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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
Directed by Charles Burnett
USA 1977
A quiet revelation of American independent filmmaking, Charles Burnett’s lyrical debut feature unfolds as a mosaic of Black life in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Stan (Henry Gayle Sanders), a father worn down by his job in a slaughterhouse, and his wife (Kaycee Moore) seek moments of tenderness in the face of myriad disappointments. Equally attuned to the world of children and that of adults, Burnett—acting as director, writer, producer, cinematographer, and editor—finds poetry amid everyday struggles in indelible images that glow with compassionate beauty. Largely unseen for decades following its completion in 1977, Killer of Sheep is now recognized as a touchstone of the groundbreaking LA Rebellion movement, and a masterpiece that brought Black American lives to the screen with an aching intimacy like no film before. *** Killer of Sheep (1977), directed by Charles Burnett, is a landmark independent American film that portrays the struggles of Stan, a Black slaughterhouse worker in Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood, as he navigates poverty, family life, and existential despair. Through a series of episodic, neorealist vignettes, the film captures the daily grind of Stan’s job, his strained relationships, and the community’s resilience amid systemic economic and racial challenges. Shot on 16mm with a non-professional cast, its raw, poetic visuals and soulful jazz and blues soundtrack create a meditative tone, offering a profound, humanistic depiction of African-American life in the post-Civil Rights era. Celebrated for its authenticity and artistry, it remains a seminal work of the L.A. Rebellion film movement. |
Posters
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Theatrical Release: November 14th, 1978 (Whitney Museum of American Art)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray / Region FREE 4K UHD
Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Blu-ray 4K UHD Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion Spine #1262 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray / Region FREE 4K UHD | |
Runtime | 1:21:49.571 | |
Video |
1.33 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 47,777,408,224 bytesFeature: 24,964,306,944 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.23 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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Audio |
LPCM Audio English
1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -31dB |
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Subtitles | English (SDH), None | |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1.33 :1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 47,777,408,224 bytesFeature: 24,964,306,944 bytes Video Bitrate: 36.23 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • Audio commentary featuring Burnett and film scholar Richard Peña • New interviews with Burnett (12:54) and actor Henry Gayle Sanders (16:57) • New appreciation by filmmaker Barry Jenkins (18:50) • Two short films by Burnett: Several Friends (1969 - 22:03) and The Horse (1973 - 13:53), with a new introduction to the latter by Burnett (1:12) • Excerpt from the 2010 UCLA LA Rebellion Oral History Project, featuring an interview with Burnett by film scholar Jacqueline Stewart (19:11) • A Walk with Charles Burnett (2019), a documentary by Robert Townsend (56:09) • Cast reunion from 2007 (6:02) • Trailer (2:18) PLUS: An essay by critic Danielle Amir Jackson
Chapters 15 |
Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
Like 4K UHD transfers of The Long Wait, I, the Jury, and many others below, Criterion's 2160P transfer of Killer of Sheep does not have HDR applied (no HDR10, HDR10+, nor Dolby Vision.) We have seen many other 4K UHD transfers without HDR; Mondo Macabro's Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf, Cult Film's Django 4K UHD, Umbrella's 4K UHD transfer of Peter Weir's The Last Wave and Criterion's 4K UHD transfers of Chungking Express, Winchester '73, The Mother and the Whore, I Am Cuba, The Others, Rules of the Game, Branded to Kill, In the Mood For Love, Night of the Living Dead and further examples, Masters of Cinema's The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Kino's 4K UHDs of Bob le Flambeur, Last Year at Marienbad, Nostalghia, The Apartment, For a Few Dollars More, A Fistful of Dollars, In the Heat of the Night, and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, as well as Koch Media's Neon Demon + one of the 4K UHD transfers of Dario Argento's Suspiria. While we are in possession of the 4K UHD disc, we cannot resolve the encode yet, and therefore, cannot obtain screen captures. We hope to add to this review at some point in the future. So, the below captures are from Criterion's 2025 1080P Blu-ray transfer. Back in 2008 we compared the Milestone and BFI DVDs of Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep, HERE. Comparatively this 4K restoration offers a significant leap in clarity and contrast. The earlier releases, while groundbreaking for its time, suffered from the limitations of standard definition. The new digital releases has more information in the frame, rich grayscale, consistent grain textures, and more subtle contrast layering. The 16mm origins (35mm blow-up) mean the image can’t match the razor-sharp clarity of modern 4K restorations. Some shots remain soft due to the original cinematography, but this is a minor quibble given the source material’s constraints. The image is free of significant scratches or splices, a marked improvement over earlier releases. There are even instances of depth in the frame. The new HD presentation - "Digital Film Restoration (2025) from Illuminate Hollywood Photochemical supervised by Ross Lipman and Jillian Borders in consultation with Charles Burnett" - is a revelation.
