From the Collection: Killer of Sheep
Charles Burnett’s long-lost directorial debut, Killer of Sheep, has been added to the Criterion Collection.
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.
Here’s What the Disc Includes:
- New 4K digital restoration, approved by director Charles Burnett, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
- Audio commentary featuring Burnett and film scholar Richard Peña
- New interviews with Burnett and actor Henry Gayle Sanders
- New appreciation by filmmaker Barry Jenkins
- Two short films by Burnett: Several Friends (1969) and The Horse (1973), with a new introduction to the latter by Burnett
- Excerpt from the 2010 UCLA LA Rebellion Oral History Project, featuring an interview with Burnett by film scholar Jacqueline Stewart
- A Walk with Charles Burnett (2019), a documentary by Robert Townsend
- Documentary by Ross Lipman on 2007 cast reunion
- Trailer
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Package design by Slang Inc. with Eric Skillman
- PLUS: An essay by critic Danielle Amir Jackson
I feel like there is a Criterion release or two every year where I exclaim, “this is why the Criterion Collection is so important”, or something to that regard. Whether it’s because I am being introduced to a film I have never seen or heard of before, or because of its restoration, the Criterion Collection always surprises me with the films they add to the collection.
Charles Burnett’s Killer of Sheep might be the best example of why the Criterion Collection is important to the history of film and film restoration. For decades, Killer of Sheep was lost to time due to complications securing the rights to the music for the film. In the early 2000s, the music rights were paid for, and the film was restored and digitized, making it officially available to view in 2007, where it received critical acclaim.
Killer of Sheep is a stunning piece of art. It’s a beautiful portrait of everyday occurrences for a Black man and the people around him, and the Watts area of Los Angeles. There isn’t much of a plot to the film, but rather a series of vignettes of Stan’s life, from conversations at the dinner table to buying a new car engine. There are times when the film feels non-fiction, as we are living with Stan and family. Some moments are beautifully cinematic, like a low-angle shot of kids jumping from one roof to the next. The performances are natural, the neighborhood is shot and used in a way that it’s a character within the film, the soundtrack is perfect, and the film is beautiful.
The disc is loaded with special features, most notably two short films by Burnett and an interview with Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins discussing the film. This is one of the best Criterion releases of 2025.
Killer of Sheep was restored and remastered by UCLA Film & Television Archive, Milestone Films, and the Criterion Collection.
You can find Killer of Sheep on the Criterion Collection website or wherever you find Criterion DVDs.
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From the Collection is an analysis of non-new-release movies, whether seen on DVD, streaming, or in a theater. It includes a brief history of the film, a review of the film, and content about the experience of seeing the film and/or the contents of the film’s DVD.
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