A Raisin in the Sun (1961 film)

A Raisin in the Sun
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDaniel Petrie
Screenplay byLorraine Hansberry
Based onA Raisin in the Sun
by Lorraine Hansberry
Produced byPhilip Rose
David Susskind
StarringSidney Poitier
Ruby Dee
Claudia McNeil
Diana Sands
Stephen Perry
CinematographyCharles Lawton Jr.
Edited byWilliam A. Lyon
Paul Weatherwax
Music byLaurence Rosenthal
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • May 29, 1961 (1961-05-29)
Running time
128 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.5 million
Box office$1.3 million[1]
A Raisin in the Sun, from left, Louis Gossett Jr, Ruby Dee, and Sidney Poitier.

A Raisin in the Sun is a 1961 American drama film directed by Daniel Petrie, and starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Roy Glenn, and Louis Gossett Jr. (in his film debut), and based on the 1959 play of the same name by Lorraine Hansberry. It follows a black family that wants a better life away from the city. A Raisin in the Sun was released by Columbia Pictures on May 29, 1961.

In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2006, the American Film Institute ranked the film 65th in its list of most inspiring films.

  1. ^ "1961 Rentals and Potential". Variety. January 10, 1961. p. 58.