NOTE: We have added 56 more large
resolution Blu-ray captures
(in lossless PNG format) for DVDBeaver Patrons HERE
On their
Blu-ray
and
4K UHD,
Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the
original English language. Killer of Sheep's evocative audio -
comprising a soulful soundtrack, ambient sounds, and naturalistic
dialogue - create a raw, poetic portrait of African-American life in the
Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The film captures the ambient texture
of the neighborhood - children’s laughter, barking dogs, distant train
whistles, and the hum of traffic. These sounds, recorded on location
with basic equipment, evoke the rhythm of daily life, from the chaos of
kids playing to the quiet of Stan’s home. The slaughterhouse is
particularly striking, with the bleating of sheep, the clank of
machinery, and the squelch of blood creating a visceral, unsettling
atmosphere that parallels Stan’s emotional grind. The soundtrack of
Killer of Sheep is a cornerstone of its emotional and thematic
impact, featuring an eclectic mix of jazz, blues, spirituals, and
classical music that serves as both a cultural archive and a narrative
chorus. Curated by Burnett, the music was a significant hurdle for the
film’s release due to costly rights clearances, delaying wide
distribution until 2007. The soundtrack includes iconic tracks like
Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth,” played during Stan and
his wife’s slow dance, its lyrics (“What good is love / That no one
shares”) mirroring their strained intimacy. Paul Robeson’s “The
House I Live In” and “Going Home” evoke resilience and
spiritual longing, while Etta James’s “I’d Rather Go Blind”
underscores moments of loss. Spirituals like “Jesus Gave Me Water”
and classical pieces, such as Rachmaninoff’s piano works, add unexpected
depth, juxtaposing high culture with working-class struggle. Music is
often diegetic, emanating from radios or record players in Stan’s home,
grounding it in the characters’ world. Non-diegetic tracks, like “This
Bitter Earth,” amplify emotional beats, acting as a lyrical
commentary on the action. The eclectic mix reflects Watts’ cultural
richness, countering its material poverty, and aligns with the L.A.
Rebellion’s emphasis on Black artistic heritage. The music elevates the
film’s vignettes into a cohesive emotional arc, providing soulful
resonance that complements the visual poetry. The uncompressed monaural
soundtrack is a faithful and pristine restoration, maximizing the
potential of the original mono mix. It delivers clear dialogue, soulful
music, and evocative effects, immersing viewers in the film’s world
while preserving its raw, lo-fi authenticity. For a 1970s independent
film, the audio quality is exemplary. Criterion offer optional English
(SDH)
subtitles on their Region 'A'
Blu-ray
and
Region FREE
4K UHD.
The Criterion
Blu-ray
and
4K UHD offer the previous
audio commentary that
Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep
alternates between Stan’s (Henry G. Sanders) personal struggles - his
insomnia, strained marriage, and financial woes - and broader glimpses
of his community, including children playing in vacant lots, friends
scheming to make ends meet, and neighbors grappling with despair. These
vignettes, often non-chronological, create a mosaic-like portrait of
daily life, with recurring motifs (e.g., sheep imagery, broken
machinery) tying the fragments together. The lack of a traditional
narrative arc reflects the cyclical, unchanging nature of poverty and
systemic oppression, emphasizing mood and texture over dramatic
resolution. The Criterion Collection’s 2025 4K UHD is a definitive
presentation of this seminal work of American independent cinema and a
cornerstone of the L.A. Rebellion film movement. This dual-format
release, featuring a
4K UHD disc and a Blu-ray
disc with the film and an extensive array of special features, showcases
a meticulous restoration approved by Burnett himself. The enhanced
detail and rich grayscale make the film’s poetic visuals more immersive
than ever, while respecting its raw, neorealist roots. This is the best
the film has ever looked, a fitting tribute to Burnett’s vision and a
must-see for fans and newcomers alike. Our highest recommendation |
Menus / Extras
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Subtitle Sample - Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
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1) New Yorker Video/Milestone Cinematheque (The Charles Burnett Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) New Yorker Video/Milestone Cinematheque (The Charles Burnett Collection) - Region 1 - NTSC TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) BFI - Region 2 - PAL TOP2) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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More full resolution (1920 X 1080) Blu-ray Captures for DVDBeaver Patreon Supporters HERE
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Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from: Blu-ray 4K UHD Bonus Captures: |
Distribution | Criterion Spine #1262 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray / Region FREE 4K UHD |
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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |