A Raisin in the Sun (1961) – 8.5/10 – Powerful drama inspired by true events
Overall
A Raisin in the Sun is a drama based on a play by playwright Lorraine Hansberry. She wrote it based on her family’s struggles when they moved to a white neighborhood, and the community didn’t want a black family in their territory. Lorraine’s father refused to be discriminated against based on his skin and fought through the courts for three years. The case (Hansberry v. Lee) reached the US Supreme Court, and the Hansberry family won. Young Lorraine later became a playwright and the first black woman to write a drama produced on Broadway. It’s quite a story considering it was the height of segregation before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. For her personal experiences to inspire this play and then later translate into a famous screenplay is mind-blowing. My rating is 8.5/10.
Plot
The Younger family of Chicago lives in a two-bedroom residence. There’s Mama (Claudia McNeil), her son Walter (Sidney Poitier), Walter’s wife Ruth (Ruby Dee), their son Travis, and Walter’s sister Beneatha (Diana Sands). Walter is a chauffeur, Ruth is a maid, Mama has retired, and Beneatha hopes to attend medical school. Mama receives a $10,000 check from life insurance for her deceased husband (and Walter/Beneatha’s father). Walter has become cynical and bitter about the family’s circumstances. While Mama dreams of buying a home with that money, Walter wants to sell liquor. The clash ends with Mama purchasing a house in an all-white neighborhood. Then things fall apart.
Technicals
A RAISIN IN THE SUN is a well-crafted movie that hooked me 30 minutes into it. My favorite aspects were the direction, powerful performances, touching story (hats off to the script), and cinematography. The original cast of the Broadway play kept their roles for the movie. McNeil, Poitier, and Dee are sensational. They cover a plethora of themes, including perseverance, family, bigotry, hate, poverty, greed, hypocrisy, and love. Its message of love is thoughtful and never becomes preachy. They depicted the era in which it takes place well. I laughed at several moments that added humor to a serious narrative, so it wasn’t always serious. I found two flaws. The pacing early on wasn’t exceptional. The beginning dragged, but patience paid off once it reached the heart of the story. Second, a couple of instances seemed melodramatic and over-the-top. They could have presented those moments differently and less cornily. Otherwise, it’s top-notch.
Trivia tidbits
McNeil and Poitier had tension throughout the filming over whose character’s point of view should be the focus between the two. The Broadway play “A Raisin in the Sun” began in March 1959 and ran for 530 performances. Most of the original cast remained for the movie. During production, filmmakers struggled to rent houses when people found out the film’s story. The production crew filmed a sequence in a white neighborhood, but threatening calls to the homeowner forced them to leave. A majority of the movie happens in one room, but you don’t notice.
Would I recommend this?
Yes, I recommend this movie, especially if you are into social commentary. This movie is likable with takeaway values for everyone, even if it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Truth be told, it’s painful to see their hardships. The income struggle felt relatable to lower-class and middle-class families in their lives, even if the racism part may not be. It concerns more than class and race, though. It’s about humanity and human struggles. Many themes are universal.
*Obtained trivia facts from IMDb’s trivia page and plot/basic history/names information from Wiki
