A Raisin in the Sun poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Sidney Poitier, Claudia McNeil, Ruby Dee, Diana Sands, Ivan Dixon ... see more see more... , Louis Gossett Jr , Stephen Perry , John Fiedler , Joel Fluellen , Roy E. Glenn Sr. , Ray Stubbs , Rudolph Monroe , George de Normand , Thomas D. Jones , Louis Terkel

While this original movie version of Lorraine Hansberry's award-winning play may have dated somewhat, it was groundbreaking when first released in 1961, and a wealth of future plays, films, and TV pro... read more read more...ductions have taken their lead from this socially conscious drama about a struggling African-American family. Lena Younger (Claudia McNeil) is a strong, proud woman who has raised a family in a crowded apartment on the South Side of Chicago. Her son Walter Lee (Sidney Poitier) works as a chauffeur; intelligent and ambitious but impulsive and often angry, he desperately wants to get ahead in a world that offers him few opportunities. His wife Ruth (Ruby Dee) takes in laundry to help make ends meet and watches over their son. Younger daughter Beneatha (Diana Sands) is a college student who wants to become a doctor and often speaks of searching for her cultural identity. On the death of her husband, Lena becomes the beneficiary of a $10,000 life insurance payment, and suddenly the family is in conflict over how the money should be spent. Lena wants to use the money for a down payment on a house. Beneatha is hoping that Lena will help her pay for medical school. And Walter Lee wants to go into business with friends who plan to open a liquor store, which he's convinced will be a sure money maker. The cast, nearly all reprising their roles from the original Broadway production, offers a collection of superb performances; also keep an eye peeled for a young Louis Gossett Jr. as George Murchison. While Daniel Petrie's direction never takes A Raisin in the Sun very far from its roots as a stage play, it captures the power and tension of a strong ensemble cast working with an intelligent and moving script. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

84% liked it

6,750 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

14 critics

PG, 2 hr. 8 min.

Directed by: Daniel Petrie

Release Date: May 1, 1961

Invite friends to see

DVD Release Date: February 22, 2000

Stats: 307 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

None yet... Got one?

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (307)

  • pier007
    May 3, 2011
    pier007
    It deals, in a very touching way, with issues that test all real life families regardless of their ethnicity or economical background. The strong morality of the family matriarch who tries to lessen their children's rebellious and contestatary attitude towards an unfair society
  • bottcorecords1
    February 22, 2010
    bottcorecords1
    A Raisin in the Sun was the first african-american play written by an african-american to appear on broadway, but how does it translate to the big screen? There seems to be very little change in the film adaptation of the stage play (in fact, most of the cast was brought directl... read morey from the stage production to hollywood in order to utilize their performances). Indeed, the direction could've been set on auto-pilot and the same film would have resulted. A Raisin in the Sun feels like a play slapped onto film one night, there's no special effort for film invested in either the direction, sets or general production. Sidney Poitier stars as Walter Younger, a man who, along with his wife and young son, live a day-to-day existence in a cramped apartment along with Walter's sister (Diana Sands) and mother (Claudia McNeil). Walter is a chauffeur who dreams of starting his own business. After his father dies, his mother comes into an insurance settlement of ten thousand dollars, and Walter has big plans for that money. Those plans are most often thwarted by his sister Beneatha, who's attending school with the intention of becoming a doctor, and sees the money as a ticket to medical school. The wife and mother seem to be two of a kind, as they serve as mediators in the family scuffles. The wife seems to have nothing but patience for a man who continually dismisses her as nothing more than a nuisance in his life. In fact, Poitier's Walter is quite the disgusting character, a slightly less warped version of A Streetcar Named Desire's Stanley. Sister Beneatha is no less reprehensible, and I'm hard-pressed to think up (off the top of my head, anyway) a more self-righteously self-obsessed character in the world of film. The only truly sympathetic (and realistic) character in the film is Mama. She's an earthy, good-souled woman who can't understand what went wrong with her children, that they should lack so much empathy for their own family members. The matriarch of the family feels authentic, the rest of the characters are just that: characters (to be fair, alot of plays don't ring true to my ears, sometimes the dialogue given to actors seems grandiose, as if the writer were imagining shakespearean drama rather than their own work). But what of the central theme of the play/film? What moral or platitude does the writer seek to imbue upon the viewer? There doesn't seem to be one in this film, other than the tacked-on side plot involving racism. The story/play/film of A Raisin in the Sun may have inspired a whole host of 1970s television (Good Times, The Jeffersons, etc.), but doesn't really elevate itself beyond a standard episode of such sitcoms. It's thoroughly watchable yet unfortunately forgettable.
  • jennifxu
    January 18, 2008
    jennifxu
    After watching the first hour in English, I couldn't resist checking it out to watch the rest for myself. The second half is even better than the first, striking at the emotional core of the racism pertaining to black people's social positions. A dream deferred, indeed.
  • hypathio7
    June 27, 2011
    hypathio7
    Enjoyed reading the play in college. Enjoyed seeing the play on a community theater stage. Many of the performers from the original Broadway production recreated their roles for this first movie version. With the medium of movies we are given the chance to see a bit more of the ... read moreYounger family's world, especially the bar where Walter Lee goes to dream with his friends and drown his sorrows as well as the house, which promises a brighter future to Lena and her children. Hansberry, who adapted her own play, gives the cast wonderful complex material. Sometimes Sidney Poitier and Diana Sands as brother and sister seem to still be playing their roles with emotions and voices better suited to the live theater than the more intimate movie camera. Even so, the moments of humor and heartrending family strife combine to make a powerful story of people who's story has rarely been told.
  • crazydannielle16
    October 10, 2011
    crazydannielle16
    In tenth grade, I did not appreciate "A Raisin in the Sun" by Lorraine Hansberry. In fact, I found it quite boring. Ten years later, I was deeply moved to tears. It's about a hard-working black family with big dreams living in a crowded apartment in Chicago. One day, they get an ... read moreinsurance check in the mail for $10,000 and their lives will change forever. Incredible performances by every single actor.
  • Dannyrovira
    February 28, 2011
    Dannyrovira
    Lorranine Hansberry's moving Broadway play is expertly brought to the sliver screen by director Daniel Petire, it concerns the Youngers, a Negro family attempting to break away from their small crowded ghetto apartment in Chicago, due to a $10,000 life insurance check from their ... read morelate father. Walter Lee played superbly by Sidney Poitier in a truly impressive performance wants to invest the money in a liquor store with some of his partner friends. Lena his widowed mother, played brilliantly with authority and compassion by Claudia McNeil want to buy a house, and give the rest of the money to her daughter Beneatha, played wonderfully by Diana Sands so she could complete her medical school, Lena totally refuses to put any of the money in Walter Lee's liquor store dream. Walter Lee is left agonizing over his mother's decision, and is shocked to fine out that his wife, played by Rudy Dee in a wonderfully radiant and heartfelt performance is expecting a new child, Walter Lee takes the money and is ripped off by one of his partners, leave him with nothing, which now threatens to tear his family apart. It is practically a photographed play, adhering closely to the original, the dialogue is pungent and direct, thanks to Hansberry's outstanding screenplay from her own play. Their are superlative supporting performances by Ivan Dixon, Louis Gossett Jr, Stephen Perry, John Fiedler, Joel Fluellen. Roy E. Glenn Sr. and Ray Studds. A richly detailed slice of life, and a rewarding cinematic experience. Highly Recommended.
  • aviance2003
    July 26, 2009
    aviance2003
    I believe this is the best version on A Raisin in the Sun. No one can act out the original even if it was in black and white. "In my mother's house there is still GOD"
  • mellowmortal
    March 12, 2008
    mellowmortal
    This was film about a family's struggle to better themselves and their lives. Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee did an amazing job portraying their characters. Great film!
  • NobleKnight
    February 27, 2008
    NobleKnight
    One of the most powerful plays ever written in the late 1950s, and is brought to video. This origonal movie, with Sidney Poitier, is one of the most powerful films to tell us the story of a family living in Chicago, during a time when black people did not have as much rights or f... read morereedom as the white man.
    This film is a must see for those who love the theatre and feels they need to know our history.
  • flixsterbum
    November 18, 2007
    flixsterbum
    inTENSE! Any time you get Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, and Louis Gossett, Jr. in the same room together, watch out. This was just mesmerising to watch; there was an energy coursing through every scene and every actor/actress that kept you riveted to the screen, which is especially... read more impressive since the majority of the film takes place in one room of the family's small apartment. For all intents and purposes, you are basically watching a stage play, and that immediacy comes through loud and clear. Strikingly ahead of its time, with discussions of feminism, abortion, and equal rights, this is a must-see powerhouse of a drama.

