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A Raisin in the Sun

Directed by- Daniel Petrie Produced by-Philip Rose Written by-Lorraine Hansberry Starring: Sidney Poitier Ruby Dee Claudia McNeil Diana Sands Stephen Perry Music by-Laurence Rosenthal Distributed by-Columbia Pictures Release date(s)-May 29, 1961 Running time-128 min. Country-USA Language-English Budget- $1.5 million

The movie A Raisin in the Sun'was originally made in 1961 based on the play A Raisin in the Sun'by Lorraine Hansberry. Lorraine Hansberry, “a playwright and civil rights activist, was the first black woman to write a successful Broadway play”(Dictionary of the Black Theatre 212). Lorraine Hansberry’s first play was A Raisin in the Sun'and she received a tremendous amount of praise for it. Langston Hughes wrote a poem that inspired Hansberry to give her playwright the title A Raisin in the Sun (1) in which Hughes mentions a failed dream is similar to that of a shriveled raisin. She was given the New York Drama Circle Critics Award for 1959 and she also became the first African American writer to be given this award (2). The tremendous cast included Sidney Poitier as Walter Lee Younger, Diana Sands as Beneatha Younger, Ruby Dee as Ruth Younger, Claudia McNeal as Lena Younger, Stephen Perry as Travis Younger, John Fiedler as Karl Lindner, Louis Terrel as Herman, Joel Fluellen as Bobo, Louis Gossett as George Murchinson, Roy Glenn as Willie Harris, and Ivan Dixon as Joseph Asagai.

Themes- The main themes of A Raisin in The Sun include the importance of family, significance of dreams, and racism. The significance of dreams relates to the desires of each family member. they all have aspirations in life and their happiness depends on the success or failure of attaining these dreams. Benatha aspires to become a doctor, while her brother Walter simply has the goal of making money and improving the living conditions of his family; Walter is a perfect example of dreams controlling a person’s life because he is so focused on making money and providing for his family, that he has points during the film in which he is emotionally unstable. It is not until the denouement of the play that Walter and the rest of the family realize that a united family is the best dream they could have and that through family, they will all be content with their lives. Overcoming racism is a major theme in the play, especially when the Youngers buy a house in Clybourne Park, a rich, all-white neighborhood. After they purchase the house, Mr Lindner, a white resident from Clybourne Park attempts to persuade the Youngers to not move into their new home. Initially, Walter accepts this proposition, because Willie had just run off with all of his money that he put in for the new liquor store. The rest of the Younger family is furious that Walter would accept such a proposition, because they worked hard to live in a home, and they were not going to let racism overcome all of the adversity that they had already been through. When Mr. Lindner returns to deal with Walter, Walter realizes that is family is much better than they are perceived as by the white folks and Walter declares to Mr. Lindner that they will move into their home because, “We have decided to move into our house because my father—my father—he earned it for us brick by brick. We don’t want to make no trouble for nobody or fight no causes, and we will try to be good neighbors. And that’s all we got to say about that. We don’t want your money”. It is at this point that Walter finally becomes the head of the household. The themes of racism and overcoming oppression are definitely present in the film. The struggles of the family include; Walter has trouble providing for the family, they are all crowded in a tiny apartment, and at points it seemed as if each of their personal dreams were unattainable. Also, the protagonist, Walter, seemed to mess up everything he had going for himself; every time a little luck or blessing came his way, his greed overcame him and he ruined a myriad of opportunities. It is not until the end of the play that Walter becomes a man, sticks up for his family, and they all live the dream of a unified family together.

Symbols-Symbolism is shown using the plant that Lena younger (Mama) cares for. Throughout the play, the plant was struggling to survive and it appeared as if its leaves were withering. This shows that the Younger family was struggling to overcome the many adversities they faced throughout the entire film. However, at the end of the film, after the movers and Youngers were almost finished moving out of their apartment to their new home, Lena remembers the plant and grabs it from the window. This shows that despite the circumstances, the plant survived and was ready to move on to its new home. Like the plant, the Younger family persevered against the odds and over all of the obstacles in their path and they were ready to move into their first home as a united, proud, and strong family.

Differences Between Play and Film- There are a few differences from the play and the film. The main differences include the scene in which Walter’s mother, Lena Younger (Claudia McNeil), gives him 6,500 dollars of the 10,000 dollar inheritance for her deceased husband in a bar, while in the play Lena Younger gives Walter the money in their apartment. Also, there is a scene in which Walter exclaims to Lena in the bedroom that he would really like to become a part owner and founder of a new liquor store on their side of town, but in the play Walter tells Lena his desire to be an owner of a liquor store in the living room. The Bar in which Walter frequently visits during the movie is called The Kitty Kat, while in the play, the bar is referred to as The Green Hat. In the play, there is no portrayed character named Willie Harris, while in the movie, Willie is shown dealing with Walter and Bobo in the Kitty Kat(3).

Awards-The 1961 version of the film A Raisin in the Sun received a Cannes Film Festival Award in 1961.

Significance/ Impact- The impact of A Raisin in the Sun was very significant, especially at a time in which civil rights was a major issue in the United States. After World War 2, many African American sought to achieve the American Dream and find “their” place in society. The play A Raisin in the Sun'Italic text opened the doorway to African drama throughout the United States This play was about a black family’s struggles throughout daily life during the time period, “The play, about a black family’s decision to move to a white suburb and the emotional upheaval this decision caused within the family, embodied the African American attempt to claim its stake in the American Dream and mirrored the first steps toward integration that were taken around the country” (American Theatre 129). The film was so well done, in large part to a great playwright by Lorraine Hansberry, and Daniel Petrie, the director of the film did well sticking to the play’s plot. This film is currently considered one of the most realistic portrayals of African American life the United States during that time period and is regarded as one of the best films in history. An interesting fact about Lorraine Hansberry is that she was inspired to write this play because of an experience that happened in her life. Her family faced discrimination when they moved into an all- white neighborhood, but they overcame their struggles, just as the younger family overcomes adversity in he playwright. This is why the 1961 version of the movie A Raisin in the Sun was viewed by critics as realistic, culturally astounding, and inspirational to all those who watch it. The director of a Raisin in the Sun, Lloyd Richards, was given the opportunity to make a film about the thoughts, inequality, issues of race. He undeniably made the most of this opportunity by adapting Lorraine Hansberry’s play into a movie and sent an overall message that was embraced by all who watched it, both white and black( Black Theatre Present Condition 95). This was a precedent to all of the other films of its time that addressed the issue of race and truly showed the dedication and vision of both Lorraine Hansberry and Lloyd Richards. The significance of this film in comparison to all others of its time was that it truly exemplified the African American point of view on living in this country and having to deal with economic and racial struggles during every day life, “The impact of this film was so great that twenty years later many white Americans assumed that Hansberry’s play was the first black family drama” (History of African American Theatre 370). Lloyd Richards also became the first black mainstream director when he debuted A Raisin in the Sun (4).

Footnotes- (1)-Dictionary of the Black Theatre 132 (2)-Dictionary of the Black Theatre 213 (3)-1961 Film (A Raisin in the Sun) (4)- American Theatre 467

Bibliography- Hill, Errol and Hatch, James. A History of African American Theatre'Italic text. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2003. King, Woodie. Black Theatre Present Condition. New York: Publishing Center for Cultural Resources, 1981. Wilmeth, Don and Bigsby, Christopher. The Cambridge History of American Theatre, Volume 3:Post World War 2 to the 1990s'Italic text. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Woll, Allen. Dictionary of the Black Theatre. Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1983.