- Actors: Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Tamu Blackwell, David Kruger
- Directors: John Berry
- Writers: Lester Pine, Tina Pine
- Producers: Dick Di Bona, Hannah Weinstein, J. Lloyd Grant
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
- Language: English, Spanish
- Subtitles: Spanish
- Region: (US and Canada This DVD will probably NOT be viewable in other countries. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Number of discs: 1
- MPAA Rating:
- Studio: Fox Video
- Release Date: Jan 11 2005
- Run Time: 92 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00007AJG2
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#16,504 in DVD (See Top 100 in DVD)
- #38 in DVD > Art House & International > African American Cinema
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon.com
It's easy to get hooked by Claudine, a lean, funny, Nixon-era movie about a romance nearly undone by a patronizing welfare system. Diahann Carroll stars as Claudine, single mother of six children in Harlem and a maid working for under-the-table wages. Forever worried that her white caseworker will discover her meager, outside income (thus eliminating meager government benefits), Claudine further complicates her domestic situation by falling in love with Roop (James Earl Jones). An affable Romeo and absent but financially supportive father of several kids, Roop by his presence jeopardizes Claudine's official status as a mom without means. The couple's decision to go forward results in welfare backlash, personal humiliation, family strain, and corrosive behavior. A sharp script layers the personal story within a socially conscious treatment, while Jones and Carroll's special chemistry turns the characters into fully rounded people. John Berry (From This Day Forward), an interesting if forgotten director, brings a clipped vitality to this urban affair. --Tom Keogh
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fans that enjoy "Good Times" can easily stride with "Claudine.",,
By
This review is from: Claudine (DVD)
I have seen "Claudine" a couple of times throughout the years and find it to be a great film. It's intelligently scripted and well directed. The characters are generally believable and compelling. This tells a story of an unwed mother (Diahann Carroll) with six children. She is on welfare, has a job as a maid, but is still so impoverished that no one in the family has a car. She develops a relationship with a garbage man (James Earl Jones) who has reservations about becoming stepfather and provider for her children. Claudine has the impossible task of raising her children properly, earning a living, staying on public assistance which she clearly needs, and keeping her lover satisfied and stationary.Economical difficulties combined with some then racial limitations make this family lives miserable. This movie is a good representation of the American system at it's worst. The welfare system was initially set up as a stepping stone for those families who needed that extra hand to get back on their feet. The movie showed an accurate portrayal of how the welfare system breaks down the family unit. In other words if the father or any male figure is in the lives of the women and children their financial support from the system would be jeopardized if not terminated. The struggles of the poor can be seen throughout the world. The acting all around is excellent, even by the small children- while sometimes affectionate; they can also be selfish, bratty, and manipulative. James Earl Jones, a character actor who has become famous primarily for his deep and resonant voice, demonstrates in this film that he is also a capable leading actor. "On and On." is the opening title to this film and the soundtrack to this is great. It's performed by Gladys Knight and the Pips, with the songs written by Curtis Mayfield. The most discouraging aspect remains that so few movies that address the African American perspective have been made since this one, so this comes to show that "Claudine" is worth having.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Looked For This Movie For Years,
By "robjaa" (The Washington, DC Metro Area) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Claudine (DVD)
I remember when CLAUDINE first came out. I was a pre-teen growing up on the South Side of Chicago. I think it was my babysitter who took my sister and I to see the movie. We LOVED it. We wanted to see it over and over, but of course we couldn't; we were children. Who was going to keep taking us to the movies?When the movie finally got to TV, I had to see it, but it wasn't the same. My sister and I, who almost knew the movie word for word, would ask, "Where's the part where..." It was so edited. Still, when able to do so, I did copy the TV version. Any version was better than no version. I was so happy when videos came out. I said to myself, "I can finally see the UNCUT version of CLAUDINE. When my aunt got her first recorder, a Betamax, we would go to the videostore, I think it was called Errols, and check out the maximum number of videos you could. From those early times I searched and searched and asked and asked for CLAUDINE. I looked through that huge video directory that would be in the store, but it was NOT listed and most of the people I asked didn't know what I was talking about. I could not understand why it couldn't be found. I wanted to write in to that question section in the front of the Parade magazine to ask why CLAUDINE wasn't in video format, but I never did. Imagine my surprise and delight when I walked into Blockbuster yesterday around midnight, and there was CLAUDINE. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I checked it out, and when I got home, though it was after midnight, I not only watched it once, I watched it a second time with the commentary from some of the actors. I am now older than "Claudine" was in the movie, but I STILL absolutely LOVE it and I LOVE the soundtrack! James Earl Jones and Diahann Carroll have the best chemistry in this movie. Of course I'm going to buy it, not just for myself, but for my sister and one of my aunts, too. I highly recommend this movie. It is HEART-WARMING and just WONDERFUL.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long Overdue,
By A Customer
This review is from: Claudine (DVD)
I worked for Blockbuster Video for nearly 10 years, and Claudine was one of the most requested videos ever. Unfortunely it was never released on Video or DVD until now. So unless you got to catch it on Cable in the wee hours of the morning you might not have seen it.It is one of my all time favorite movies. I have already purchased four copies for friends and family. If you have not seen this movie yet take it from me it's the best!!
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