View All A Raisin in the Sun Reviews

Critic Reviews

Don Druker
November 13, 2007
Don Druker, Chicago Reader

It does have enough gritty insights and (for the time) strikingly accurate production details to keep the level of interest up. Full Review

Randy White
January 2, 2011
Randy White, Common Sense Media

Classic based on the Pulitzer prize-winning play. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
December 11, 2010
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

Daniel Petries' screen version is still a play, but it's a powerful family melodrama, extremely well acted by the entire ensemble, headed by Sidney Poitier Full Review

Dan Jardine
August 1, 2010
Dan Jardine, Cinemania

Directed in rather pedestrian fashion by Daniel Petrie, the story is powerful enough to rise above such limitations. Full Review

Steve Crum
March 14, 2009
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Fine adaptation of stage play giving Poitier one of his first hits.

November 13, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The performances are uniformly excellent. Full Review

December 30, 2006
Film4

Ground-breaking in that this was the first drama by a black woman ever to be produced on Broadway, and the play was suspended in order for the original cast to be transported to Hollywood. Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten
March 10, 2003
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle

[An] intelligent screen adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play. Full Review

Dan Jardine
June 27, 2002
Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide

sometimes claustrophic but powerful study of serious generational and racial issues Full Review

Christopher Null
January 1, 2000
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

The struggle to triumph in the face of adversity transcends the film being pegged as a civil rights picture, and thanks to the leadership of Poitier, a classic is born. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Imitation of Life
    Imitation of Life (0%)
  • Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
    Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (0%)
  • The Learning Tree
    The Learning Tree (100%)
  • A Raisin in the Sun
    A Raisin in the Sun (100%)

More Movies like A Raisin in the Sun

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

A Raisin in the S... : Watch Free on TV

A Raisin in the Sun Trivia

  • Who wrote A Raisin in the Sun?  Answer »
  • Who stared in movies like 'To sir with love', 'Guess who's coming to dinner' and 'A raisin in the sun'  Answer »
  • What phrase completes ALL of the following movie titles? "A Walk... "A Place... "A Raisin...  Answer »
  • Name the 1961 film, based on a play by Lorraine Hansberry, about the Youngers, a Black family living in Chicago. (The title is drawn from a famous poem by Langston Hughes.)   Answer »
More A Raisin in the Sun Trivia

Movie Quizzes

Create a Quiz |

All Quizzes

Video Clips

No video clips yet. Want to upload one?

Meet Other Fans

Add A Raisin in the Sun to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?