Down in the Delta

Name: Down in the Delta
Genre: Drama
Released: December 25, 1998
Duration: 112 min
Rating: 73
Cast: Al Freeman Jr., Alfre Woodard, Anne-Marie Johnson, Esther Rolle, Justin Lord

1998

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Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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Down in the Delta

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Movie Details & Credits

Alpha Media | Release Date: December 25, 1998 | PG-13

Starring: Al Freeman Jr., Alfre Woodard, Anne-Marie Johnson, Esther Rolle, Justin Lord, Kulani Hassen, Loretta Devine, Mary Alice, Mpho Koaho, Wesley Snipes

Summary: Rosa Lynn sends her druggie daughter Loretta and her children Thomas and Tracy away from the big city to live with their uncle Earl in the ancestral home in rural Mississippi. Earl puts Loretta to work in his restaurant, Just Chicken, while also telling them about the generations of their family, the Sinclairs, dating back to their time inRosa Lynn sends her druggie daughter Loretta and her children Thomas and Tracy away from the big city to live with their uncle Earl in the ancestral home in rural Mississippi. Earl puts Loretta to work in his restaurant, Just Chicken, while also telling them about the generations of their family, the Sinclairs, dating back to their time in slavery before the the Civil War.… Expand

Director: Maya Angelou

Genre(s): Drama

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 112 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Lawrence Toppman

Freeman's understated, deeply-felt acting tops a passel of good performances. [25 Dec 1998, p.7E]

Kevin Thomas

In adding feature-film directing to her formidable list of accomplishments, poet and author Maya Angelou tells first-time screenwriter Myron Goble's absorbing and far-ranging story with simplicity and directness while guiding a splendid ensemble cast to an array of impressive portrayals. Read full review

Gene Siskel

Director Maya Angelou, the celebrated author, makes an impressive filmmaking debut by pacing her story slowly enough to make Woodard's transformation credible. [25 Dec 1998, p.A]

Steve Persall

Whatever she lacks in filmmaking expertise or originality is balanced by an unadorned sincerity in the melodrama she chose for a debut. Down in the Delta isn't a great movie, but it constantly touches your heart and involves you with its characters. [25 Dec 1998, p.5]

Jay Carr

Down in the Delta, Maya Angelou's film-directing debut, strongly establishes her ability to command emotional authenticity and fashion-rich, beautifully wrought images that tap into the stabilizing dignity of family life. [25 Dec 1998, p.C7]

Bob Mondello

A fine family drama...Though the film is marked by overtones of "Beloved," the Jonathan Demme film of Toni Morrison's book, it's worth seeing on its own merits. Read full review

Liam Lacey

The juxtaposition of Loretta learning how to be a good capitalist and the historical flashbacks to her ancestor on the block at a slave auction rings unintentionally awkward. The good intentions, though, aren't in doubt: For the sake of the generations who have made sacrifices before her, Loretta has an obligation not to waste her life. [24 Dec 1998, p.D6]

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