A set of fictional, slice-of-life, plot less vignettes portraying slaughterhouse worker Sanders' day-to-day struggle to survive and hold values while living in the 1970s Watts ghetto. Sanders' depressed state falls from his realization that he and those around him, unable to ethically escape their social/financial plight, are not so not unlike the placid, milling livestock awaiting their turn down the chute of death, that there is a much larger killer of sheep about.
Shot on a B&W shoe-string budget toward a UCLA film school thesis project, it drips with rough editing and continuity – that increment the aura of gritty realism. Total reliance on Watts locations and neophyte Watts actors evidences clear influence of Italian neorealism. Prohibitive soundtrack costs - and a scrumptious soundtrack it is - left the master rotting in the can.
The film was lavished with solid reviews at debut, due to its stark contrast with black-exploitation films of the day, and ended up on the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. A UCLA-restored version re-debuted in 2000. The film's 30-year absence, like that of a died-young Hollywood or rock star, has accumulated the film a nearly legendary status inside the industry – which may or may not be fully deserved.
Opinions as to whether this film is worthy of its kudos will vary wildly. The slaughterhouse analogy is insightful, honest and difficult to deny. There are many subtle, poignant moments that touch and persuade. However, lack of plot will cause many a viewer to pan it. And while this black director's cultural effort may have been singular in its day, it just does not stand so tall against the talented work of current black directors (eg, Spike Lee's persuasive "When the Levees Broke.")
Recommended, but requires great patience of the viewer.
Shot on a B&W shoe-string budget toward a UCLA film school thesis project, it drips with rough editing and continuity – that increment the aura of gritty realism. Total reliance on Watts locations and neophyte Watts actors evidences clear influence of Italian neorealism. Prohibitive soundtrack costs - and a scrumptious soundtrack it is - left the master rotting in the can.
The film was lavished with solid reviews at debut, due to its stark contrast with black-exploitation films of the day, and ended up on the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. A UCLA-restored version re-debuted in 2000. The film's 30-year absence, like that of a died-young Hollywood or rock star, has accumulated the film a nearly legendary status inside the industry – which may or may not be fully deserved.
Opinions as to whether this film is worthy of its kudos will vary wildly. The slaughterhouse analogy is insightful, honest and difficult to deny. There are many subtle, poignant moments that touch and persuade. However, lack of plot will cause many a viewer to pan it. And while this black director's cultural effort may have been singular in its day, it just does not stand so tall against the talented work of current black directors (eg, Spike Lee's persuasive "When the Levees Broke.")
Recommended, but requires great patience of the viewer.