To Sleep with Anger Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

To Sleep with Anger Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 3, 2019

Charles Burnett's "To Sleep with Anger" (1990) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include new program with director Charles Burnett, actors Danny Glover and Sheryl Lee Ralph; new hour-long conversation between the director and Robert Townsend; and video tribute to the director. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Ashley Clark and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The unexpected visitor

The two elements that magicians try to improve throughout their careers so that they continue to impress their audience are misdirection and timing. They determine the quality of their work. The better the former is and the more precise the latter is, the more effective their tricks become. The concept isn’t new and the audience is actually fully aware of it, which is why magicians have to practice a lot if they wish to remain successful.

Believe it or not, Charles Burnett’s film To Sleep with Anger utilizes this exact concept to accomplish its goal. However, the film’s goal isn’t to pull off a brilliant trick and leave the viewer speechless, but force the viewer to see from a different angle and then ponder what is revealed. So, in the film the ‘magic’ actually occurs after the viewer begins to see through the trick, not while the misdirection is underway.

The film is set in South-Central Los Angeles where middle-aged Gideon (Paul Butler) and his wife Suzie (Mary Alice) are living a quiet life. They are originally from the South and their relationship has a very specific type of balance which they wish to see replicated in the lives of their two sons, both young men with families of their own. But for some time now they have been drifting apart and Gideon and Suzie have begun conceding that their efforts to emphasize ‘old-fashioned’ values are no longer effective. They had to admit it, especially when the more independent younger son missed his mother’s birthday for the first time ever.

On a bright and sunny day, a man named Harry (Danny Glover) pleasantly surprises Gideon and Suzie. He is an old friend from the South whom they have not seen in decades, quite possibly since they tied the knot. Harry is on his way to Oakland but is not in a rush and plans to stay in Los Angeles for a few days if Gideon and Size do not mind. They don’t but cannot believe that Harry was able to find them after all these years. The last time they met was such a long time ago that they did not even know if Harry was still alive.

After a very warm welcome the friends begin talking. At first, Harry’s warmth and sense of humor create a lovely atmosphere that everyone appreciates. But then some of his casual remarks confuse the hosts and later on even cause some unnecessary tension. Harry notices too, but instead of helping to tone it down encourages the opposing sides to question each other even more. Then in the midst of all the drama, and with Harry becoming bolder by the minute, Gideon suddenly becomes seriously ill.

This film has some of that very dark atmosphere that gives Alan Parker’s thriller Angel Heart its identity, but its function in it is different. Indeed, the atmosphere is a ruse that allows Burnett to put under the microscope different African-American beliefs and attitudes on life that have slowly started to push two generations in opposite directions. In other words, the role that Glover’s character has in the film is that of a provocateur who sometimes gently and sometimes not so gently challenges the two sides and the arguments that are being presented during the different discussions. His testing tactics and the contrasts that emerge because of them are what make the film very interesting, not the evolution of the relationships between the different family members.

The direction is very intelligent and precise. When Glover’s character goes to work, Burnett does not pick a side and carefully begins altering the viewer’s point of view. As a result, the different triumphs and failures of the opposing sides as well as the logic behind them become so trivial that what they struggle to recognize becomes absolutely impossible for the viewer to ignore -- all of their misery and anger are actually a byproduct of their inability to protect the unity of their family.

To Sleep with Anger Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charles Burnett's To Sleep with Anger arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on a Scanity film scanner from 35mm original camera negative. The image was cleaned and color-corrected at Colorworks in Culver City, California, and approved by director Charles Burnett. The original 2.0 surround soundtrack was remastered from the LCR magnetic track at Chace audio in Burbank, California. Please be sure to enable Pro Logic decoding on your receiver to properly play the Dolby 2.0 surround soundtrack.

Transfer supervisor: Grover Crisp.
Colorist: Sheri Eisenberg, Colorworks/Culver City, CA."

While I do not have an older home video release of this film to perform some direct comparisons, the current presentation is so good that I can't imagine that it is anything but a dramatic improvement in quality. Indeed, the entire film looks enormously healthy and all of the key qualities that we address in our reviews are very solid. Depth and fluidity in particular are outstanding, but the color scheme is also very impressive. Delineation is consistently pleasing, and as far as nuances are concerned there are all kinds of different ranges that basically make these types of high-definition releases of older films so attractive. Image stability is outstanding. Great organic presentation. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

To Sleep with Anger Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The film does not have a big and active soundtrack that would impress folks that appreciate the intensity of big-budget Hollywood productions. However, there are plenty of small and effective dynamic nuances that the lossless track reproduces really well. The dialog is always clean, stable, and very easy to follow. There are no encoding anomalies to report.

To Sleep with Anger Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and 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. (7 min, 1080i).
  
  1. Introduction
  2. Growing up in Los Angeles
  3. "Images of people of color"
  4. Opportunities
  5. Killer of Sheep
  6. To Sleep with Anger
  7. "Starting with a simple story"
  8. Honorary Oscar

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Ashley Clark's essay "You Never Know What's in the Heart" as well as technical credits.

To Sleep with Anger Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are no drive-by shootings or drug dealings in the shadows of unknown streets or desperate friends backstabbing each other while trying to survive, but To Sleep with Anger is a much bigger eye-opener than so many overhyped films about the ongoing struggles of the African-American community. It is because Charles Burnett gets right to the bottom of the issue that has been breeding the misery -- the weakening and ultimately the eradication of the cultural values that once protected the African-American family. Burnett and his film reveal the truth in a very unique way, but it is exactly what various social studies have confirmed in recent years as well. Terrific film. Criterion's new release is sourced from a solid new 4K remaster of the film that was approved by its creator. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.