Editing Killer of Sheep (section)

==Critical reception==
Though the film won the Critics' Award at the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] and was acclaimed at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]], it never saw wide release due to complications in securing the music rights for the 22 songs on the soundtrack, which included such big names as [[Dinah Washington]], [[Paul Robeson]], [[Louis Armstrong]], and [[Earth, Wind and Fire]]. It remained in obscurity for nearly 30 years, garnering much critical and academic praise and earning a reputation as a lost classic. The film did not win an award until four years after it came out, after having to wait four years to be released.<ref name="Gale - Product Login"/>

''Killer of Sheep'' holds a 97% "fresh" rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]; the consensus states: "By turns funny, sad, and profound, ''Killer of Sheep'' offers a sympathetic and humane glimpse into inner-city life."<ref>{{rotten-tomatoes|killer_of_sheep|Killer of Sheep}} Retrieved February 11, 2014</ref> Critics and scholars have likened the film to the work of Italian neorealist directors, particularly [[Vittorio De Sica]] and [[Roberto Rossellini]], for its documentary aesthetic and use of mostly non-professional, on-location actors. Burnett has also been compared to [[Yasujirō Ozu]] for his strong sense of composition, [[Stanley Kubrick]] for his sharp ear for juxtaposing popular music with images, [[John Cassavetes]] for his knack for coaxing natural performances from amateur actors, and [[Robert Altman]] for his interest in the minutiae of human interaction. Burnett's self-professed influences are [[Jean Renoir]], [[Basil Wright]], and [[Federico Fellini]], all of whom exemplify the tender, humane and compassionate qualities for which Burnett has been praised, qualities intensely present in ''Killer of Sheep''. Critic Andrew O'Hehir, noting the strong influences of [[Jean Renoir]], [[Roberto Rossellini]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.killerofsheep.com/about.html|title=Killer of Sheep - A Film by Charles Burnett - About the Film|website=www.killerofsheep.com|access-date=2019-11-16}}</ref> and [[Satyajit Ray]], said, "It's hard to overemphasize how strange and ambitious and completely out of context it was for a black urban filmmaker with no money and no reputation to make that kind of movie in 1977."<ref name=salon>[http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/2007/03/30/killer/index.html "Killer of Sheep"] by Andrew O'Hehir, [[Salon.com]], March 30, 2007</ref>

In 1990, the [[Library of Congress]] selected it as part of the [[National Film Registry]] for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."<ref name=salon/>

In 2008, ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine ranked the film No. 398 of ''The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time''.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120119034539/https://www.empireonline.com/500/21.asp ''Empire's'' The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.] ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' via [[Internet Archive]]. Retrieved August 5, 2010.</ref>

The [[National Society of Film Critics]] chose ''Killer of Sheep'' as one of its 100 Essential Films.

In 2015, the BBC named the film the 26th greatest American movie ever made.<ref name=bbc>[http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150720-the-100-greatest-american-films "The 100 Greatest American Films"], [[bbc.com]], July 20, 2015</ref>

===Lists===
The film appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films released in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2007/toptens.shtml|title=Metacritic: 2007 Film Critic Top Ten Lists|website=[[Metacritic]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080102102034/http://www.metacritic.com/film/awards/2007/toptens.shtml|archive-date=January 2, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*1st – Ed Gonzalez, ''[[Slant Magazine]]''
*2nd – Philip Martin, ''[[Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]]''
*3rd – Glenn Kenny, ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]''
*3rd – Michael Sragow, ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''
*3rd – Nick Schager, ''[[Slant Magazine]]''
*3rd – Richard Corliss, [[Time (magazine)|''TIME'' magazine]]
*5th – Dana Stevens, ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]''
*10th – Ella Taylor, ''[[LA Weekly]]''