"Daniel Petrie's A Raisin in the Sun, from Lorraine Hansberry's screenplay and drama, is still invoked as a standard of black ensemble acting in its powerful mingling of the original stage cast and es- tablished cinema talents. Ivan Dixon and Lou Gossett, among others, figure prominently in the supporting cast. Poitier bore the spotlight heat, as was his burden through the sixties, but Ruby Dee's much more volatile role presented one of the first black, sexually active, sympathetic characters in a serious, mainstream studio drama. Dee's strength is complemented by Diana Sands' vulnerability under a brassy facade and by Claudia McNeil, who towers as a Ma Joad matriarch fighting to keep her family intact at all costs. The film encapsulated the racial aspirations of a generation of urban middle-class apartment dwellers during the height of the civil rights demonstrations. The fresh Chicago locations contributed pungency despite their patchwork nature, but they also drew attention to the awkward theatrical trimmings of sliding-door entrances and exits on cue." Andrew Sarris, Tom Allen, Village Voice