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Sometimes a performance is so transfixing, it overtakes a mediocre movie and elevates it, even as everyone else seems to be operating at half speed. Such is the case of Danny Glover and To Sleep with Anger. No one who sees this film will forget Glover’s performance as Harry, the charming drifter who, even when he’s putting on his best, never seems to be at rest. There is something vibrationally wrong with this man, something that can’t be trusted. As one person describes him, he’s the moon, always eager to show his light side, but never forget that the other side lies in darkness.

When Harry arrives on Gideon's (Paul Butler) front porch, he is warmly welcomed by the patriarch and his wife, Suzie (Mary Alice), a hard-working, God-fearing couple who attempt to pass on their traditions to their adult sons. Junior (Carl Lumbly) and his wife share his parents' beliefs, which are thought backward by his buppie brother, Babe (Richard Brooks), and Babe's wife (Sheryl Lee Ralph). And the longer Harry stays, the more volatile the relations between the generations, the brothers, the couples and even the neighbors...

Director: Charles Burnett
Cast: Danny Glover, Paul Butler, DeVaughn Nixon, Mary Alice
Country: USA
Genre: Drama

BD50, DVD9 | 1080p AVC, NTSC | 01:41:52 | 44.2 Gb + 7.37 Gb + 3% rec
Language: English
Subtitles: English

Extras:

• Of Family and Folklore - in this new program, director Charles Burnett, actors Danny Glover and Sheryl Lee Ralph, and associate producer Linda Koulisis discuss the original concept for To Sleep with Anger, some of the changes that were made to address the more elusive folklore themes, the nature of the relationships in the film, the shooting process, etc. The program was produced exclusively for Criterion in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (24 min, 1080p).

• Charles Burnett Tribute - this tribute reel dedicated to Charles Burnett was created by Shola Lynch for the 2017 Governors Awards. In features actors James Earl Jones, Danny Glover, Carl Lumbly, and Sheryl Lee, cinematographer Bradford Young, and filmmakers Julie Dash, Reginald Hudlin, and Rovert Townsend. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080i).

• A Walk with Charles Burnett - this program examines the career and work of Charles Burnett. The program was produced for Criterion's series Meet the Filmmakers in 2018. In English, not subtitled. (57 min, 1080i).