Sounder (1972)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

William H. Armstrong (book)
Lonne Elder III (writer)

Release Date:

16 August 1973 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The Morgans, a loving and strong family of Black sharecroppers in Louisiana in 1933, face a serious family crisis when the husband and father...

Plot Keywords:

Louisiana | Sharecropper | Schoolteacher | Prison | Dog

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

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

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Clinton, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Radnitz/Mattel Productions

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.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Good Fences (2003) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Needed Time

Breathtaking cinematography and excellent performances

For the breathtaking cinematography alone, this film is one not to be missed. It is surprising that such a simple film could have one's eyes glued to the screen for its entire duration. The father of a sharecropper family during the Great Depression in Louisiana steals food for his family in desperation and is sent to jail. The local law enforcement officers refuse to allow his wife to visit him and then, when he is sent away to a work camp, they will not disclose its name to his family. Finally, however, a sympathetic woman finds out and the eldest son goes on a journey to find his father. At the end of his travels, he meets a beautiful, kind, and learned school teacher who asks him to return in the fall to attend school. Excellent performances by all. (10 out of 10)