Daniel Petrie Sr.: Film Analysis

Both movies are a fantastic representation of the play written by Lorraine Hansberry. I enjoyed watching both movies but for me, the 1961 movie, directed by Daniel Petrie Sr. was a work well done. The apartment look in the movie serves as a reminder of its theatrical roots and depicts the lifestyle of the family as well. The characters were the visual representation of the ones in play. Walter Lee, played by Sidney Poitier, is shown to be full of dreams and passion about running his own liquor store. He is shown to be tired of working as a chauffeur and dreams big to get his family out of poverty and give his son a better lifestyle. He is different from all the other family members. His priority is to find a solution to their growing financial crisis while Beneatha, on the
I personally think that the characters did not portray the exact image as those in the play. Walter Lee Younger, played by Sean Combs, is a young man, looking to solve his family problems by starting his own business of a liquor store. His plan is dependent on the insurance money his Mama (played by Phylicia Rashad) is to receive. His body language is not as passionate as we saw in the 1961 version of the movie. He seems immature as compared to Sidney Poitier. The main character is still Lena Younger, trying to keep her family together by getting a new house. Lena is opposed to the liquor store business idea and believes that house is something more important than opening a liquor store in the neighborhood. I just felt that Sean Combs is not as charismatic as Claudia McNeil. She seemed more soft and does not portray that “head of the family” thing. She has a very strong bond with Ruth (played by Audra McDonald) and they both are more like friends in contrast to mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Ruth’s character tries so hard to be supportive of Walter. She has some clashes which she wants to fix by