A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep in my rave of Eagle Pennell's The Whole Shootin' Match. Funny timing: Yesterday, Dave Kehr had an all-too-short article in the NYT about the process of bringing to home video this legendary film that, in Burnett's words, "was never meant to be shown in public." I had known the film was going to be released to DVD at some point -- it's been rumoured for at least a few years (held up, as Kehr notes, by music licensing issues) -- so it's nice to know we won't have to wait much longer.
What I didn't know was that the film is getting a release at the IFC Center starting on Friday. It will also be playing in select cities throughout the summer. If you're anywhere near a screening, this is something you're not going to want to miss.
To learn more about the film, check out the new Killer of Sheep website that Milestone Films has launched. If you're a Burnett fan, make sure you click on the "Buy the DVD" tab -- it reveals some very exciting news.