#1052: BERRY, John: Claudine (1974)

BERRY, John (United States)
Claudine [1974]
Spine #1052
Blu-ray


Diahann Carroll is radiant in an unforgettable, Oscar-nominated performance as Claudine, a strong-willed single mother, raising six kids in Harlem, whose budding relationship with a gregarious garbage collector (the equally fantastic James Earl Jones) is stressed by the difficulty of getting by in an oppressive society. As directed by the formerly blacklisted leftist filmmaker John Berry, this romantic comedy with a social conscience deftly balances warm humor with a serious look at the myriad issues — from cycles of poverty to the indignities of the welfare system — that shape its characters' realities. The result is an empathetic chronicle of both Black working-class struggle and Black joy, a bittersweet, bighearted celebration of family and community set to a sunny soul soundtrack composed by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips.

92 minutes
Color
Monaural
1:85:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2020
Director/Writers

Screenplay by Tina Pine and Lester Pine.
John Berry was 57 when he directed Claudine.

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by critic Danielle A. Jackson.

Commentary

From 2003 featuring actors Carroll, Jones, and Hilton-Jacobs; filmmaker George Tillman Jr.; and Dan Pine, the son of screenwriters Lester and Tina Pine.

Conversation

Between filmmaker Robert Townsend and programmer Ashley Clark.

Illustrated audio excerpts

From a 1974 AFI Harold Lloyd Master Seminar featuring Carroll.

Interview

With film critic Imogen Sara Smith on director Berry.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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