Claudine [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: John Berry John Berry

Overview

Claudine (Diahann Carroll) is an impoverished African-American Harlem resident. Unmarried, Claudine supports herself and her six children by working as a maid--albeit secretly, so she can still qualify for welfare. Garbageman James Earl Jones falls in love with Claudine, and after strenuous effort manages to win the affections of her suspicious kids. Just when it seems as though there's a marriage in the offing, Jones runs off. Claudine's kids hunt him down and shame him into returning to their mother.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/13/2020
UPC:	0715515251815
Original Release:	1974
Rating:	PG
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	10,100

Special Features

New 4k digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack Audio Commentary from 2003 Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs; filmmaker George Tillman Jr,; and Dan Pine, the son of screenwriters Lester Pine and Tina Pine New conversation between filmmaker Robert Townsend and programmer Ashley Clark Illustrated audio excerpts from a 1974 AFI Harold Lloyd Master Seminar featuring Carroll New interview with film critic Imogen Sara Smith on Director John Berry Plus: An essay by critic Danielle A. Jackson

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Diahann Carroll	Claudine
James Earl Jones	Roop,Francis
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs	Charles
Tamu	Charlene
David Kruger	Paul
Yvette Curtis	Patrice
Socorro Stephens	Lurlene
Adam Wade	Owen
Harrison Avery	Minister
Bill Bressant	Cop #2
Mordecai Lawner	Process Server
Terence Alexander	Teddy,Teddy
Carolyn Adams	Dance Teacher
Bob Scarantino	Cop
William Bressant	Cop
Elisa Loti	Miss Kabak
Roxie Roker	Mrs. Winston
David Blackwell	Delivery Boy
Jay Van Leer	Bar Woman
Judy Mills	Bus Woman
Alyce Webb	Bus Woman
Lil Henderson	Bus Woman
Yvonne Sutherland	Bus Woman
Bernard Barrow	Mr. Winograd
Joan Kaye	Mrs. Winograd
Stefan Gierasch	Sanitation Foreman
Tim Pelt	Cool Cat
Charles Cleveland	Dice Man
Sandi Franklin	Prostitute
Carlton Coleman	Gospel Leader
Lee Dupree	Young Brother
Ralph Wilcox	Young Brother
Art Evans	Young Brother

Technical Credits

John Berry	Director
J. Lloyd Grant	Executive Producer
Hannah Weinstein	Producer
Al Gramaglia	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The early '70s are remembered for the flowering of the so-called blaxploitation films, the action pictures that gave urban audiences a new set of screen heroes to cheer for. But there were also more serious films produced at the time about African-Americans, too -- Lady Sings the Blues, Sounder, and this heartfelt drama about a single mother finding romance with a burly garbage man. Roop (James Earl Jones) is no knight in shining armor, however. He is supporting wives and children from two previous marriages, and his motives for romancing Claudine Price (Diahann Carroll) don't run to commitment and further responsibilities. Claudine hides her employment as a domestic, plus Roop's presence and presents, from her welfare worker, knowing that discovery of any of them will reduce her payments. The film also tries to deal with oldest son Charles' (Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs) growing political militancy and oldest daughter Charlene's (Tamu) budding adolescence. Although it's unclear what Charles and his cohorts are fighting for, Charlene's personal (and predictable) crisis precipitates one of the film's strongest scenes, a violent confrontation with her mother. The subtext here is the return to American filmmaking of blacklisted director John Berry. The subject of minorities struggling for a sense of dignity is clearly one that would engage his sympathies, but he is saddled with a script that is by turns repetitious and sketchy, and the film's hasty wrap-up looks like the filmmakers either ran out of money or time. However, both leads are strong and believable, and as Charles, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs has some memorably brooding moments.

All Movie Guide - Tom Wiener