Down in the Delta

Director: Maya Angelou Maya Angelou

Overview

Poet Maya Angelou made her feature directorial debut with this African-American family drama, shown theatrically but originally produced for the Showtime cable network. Unemployed single mother Loretta (Alfre Woodward) lives with her mother, Rosa Lynn (Mary Alice), in a Chicago apartment. Drugs and alcohol lead Loretta to neglect her autistic daughter, Tracy (Kulani Hassen). Her teen son Thomas (Mpho Koaho) brings in money by photographing tourists. Rosa Lynn pawns a family heirloom in order to send Loretta and the kids off to their Mississippi Delta hometown where Loretta's Uncle Earl (Al Freeman Jr.) runs his diner. Earl lives in a dry county, so Loretta is reluctant. However, she has no choice after Rosa Lynn threatens to contact child-welfare authorities if she doesn't go. Earl takes in the trio even though he already has enough problems with Annie (Esther Rolle), an Alzheimer's victim under the supervision of caregiver Zenia (Loretta Devine). Toronto locations substitute for Mississippi. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/27/2021
UPC:	0191329202142
Original Release:	1998
Source:	Miramax
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00
Sales rank:	34,609

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Alfre Woodard	Loretta Sinclair
Al Freeman Jr.	Earl Sinclair
Mary Alice	Rosa Lynn Sinclair
Esther Rolle	Annie Sinclair
Loretta Devine	Zenia
Wesley Snipes	Will Sinclair
Mpho Koaho	Thomas Sinclair
Kulani Hassen	Tracy Sinclair
Anne-Marie Johnson	Monica Sinclair
Justin Lord	Dr. Rainey
Richard Yearwood	Marco
Sandra Caldwell	Volunteer
Colleen Williams	Tourist Woman,Carl
Richard Blackburn	Tourist Man
Philip Akin	Manager
Mary Fallick	Drug Addict
Sandi Ross	Pawnbroker
Barbara Barnes-Hopkins	Prim Woman
Marium Carvell	Prim Sister
Quancetia Hamilton	Gina
Kim Roberts	Isabelle
DeFoy Glenn	Reverend Floyd
Jeff Jones	Man in Congregation
Michelyn Emelle	Dozing Woman
Johnie Chase	Grinning Man
Andrea Lewis	Cassandra
Bernard Browne	Diner No. 1
Alison Sealy-Smith	Diner No. 2
Eugene Clarke	Citizen No. 1
Chris Benson	Citizen No. 2
Carol Anderson	Jesse's Wife
Neville Edwards	Slave Man
Yanna McIntosh	Slave Woman
Troy Seivwright-Adams	Collin
Kevin Duhaney	Justin
Joel Gordon	Jesse (in 1865, age 17)
Phil Jarrett	Jesse (in 1890, age 42)
Clinton Green	Soloist in Church
Maya Angelou	Actor

Technical Credits

Myron Goble

Maya Angelou	Director
Reuben Cannon	Producer,Casting
Bob Christiansen	Producer
Wayne Downer	Stunts
Victor McGauley	Producer
Rick Rosenberg	Producer
Wesley Snipes	Producer
Myron Goble	Screenwriter
Tom Hidderley	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The directorial debut of poet Maya Angelou was generally dismissed as a Hallmark card on celluloid, a bland family drama that provided easy answers to tough questions. But Down in the Delta is a more likeable film than that, even if its greatest appeal may lie with sentimental folks who prefer upbeat endings. It should definitely interest African-Americans who cherish even simplistic renderings of their heritage. Down in the Delta rises slightly above that level in choosing a candelabra called "Nathan" as the unusual repository for the history of this family, from the abolition of slavery to modern-day Chicago. That the symbol of this proud lineage would end up in the hands of a drug addict, and then those of the pawnshop owner to whom she trades it, makes an earnest, if heavy-handed, statement about the dissolution of the values that held this clan together. The redemption of Alfre Woodard's shiftless heir is too tidy to sit comfortably, but it does have its share of life-affirming moments for those in the mood for such optimism. In addition to the always-superlative Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. turns in heartfelt work as the stubborn uncle whose tenderness toward his demented wife (Esther Rolle, also good) offsets the gruff wariness with which he initially greets Woodard's family. Down in the Delta contains nothing new; the healing powers of family and small-town life are well-worn cinematic territory. But Angelou's film has the spirit and the sincerity to neutralize some of its sappier cliches.

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