchange with Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. Many critics have compared the films of the Black Independent Movement to Italian neorealist films of the 1940s, Third World Cinema films of the late 1960s and 1970s, and the 1990s Iranian New Wave. At the time the movement flourished, many countries in the Third World were involved in a struggle for revolution, a concept inspiring them to take it into their own hands to create films appropriately expressing their own indigenous views of their history and culture. In addition to staying true to history, many of the films of the Black Independent Movement have been considered to be a response to the White Hollywood and Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
films that were popular at the time.
Early career
Charles Burnett's earliest works include his UCLA student films made with friends, Several Friends (1969) and The Horse (1973), in which he was the director, producer, and editor.Killer of Sheep (1977)
Charles Burnett’s first full-length feature film Killer of SheepKiller of Sheep
Killer of Sheep is a 1977 American film written, directed, produced and shot by Charles Burnett. It features Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, and Charles Bracy, among others. The drama depicts the culture of urban African-Americans in Los Angeles' Watts district...
was written for his UCLA master’s thesis. The black and white film took Burnett five years to finish, apparently due to the imprisonment of one of the film's actors. The low-budget film was finally released to the public in 1978. The cast consisted mainly of his friends and film colleagues and was filmed primarily with a handheld camera, seemingly in documentary style. The main character was played by Henry G. Sanders, a Vietnam veteran who had studied cinema at Los Angeles City College and was enrolled in several classes at UCLA as well. Since his performance in the movie, Sanders has gone on to a career in films and TV, including roles in Rocky Balboa, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
, and The West Wing. The lead female character in Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep
Killer of Sheep is a 1977 American film written, directed, produced and shot by Charles Burnett. It features Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, and Charles Bracy, among others. The drama depicts the culture of urban African-Americans in Los Angeles' Watts district...
was played by Kaycee Moore, who later went on to act in former UCLA classmate Julie Dash’s film Daughters of the Dust
Daughters of the Dust
Daughters of the Dust is a 1991 independent film written, directed and produced by Julie Dash. It tells the story of three generations of Gullah women at the turn of the 20th century and focuses on the family's migration from the Sea Islands to the American mainland.Featuring an unusual narrative...
. The story follows the protagonist Stan, a slaughterhouse worker, who struggles to make enough money to support his family. According to the film’s website, the movie “offers no solutions; it merely presents life”. Killer of Sheep revolves around rituals, in the family, childhood, oppression, and resistance to oppression. The soundtrack of ballads, jazz, and blues includes artists Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
, Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington, born Ruth Lee Jones , was an American blues, R&B and jazz singer. She has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the '50s", and called "The Queen of the Blues"...
, Gershwin, Rachmaninov, Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
, and Earth Wind & Fire. The film was only screened occasionally because of its poor 16mm print quality and failed to find widespread distribution due to the cost and complexity of securing music rights. It was recently restored by the UCLA Film & Television archive in a new 35mm print of much higher quality. The rereleased film won an array of awards including the critics' award at the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, first place at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in the 80’s, then called the USA Film Festival, and a Special Critics’ Award from the 2007 New York Film Critics Circle. It was also recognized as a national treasure and included among the first 50 films entered in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
for its historical importance by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in 1990. In addition, it was chosen as one of the 100 Essential Films of All Time by the National Society of Film Critics in 2002. Burnett was awarded a Guggenheim Foundation
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation was founded in 1925 by Mr. and Mrs. Simon Guggenheim in memory of their son, who died April 26, 1922...
Fellowship in 1981, following the film's completion.
My Brother’s Wedding (1983)
Charles Burnett served as the director, producer, director of photography, and screenwriter for My Brother's WeddingMy Brother's Wedding
My Brother's Wedding is a tragic comedy written by Charles Burnett about a man named Pierce Mundy who has low ambitions and no plans for the future. He settles for a job at his parent’s dry cleaners in South Central Los Angeles after being fired from his previous job...
