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Down in the Delta - DVD

SKU: 3680804 | Release Date: 7/20/1999

Rating: PG-13 for Adult Situations, Profanity, Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs)

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Rating: PG-13 for Adult Situations, Profanity, Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs)
Format: DVD
Theatrical Release: 1998
Length: 112 minutes
Screen Formats: Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV
Genre: General Dramas
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1

Synopsis

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. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Version Details

Sound

Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel/stereo

Languages/Sound

Eng

Screen Formats

Enhanced Widescreen for 16x9 TV

Subtitle Languages

Eng

Additional Features

Widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio Dolby Digital 5.1 audio Chapter search

Chapters

Side #1 --
0. Chapter Selection
1. Program Start [:16]
2. Opening Credits [3:10]
3. Thomas' Pep Talk [3:41]
4. "Your Uncle Earl" [3:47]
5. Loretta's Pep Talk [5:50]
6. "Pretty Soon" [4:56]
7. Pawnbroker [4:50]
8. To Uncle Earl's [4:42]
9. Getting Acquainted [4:43]
10. Morning at Uncle Earl's [3:15]
11. Just Chicken [3:50]
12. Church [5:05]
13. Dinner at Zenia's [6:17]
14. "It's her birthday" [1:42]
15. Will Comes Home [3:25]
16. In the Yard [6:49]
17. Thunderstorm [3:04]
18. Thomas Learns to Shoot [5:31]
19. The Story of Nathan [5:45]
20. County Hospital [6:48]
21. "I never had any dreams" [5:01]
22. Back in Chicago [7:11]
23. The Return [5:12]
24. Jesse's Story [2:26]
25. End Credits [4:45]

Cast

Mary Alice - Rosa Lynn
Esther Rolle - Annie
Loretta Devine - Zenia
Wesley Snipes - Will
Al Freeman, Jr. - Earl
Anne-Marie Johnson - Monica
Alfre Woodard - Loretta
Justin Lord - Dr. Rainey
Kulani Hassen - Tracy
Mpho Koaho - Thomas

Crew

Editor: Nancy Richardson
Producer: Rick Rosenberg
Cinematographer: William Wages
First Assistant Director: Michael Zenon
Producer: Reuben Cannon
Director: Maya Angelou
Producer: Wesley Snipes
Sound/Sound Designer: Tom Hidderley
Producer: Bob Christiansen ,Victor McGauley
Costume Designer: Maxyne Baker
Co-producer: Alfre Woodard
Composer (Music Score): Stanley Clarke
Production Designer: Lindsey Hermer-Bell
Casting: Reuben Cannon & Associates
Co-producer: Terri Farnsworth ,Myron Goble
Screenwriter: Myron Goble

Down in the Delta: AMG Review
Derek Armstrong , AMG

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. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

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Down in the Delta - DVD

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Down in the Delta - DVD

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Synopsis

Version Details

Cast

Crew

Related Movies

Order Support

Community

Product Support

Credit Cards

Reward Zone® Program

Corporate Info

More Best Buy Sites

Need help? We're available 24/7 at 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289)