The Grand Illusion

Winner of an Honorary Academy Award for lifetime achievement, Charles Burnett remains one of our country’s most celebrated independent filmmakers. In his charming and long-unavailable THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH, Lynn Redgrave plays Poinsettia, a former housewife with an imagined lover in the form of 19th-century composer Giacomo Puccini. She moves into a Los Angeles boarding house with an energetic landlady (Margot Kidder). There she meets a Jamaican widower, Fish (James Earl Jones), who has recently been released from a mental institution despite his continued battles against unseen demons. In the face of personal challenges and differences, the couple grows together and begins to discover new things about themselves and the nuances of love and happiness.

“Charles Burnett is one of the finest filmmakers in this country. His pictures speak in a cinematic voice that is uniquely and completely his own. For much too long, The Annihilation of Fish has been in limbo. It took many years and endless persistence to rescue this beautiful, delicate picture and get the original materials properly restored and preserved. It required the combined efforts of multiple organizations — Milestone Films, UCLA Film & Television Archive, The Film Foundation, and the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation — to see this restoration through, and I’m so happy that it’s finally ready for the world to discover.” Martin Scorsese

4/4 stars! “At every turn, The Annihilation of Fish is wonderfully surprising… this film is the essence of what makes Burnett’s hold on the American mythos peerless and exceptional.” Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

Critic’s Pick! “A modest movie modestly told, The Annihilation of Fish sneaks up on you; it’s as stealthy as Fish’s demon and can pack just as powerful a wallop.” Manohla Dargis