IMDb > I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979) (TV)

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1979) (TV) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   91 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Maya Angelou (book)
Maya Angelou (writer) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 April 1979 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
Based on writer Maya Angelou's childhood, this story is about a young girl in the South who is sent to live with her grandmother after her parents divorce. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
A Wonderful Story more (6 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Paul Benjamin ... Freeman

Diahann Carroll ... Vivian
Ruby Dee ... Grandmother Baxter
Roger E. Mosley ... Bailey Sr.
Esther Rolle ... Momma
Madge Sinclair ... Miss Flowers
Constance Good ... Maya
John Driver ... Bailey Jr. (as John M. Driver II)
Sonny Jim Gaines ... Uncle Willie
Art Evans ... Principal
J. Don Ferguson ... Mr. Donleavy
Georgia Allen ... Mrs. Gurney
Darleen Taylor ... 1st Girl
Darryl Antony Williams ... Tommy Valdon (as Darryl Williams)
Tonea Stewart ... Lillie (as Tommie Stewart)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
96 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff


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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful.
A Wonderful Story, 21 April 2003
Author: Brian Washington (Sargebri@att.net) from Los Angeles, California

This is one of the most engrossing bio pics ever shown on television. You really get to see the formative years of a true renaissance woman. The book that this work was based on has been required reading in schools for years and you can really see why as you see what Dr. Angelou went through as a child, espcially suffering the trauma of being raped at the age of seven and not talking for five years due to the fact that she blamed herself for the death of her attacker. However, the only fault I find with the film is the fact that they end the film at the point where she starts to talk again. The book goes on to her teen-age years and ends at the point where she gives birth to her son a few years later. Other than that, this was truly a great story.

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Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits IMDb Biography section
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