I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (1979)
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71% of users liked it
(82 ratings)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is based on the writings of African-American poet/playwright Maya Angelou. Though she eventually became America's poet laureate, Angelou was once just another little black girl growing up in Depression-era Arkansas. Her efforts to better herself run up against the… More I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is based on the writings of African-American poet/playwright Maya Angelou. Though she eventually became America's poet laureate, Angelou was once just another little black girl growing up in Depression-era Arkansas. Her efforts to better herself run up against the stone wall of bigotry; in addition, the girl is traumatized into sullen silence by a brutal rape. Slowly, and with the loving support of her dedicated mother, Angelou overcomes her many deprivations, and by the time she is a high school senior, she has been elected class valedictorian. Constance Good plays young Angelou in this made-for-TV film, which also stars Esther Rolle, Roger E. Mosley, Diahann Carroll, Ruby Dee and Madge Sinclair. Filmed on location in Vicksburg, Mississippi, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was adapted for television by Ms. Angelou and Leonora Thuna; it was first telecast April 28, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Fielder Cook
- Written By
- Leonora Thuna, Maya Angelou
- Genres
- Drama
Unrated,
- In Theaters
- Jun 1, 1979 Wide
- Studio
- Live Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Randy White, Common Sense Media
Forceful telling of Angelou's coming-of-age book.
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Cast
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Georgia Allen
as Mrs. Gurney
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Paul Benjamin
as Freeman
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Diahann Carroll
as Vivian
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Ruby Dee
as Grandmother Baxter
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Art Evans
as Principal
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J. Don Ferguson
as Mr. Donleavy
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Sonny Jim Gaines
as Uncle Willie
- Constance Good
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Roger E. Mosley
as Bailey Sr.
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Esther Rolle
as Momma
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Madge Sinclair
as Miss Flowers
