Killer of Sheep  /  Bless Their Little Hearts

Killer of Sheep  (1978)

An official American classic, if not the American Bicycle Thieves that some have termed it. Killer of Sheep is without a doubt astonishing poetry, a seamless tango of realist sting and stylized grace notes, penetrating wit and agonizing heartbreak. The film centers around Stan (Gayle Sanders), whose brutal job in a Watts slaughterhouse can barely sustain his family whose humanity surfaces in their formidable daily struggle and moments of relishing beauty and hope.

Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funded by the Ahmanson Foundation, in association with the Sundance Film Institute. Courtesy of Milestone Film & Video.

35mm print from the UCLA Film & Television Archive, b/w, 87 min. Director/Screenwriter/Cinematographer: Charles Burnett. Cast: Henry Gayle Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy.

Bless Their Little Hearts  (1984)

Billy Woodberry’s magnificent feature represents the closure and pinnacle of a neorealist strand within the “L.A. Rebellion” school of Black filmmakers. Chronicling the psychological and spiritual toll experienced by a family in the throes of economic hardship and underemployment—and seeking a dignified way to live and be happy—the film also constitutes a felicitous creative collaboration between Woodberry and screenwriter-cinematographer Charles Burnett.

Restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Preservation funded by the National Film Preservation Foundation and The Packard Humanities Institute. Courtesy of Milestone Film & Video.

35mm print from the UCLA Film & Television Archive, b/w, 84 min. Director: Billy Woodberry. Screenwriter: Charles Burnett. Cinematographer: Charles Burnett. Cast: Nate Hardman, Kaycee Moore, Angela Burnett.

Watch the Q&A with filmmaker Charles Burnett and film restorationist Ross Lipman.