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Sounder (1972)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
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Release Date:
16 August 1973 (Sweden)
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Plot:
The son of a family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Louisiana
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Sharecropper
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Schoolteacher
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Prison
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Dog
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Awards:
Nominated for 4 Oscars.
Another 3 wins
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7 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Wrong Way To Hail Mandela
(From New York Post. 21 July 2009, 1:47 AM, PDT)
Svu Exclusive: Oscar Nominee Cicely Tyson Will Guest
(From TVGuide - Breaking News. 20 February 2009, 4:37 PM, PST)
(From New York Post. 21 July 2009, 1:47 AM, PDT)
Svu Exclusive: Oscar Nominee Cicely Tyson Will Guest
(From TVGuide - Breaking News. 20 February 2009, 4:37 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Quiet...VERY quiet
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Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Cicely Tyson | ... | Rebecca Morgan |
 | Paul Winfield | ... | Nathan Lee Morgan |
| Kevin Hooks | ... | David Lee Morgan |
 | Carmen Mathews | ... | Mrs. Boatwright |
| Taj Mahal | ... | Ike |
 | James Best | ... | Sheriff Young |
| Eric Hooks | ... | Earl Morgan |
| Yvonne Jarrell | ... | Josie Mae Morgan |
| Sylvia Kuumba Williams | ... | Harriet |
| Teddy Airhart | ... | Mr. Perkins (as Ted Airhart) |
| Richard Durham | ... | Perkins' Foreman |
| Wendell Brumfield | ... | Deputy #1 |
| Al Bankston | ... | Deputy #2 |
| Myrl Sharkey | ... | Teacher (as Merle Sharkey) |
| Inez Durham | ... | Court Clerk |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
105 min
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Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Cicely Tyson commented in a TCM interview that director Martin Ritt's cinematographer (principal cameraman), while shooting the famous "homecoming sequence" with Tyson and co-star Paul Winfield, was so moved by their performances that he was certain he missed framing the action properly in the shots and respectfully asked them to do the difficult scene again. They obliged, but a later examination of daily rushes revealed that they got shot and acting perfect the first time, and take 1 was a print.
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Goofs:
Continuity: After Earl and Josie go to bed, after the reunion dinner, the position of Nathan's hand and cup changes.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)
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Soundtrack:
Needed Time
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (20 total)
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Tale of a sharecropping family in 1933 Louisiana and what happens when the father (Paul Winfield) is sent to jail for stealing food to feed his family. It also deals with the oldest son (Kevin Hooks) coming of age. Sounder, BTW, is the name of the family dog.
Quiet, slow but ultimately very moving tale of a poor black family in the 1930s. There's some beautiful shots here (it was shot on location in Louisiana) and very little dialogue and only occasional music. I must admit I was getting a little bored at first--I wanted the story to MOVE! But the film slowly grew on me and, after half an hour, I was hooked. The images tell the story along with some very moving Oscar-nominated performances by Winfield and Cicely Tyson (as his wife). Even young Hooks (who was only 14 when this was done) is quite good. The film slowly works on you and, by the end, I was crying my eyes out--But don't worry--it DOES have a very happy ending.
This was a HUGE hit in 1972. It was one of the few G-rated films dealing with a black family. Unlike most other 1970s black films it had no drugs, violence, sex or swearing--this was a true rarity back then. And white, black, young and old audiences loved it. It works on all levels. It was also nominated for Best Picture. It didn't win anything but the fact that it was nominated was enough. The cast went through hell making it. I remember, in an interview, Winfield said it was brutally hot during the whole shot, the cast was eaten alive by mosquitoes and he caught a TERRIBLE case of hay fever from all the pollen. It's to this whole casts credit that they all give out good performances. Sadly...this film has been forgotten. That's too bad...it should be rediscovered.
There was a sequel 3 years later (with a different cast). It was "Sounder Part 2" but it seems nobody has ever seen it. But don't miss this one. A perfect family film.