FILM IN FOCUS: Killer of Sheep

Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep (1979) is a realist depiction of the everyday challenges faced by a working-class father in the impoverished Watts district of Los Angeles. The dance between Stan (Henry G. Sanders) and his wife (Kaycee Moore) enacts the strains on their relationship.

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Discussion Questions

After watching this clip from Killer of Sheep, consider the questions below. Then submit your response.

Question 1.

Killer of Sheep was not widely distributed until all the music rights were cleared thirty years after it was finished. Describe the effects of Dinah Washington singing Clyde Otis’s "This Bitter Earth" in this scene.

Question 2.

The production values make it clear that this is a low-budget film. How does the scene make meaning from its limited means?

FILM IN FOCUS: Killer of Sheep

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Discussion Questions

Question 1.

Question 2.