The Annihilation of Fish
15
Why watch?
“Charles Burnett is one of the finest filmmakers in this country. His pictures speak in a cinematic voice that is uniquely and completely his own”
Martin Scorsese,
Founder and Chair of The Film Foundation.
Hyde Park Pick: The Annihilation of Fish
Charles Burnett may be one of the great American directors of the past half-century, playing a part in formulating the famed LA Rebellion school and bringing a hard-nosed reality to tales of Black American life. And yet, The Annihilation of Fish, starring James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave and Margot Kidder, is a rare light-hearted work from him. That it has gone without distribution since release is as absurd an indictment of the vagaries of film industry politics as you could possibly find. Only now is this being rectified.
The Annihilation of Fish finds Burnett playfully ruminating on ageing and romance, via the guise of a sweet and sincere comedy, as two new tenants (Earl Jones and Redgrave) in an apartment building, both with peculiar eccentricities (Earl Jones has been recently released from a mental institution for fighting with a figment of his imagination; Redgrave has recently broken up with her ‘lover’ the long-dead 19th-century composer Puccini). As the two grow closer together, Burnett uncovers their unique humanity amidst the hijinks and whimsical humour - yet without sensationalising or poking fun at their life experiences.
A 4K restoration by UCLA Film & Television Archive and The Film Foundation with funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.
Details
“Romantic comedies have become something of a tired staple in indie filmmaking, these days. Yet, odd as it may seem, it's the unlikely interracial geriatric chops on display in The Annihilation of Fish that breathe new life into the genre.”
Film Threat
“The love that grows between Fish and Poinsettia could have turned treacly in the wrong hands, but director Charles Burnett -- has the direct observational style of the silent masters.”
L.A. Weekly
