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To Sleep with Anger
An enigmatic drifter from the South comes to visit an old acquaintance who now lives in South-Central LA.
1990 · Directed by Charles Burnett · 102 min · Drama · Screenplay in the scene database · 7 frames
Tagline
When Harry comes to town, he brings good times, bad times… And a lot of trouble!
Plot
Gideon and his wife Suzie live in South Central Los Angeles (having moved there from the South years ago), where they spend time taking care of their grandson Sunny, as their son Samuel (also referred to as "Babe Brother") and his wife Linda each work during the day.
One day, Harry, a longstanding friend from the South whom they have not seen for many years, makes a surprise visit. The couple are delighted to see him and insist that he stay with them for as long as he wishes. Harry has a charming, down-home manner, but his enigmatic and somewhat amoral presence brings trouble to a crisis that has been simmering in the family—especially as regards Samuel and his relationships with his parents, wife and elder brother, Junior.
Harry's presence threatens to break up Samuel's marriage and seems to be related to an illness Gideon develops over the course of three weeks. On a stormy night, the clash between the two brothers, while Samuel merely sits and the others tend to Gideon, erupts in full; the result of their clash results in Suzie getting accidentally slashed in the hand that requires a visit to the hospital.
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Written by: Charles Burnett
- Cinematography: Walt Lloyd
- Edited by: Nancy Richardson
- Music: Stephen James Taylor
- Production design: Penny Barrett
- Produced by: Thomas S. Byrnes, Caldecot Chubb, Darin Scott
Cast
- Danny Glover as Harry
- Paul Butler as Gideon
- Mary Alice as Suzie
- Richard Brooks as Samuel “Baby Brother”
- Carl Lumbly as Junior
- Sheryl Lee Ralph as Linda
- Vonetta McGee as Pat
- Ethel Ayler as Hattie
- Julius Harris as Herman
- Sy Richardson as Marsh
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English
- Studios: SVS Films, The Samuel Goldwyn Company
- Box office: $1,161,627
- Themes: los angeles, california, drifter, uninvited guest, l.a. rebellion
More by Charles Burnett
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