MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 880 this week

Sounder (1972)

 -  Drama | Family  -  10 May 1973 (France)
7.6
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 7.6/10 from 1,837 users  
Reviews: 20 user | 19 critic

The son of a family of black sharecroppers comes of age in the Depression-era South after his father is imprisoned for stealing food.

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (novel)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 10000 titles created 2 months ago
 
a list of 3595 titles created 1 month ago
 
a list of 421 titles created 3 months ago
 
a list of 250 titles created 26 Apr 2011
 
a list of 560 titles created 9 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Sounder (1972)

Sounder (1972) on IMDb 7.6/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Sounder.
Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 7 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
Mrs. Boatwright
Taj Mahal ...
Ike
...
Sheriff Young
Eric Hooks ...
Earl Morgan
Yvonne Jarrell ...
Josie Mae Morgan
Sylvia Kuumba Williams ...
Harriet (as Sylvia 'Kuumba' Williams)
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
Edit

Storyline

The Morgans, a loving and strong family of Black sharecroppers in Louisiana in 1933, face a serious family crisis when the husband and father, Nathan Lee Morgan, is convicted of a petty crime and sent to a prison camp. After some weeks or months, the wife and mother, Rebecca Morgan, sends the oldest son, who is about 11 years old, to visit his father at the camp. The trip becomes something of an odyssey for the boy. During the journey he stays a little while with a dedicated Black schoolteacher. Written by Ed Cannon <ecannon@mail.utexas.edu>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

sharecropper | boy | prison | stealing | food | See more »

Genres:

Drama | Family

Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

10 May 1973 (France)  »

Also Known As:

CsibĂ©sz  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2003, ABC's The Wonderful World of Disney produced a new TV version of Sounder. Kevin Hooks directed, and Paul Winfield played the teacher. (It was one of Winfield's last roles before his death in 2004.) See more »

Goofs

When embracing at the reunion, Earl's hands change position. See more »

Connections

Featured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #2.21 (2011) See more »

Soundtracks

"Needed Time"
Written by Taj Mahal
Sung by Lightnin Hopkins
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
Beautiful film with great heart
18 January 2010 | by (Canada) – See all my reviews

Director Martin Ritt and the cast and crew of this movie have left a great legacy in this simple but moving story of a family's love for one another in the face of great adversity. The family does not succumb to bitterness or hatred but they persevere with hope and great faith in what they can overcome. The story: during the Depression, a family breadwinner is arrested and sent to a year's hard labour for a minor misdemeanour. I saw this movie almost 40 years ago and it made a deep impression. Almost everyone I spoke to who saw it admired it and the reviews were excellent but for some reason, it has been forgotten. I saw the movie again on Martin Luther King Day and rediscovered a story with great universal appeal. The blue skies and the green forests of Louisiana enhance the beauty of this classic film. Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield are the stars of the film along with Kevin Hooks as the eldest son. The music is stark with the lyrics of a spiritual and the strumming of a stringed instrument. We witness the cruelty of a heartless town and the courage of a friend who is moved to help. In the end, wounded and battered, the family carry on with great love and respect for one another. This is a great family film for the values it shows and a testimony to the courage of many African American people.


4 of 4 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
Why didn't it win best picture a_spike_lee_joint
Kevin Hooks is so cute... Blondfashionisto
James Best Blondfashionisto
Discuss Sounder (1972) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?