Product Details

• Actors: Alfre Woodard, Al Freeman Jr., Esther Rolle, Mary Alice, Loretta Devine
• Directors: Maya Angelou
• Writers: Myron Goble
• Producers: Alfre Woodard, Myron Goble, Reuben Cannon, Rick Rosenberg, Robert W. Christiansen
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Miramax
• DVD Release Date: July 20, 1999
• Run Time: 112 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305428336
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #17,404 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #40 in	Movies & TV > African American Cinema > Drama
  #42 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Family Life > Fathers & Daughters
  #48 in	Movies & TV > Drama > Family Life > Mothers & Daughters

• For more information about "Down in the Delta" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This family drama begins in a gritty Chicago neighborhood with a jobless, hopeless mother (Alfre Woodard) pouring her efforts into the bottle and various drugs rather than her troubled daughter and wise-beyond-his-years son. But the movie soon heads south, as the title suggests, when Mom and kids are sent to live with an uncle for the summer. Their lives change, of course, but that's the only predictable aspect of this 107-minute film. First-time director Maya Angelou brings her poetic sense to Myron Goble's elegant script, and the performances are uniformly excellent, most notably the always superb Woodard, Al Freeman Jr. as her uncle, and Mary Alice as her mother. Wesley Snipes takes a break from his action career to do some acting as Freeman's son, and the late Esther Rolle is haunting in the last portrayal of her career. The film's touch of mystery is provided by one of its most devastating characters, a candelabra called Nathan. Rated PG-13, but suitable for ages 8 and older. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Product Description
DOWN IN THE DELTA brings together an outstanding cast of stars in an uplifting story of family, community, and friendship! In a desperate attempt to change her life, Loretta (Alfre Woodard -- STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT, MUMFORD) -- a troubled single mother from a tough Chicago neighborhood -- is sent to spend a summer in her family's ancestral home in rural Mississippi. In "The Delta," with the support and widsom of her hardworking Uncle Earl, Loretta finally begins to see a way to provide for her young children and reverse the downward slide of her life. A heartwarming, critically acclaimed motion picture also starring Wesley Snipes (BLADE, U.S. MARSHALS) and Loretta Devine (WAITING TO EXHALE) -- share in this remarkable journey to discover the strength of a family's roots and the power of unconditional love!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All THat and More, April 17, 2000

By	thesavvybamalady "swblkdiamond" (Prichard, Alabama USA) - See all my reviews

I wasn't able to see this film initially due to me moving back south, but the minute I saw it on video, I rented it, the minute I saw it on sale, I bought it and don't regret it. I am not surprised that this film is not up there as one of the best family films ever made. Here you have a movie made by one of the most talented and versatile women in this country, a cast of some of the best black actors around, and when the movie comes out,it gets little notice. Go figure. When I first saw this movie, I fell in love with it. The fact that this guy took the very object that his father was sold for and it stayed in that family from generation to generation. Beautiful. I think that the movie should be viewed in schools,churches,wherever you have an audience.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First-Rate Drama, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Down in the Delta [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Once again, Alfre Woodard shows us why she's one of the top American actresses. I do not understand why she isn't in more big-budget films. Just remember, this is the actress that lit up the stage twenty years ago in Ntozake Shange's For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide. . . ."

Down in the Delta is a splendid film, rich in character development, themes, and filmmaking. Angelou is to be applauded.

We need more films like this!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-acted family story, March 30, 2003

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

"Down in the Delta," directed by Maya Angelou, tells the story of Loretta (played by Alfre Woodard), a single mother who lives in Chicago and faces economic hardships. She and her kids move to the family's rural ancestral home to live with her uncle (Al Freeman, Jr.). This change of setting has a profound impact on the family.

Those familiar with Angelou's fine books will probably see similar themes explored in this film. Solid performances are turned in by the excellent ensemble cast. I was especially impressed by Mpho Koaho as Loretta's young son. And veteran performer Esther Rolle turns in particularly moving performance as Loretta's Alzheimer's-afflicted aunt.

This film does a good job of exploring a variety of interconnected relationships in this multigenerational context. The film celebrates family ties and family tradition, as well as one's capacity to overcome adversity.