Nominated for Best Actor in a Play at the 1960 Tony Awards, Sidney Poitier was to be reunited with many of the original production’s cast members for Daniel Petrie’s big screen adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun the following year. 

Hansberry herself assumed writing duties on the film which follows the African American Younger family and their efforts to improve themselves in terms of social status, financial stability, and employment opportunities. The Younger family, frustrated with living in their crowded Chicago apartment, sees the arrival of a $10,000 insurance check as the answer to their prayers.

Matriarch Lena Younger (Claudia McNeil) promptly puts a down payment on a house in an all-white suburban neighborhood. But the family is divided when Lena entrusts the balance of the money to her mercurial son Walter Lee (Poitier), against the wishes of her daughter (Diana Sands) and daughter-in-law (Ruby Dee).

This screening is a part of FACETS’ March 2022 series, A Tribute to Sidney Poitier.

Programmer’s Notes

by Charles Coleman, FACETS Film Program Director

“It takes the strength and integrity of this African-American family to battle against generations of prejudice to try to achieve their piece of the American Dream.  As eldest son Walter Lee, Poitier is in commanding form as a man dealing with familial responsibility, pride, and the day-to-day struggle to earn a living in a society still divided along racial lines.  A Raisin in the Sun was the first play performed on Broadway written by a black woman and Lorraine Hansberry grew up in Chicago. Clearly, this work reflects her childhood experiences, and A Raisin in the Sun is hailed for its portrayal of the African-American family in the 1950’s, both on a social level and an individual level, featuring an electrifying performance by Sidney Poitier.”