A Raisin in the Sun

This 1961 movie’s primary focus was on Walter Lee Younger. He was a 35 year old man who is searching for his place in life as a black man. Walter, his wife, Ruth and son, Travis, live with his Mama in her apartment that she has lived in for over 40 years. He lives by his Mama’s rules because she is considered the head of the family. Walter’s struggles begin with his need to be able to financial support his family and to be the family head. A few months prior, Walter’s father passed away and they are waiting for a $10,000 insurance check that is coming in the mail to Mama. Walter and his friends want to open a liquor store with the money and Mama refuses to allow it to be used for that. Walter has himself under so much pressure that he is going out drinking a lot. At one point he finds out that is wife, Ruth, is pregnant and due to their rocky marriage, she contemplates having an abortion and even makes a payment on it and schedules it. When Walter finds out about Ruth’s pregnancy, he shows no care or emotion to stop her. This becomes a real determining factor for Mama when she goes and takes part of the money to make a down payment on a house. Everyone is happy but Walter. But Mama realizes that and gives the rest of the money to Walter for him to put back some for his sister’s education and to put the rest in a checking account and be “head of the house.” After they find out that the house Mama has bought is in a white neighborhood, they are little uneasy until they see it. But Karl Linder from the homeowners association comes and offers to pay them to not move into a white neighborhood, but they refuse his offer. Walter’s sister Beneatha is in college to be a doctor and she is a liberated black women who is eager to find her own way in life. She dates a Nigerian man named Joseph Asagai who asks her to marry him and go to Nigeria. Beneatha is a free spirited woman and it doesn’t seem likely that she will actually do this, but anything is possible. The money Mama gave Walter, he actually gave all of it to one of his friends for the liquor store license, but the guy runs off with it and the whole family is devastated. At this point they seem to have been losing faith but in the end, they still go ahead and move into the new house. This is when Walter finally finds himself and becomes a man.
I really enjoyed this movie. I actually read this play a few semesters ago and greatly enjoyed it. I was impressed with the movie because even though there were a few acts from the play that were not in the movie, the parts of the play that was in the movie were quite accurate. That really impressed me. Many times you go and see a Hollywood movie that is based on a book and the differences make the movie very disappointing, but this wasn’t the case with the 1961 version. I am curious as to how the new version would be. I have watched a couple of trailers on it and some parts seem similar while others appear to be very different.