. My Brother’s Wedding was Charles Burnett’s second full-length film, but unfortunately was not released because of a mixed review in the New York Times after playing at the New Directors/New Films festival in 1983. As in Killer of Sheep, many of the film's actors were amateurs, best shown by his costume designer wife’s role in the movie. The role of Pierce Mundy, the protagonist, was played by Everett Silas. In the film Pierce Mundy struggles to choose between his brother’s middle-class existence and his best friend’s working-class world. The movie was the first feature Burnett shot on 35mm color film. The cost of the film was estimated at $80,000, a small amount by most standards. The movie was acquired by Milestone Films and was restored by the Pacific Film Archive at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and digitally re-edited by Burnett.
To Sleep with Anger (1990)
To Sleep with Anger was Burnett’s first higher-budget film, with an estimated cost of $1.4 million. The grant he received from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation helped Burnett support his family while working on the film. The $250,000 grant spread over the course of five years is awarded to gifted individuals to pursue personal projects. The movie was set in South Central LA and followed the same themes of family and southern folklore as in most of his films. The story concerns a lower middle class Los Angeles family that welcomes a guest from the South who overstays his welcome and causes a major disturbance in the family. The instability of the family seems to highlight the larger community’s volatility. To Sleep with Anger was Burnett’s first film to feature professional actors. The lead actors include Danny GloverDanny Glover
Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. Glover is perhaps best known for his role as Detective Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film franchise.-Early life:...
, Paul Butler, Mary Alice, Carl Lumbly, and Vonetta McGee
Vonetta McGee
-Life and career:Vonetta McGee was born in San Francisco, to Alma and Lawrence McGee. She graduated from San Francisco Polytechnic High School and made her debut in 1968 as the eponymous character in the Italian comedy Faustina...
. Danny Glover, who plays Harry Mention, agreed to play the main character for a reduced fee and went on to invest in the production. Glover, a box-office favorite known for his role in the Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film and the first in a series of films, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives, and Gary Busey as their primary adversary...
films, has continued to star in many successful productions including The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Royal Tenenbaums is a 2001 American comedy-drama film directed by Wes Anderson and co-written with Owen Wilson. The film stars Gene Hackman and Anjelica Huston, with Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson, and Owen Wilson....
, Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio...
, 2012, and Death at a Funeral
Death at a Funeral (2010 film)
Death at a Funeral is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Neil LaBute and starring an ensemble cast. The film is a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name.-Plot:...
. Although highly acclaimed by critics, To Sleep with Anger did poorly at the box office. Burnett attributes this box-office failure to poor distribution and the industry that he considered void of good taste. 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). Other awards include two Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay, the American Film Institute’s Maya Deren Award, the Special Jury Recognition Award at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, a Special Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, nominations for both Burnett and Glover by the New York Film Critics Association. The film was also named a national treasure by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
’s National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
as had Burnett's earlier Killer of Sheep.
The Glass Shield (1994)
The Glass Shield follows a story of corruption and racism in the Los Angeles Police DepartmentLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
. It was Burnett’s first film catering to a wider audience, featuring Ice Cube
Ice Cube
O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
, the rap artist, as a man wrongfully convicted of murder. The protagonist of the movie, JJ Johnson, is played by actor Michael Boatman
Michael Boatman
Michael Patrick Boatman is an Image Award-nominated American actor and writer. He is best known for his roles as U.S. Army Specialist Samuel Beckett in the ABC drama series China Beach, as New York City mayoral aide Carter Heywood in the ABC sitcom Spin City, and as sports agent Stanley Babson in...
. The themes of the movie include a strong emphasis on the powerlessness of its African American characters and of the female characters in the movie. JJ Johnson’s female police officer, the first in the precinct is forced to deal with sexism both within the police department and outside on the streets. The female officer is played by Lori Petty who went on to become a director herself in the 2008 movie The Poker House. The Glass Shield was nominated for a Golden Leopard award in the 1994 Locarno International Film Festival. The film grossed approximately $3,000,000 in the U.S.