Sounder (1972)

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

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

Lonne Elder III (screenplay), William H. Armstrong (novel)

Stars:

Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, Kevin Hooks

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cicely Tyson	...	Rebecca Morgan
Paul Winfield	...	Nathan Lee Morgan
Kevin Hooks	...	David Lee Morgan
Carmen Mathews	...	Rita Boatwright
Taj Mahal	...	Ike
James Best	...	Sheriff Charlie 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

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 journey becomes something of an odyssey for the boy. During the journey, he stays a little while with a dedicated Black schoolteacher.

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Plot Keywords:

human dog relationship | animal name in title | boy and dog | boy and his dog | dog actor | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 April 1973 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Csibész

Filming Locations:

Clinton, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Radnitz/Mattel Productions, Rainbow Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only film that year to be nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress Oscars.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Camille: [reading to David Lee from W.E.B. Du Bois' "Of the Training of Black Men"] "The longing of black men must have respect."
[pauses to explain to David Lee]
Camille: Which means a man and a woman are human and must be treated that way.
[continues reading]
Camille: "The rich and bitter depth of their experience, the unknown treasures of their inner life, the strange rendings of nature they have seen, may give the world new points of view and make their loving, living, and doing precious to all human hearts. And to ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Magic Johnson/Luke Wilson/Roy Wood Jr. (2017)

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Soundtracks

Needed Time (Theme from Sounder)
Written by Taj Mahal
Performed by Lightnin Hopkins
Courtesy of Kent Records and special thanks to John Williams

User Reviews

For a 1971 Release...WAY AHEAD of Its Time!

............................................................from Pasto,Colombia...Via: L.A. CA., CALI, COLOMBIA and ORLANDO, FL

In retrospect, looking back at SOUNDER, there is a lot going on, both on a public, and for me, on a private level in relation to this film. It had a theatrical release in NOV.1971. I didn't get around to seeing it until Februrary '72. Movies that I saw in early 1972, I don't seem to recollect very well. SOUNDER was in that group. Saw it for the second time just hours ago. Really sorry I waited so long!

Here is something a lot of you can relate to: For a film that was shown in theaters in late '71 and early '72, SOUNDER was QUITE unique. It was WAY ahead of its time. Compare SOUNDER's somber tone and subject matter, its very deliberate pacing and mood to other films with a predominately Afro-American cast from that time frame. Notice any difference? No BLACKSploitation here! SOUNDER is completely character-driven, this is probably why a lot of people seem to define it as "Slow". Sadly lacking on my DVD of SOUNDER were any special features. Just the movie and the trailer...That's it! I really yearned for background info!

Set in rural Louisiana in 1933, perhaps the worst year of the depression, Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson both shone in career-defining roles. Winfield, as the father, short on education but long on character, strength and spirit, who is sent off to an undisclosed prison for a year for his first offense...Stealing a ham to feed his starving family; Tyson, as the dutiful, solid-as-a-rock, stand-by-her-man wife and mother. My hat is off to Ms. Tyson. Despite being considered something of a sex symbol at the time, she accepted a role which required a very scruffy and unflattering, no make-up look! And what a fine job she does! 10*.....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

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