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IMDbPro

Sounder

  • 19721972
  • GG
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
17,097
3,207
Sounder (1972)
Theatrical Trailer from 20th Century Fox
Play trailer1:41
2 Videos
21 Photos
DramaFamily
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
4.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
17,097
3,207
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Martin Ritt
    • Writers
      • Lonne Elder III(screenplay)
      • William H. Armstrong(novel)
    • Stars
      • Cicely Tyson
      • Paul Winfield
      • Kevin Hooks
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Martin Ritt
    • Writers
      • Lonne Elder III(screenplay)
      • William H. Armstrong(novel)
    • Stars
      • Cicely Tyson
      • Paul Winfield
      • Kevin Hooks
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 38User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
    • Nominated for 4 Oscars
      • 5 wins & 12 nominations total

    Videos2

    Sounder
    Trailer 1:41
    Sounder
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 26
    Video 29:04
    Sneak Previews Season 3 Episode 26

    Photos21

    Cicely Tyson, Kevin Hooks, Paul Winfield, and Swampy in Sounder (1972)
    Kevin Hooks, Paul Winfield, and Swampy in Sounder (1972)
    Cicely Tyson, Eric Hooks, Kevin Hooks, Yvonne Jarrell, and Paul Winfield in Sounder (1972)
    Kevin Hooks, Paul Winfield, and Swampy in Sounder (1972)
    Kevin Hooks, Paul Winfield, and Swampy in Sounder (1972)
    Sounder (1972)
    Cicely Tyson in Sounder (1972)
    Swampy in Sounder (1972)
    Cicely Tyson, Kevin Hooks, and Yvonne Jarrell in Sounder (1972)
    Sounder (1972)
    Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield in Sounder (1972)
    Sounder (1972)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cicely Tyson
    Cicely Tyson
    • Rebecca
    Paul Winfield
    Paul Winfield
    • Nathan Lee
    Kevin Hooks
    Kevin Hooks
    • David Lee
    Carmen Mathews
    Carmen Mathews
    • Mrs. Boatwright
    Taj Mahal
    Taj Mahal
    • Ike
    James Best
    James Best
    • Sheriff Young
    Eric Hooks
    • Earl
    Yvonne Jarrell
    • Josie Mae
    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
    William T. Bennett
    • Judge
    • (as Judge William Thomas Bennett)
    Thomas N. Phillips
    • Pastor
    • (as Reverend Thomas N. Phillips)
    Carl Braser
    • Wagon Driver
    • Director
      • Martin Ritt
    • Writers
      • Lonne Elder III(screenplay)
      • William H. Armstrong(novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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 later examination of daily rushes revealed that they got shot and acting perfect the first time, and the first take was a print.
    • Goofs
      When Mama is fastening David Lee's coverall snap, it appears that she does it until he turns around and it is still undone. When the camera angle switches and he takes off running, they are actually fastened at that time.
    • Quotes

      David Lee: Miss Johnson? Don't you teach in your school about folk who ain't dead?

      Camille: Sure! Here's one about a man who's very much alive. Dr. William E.B. DuBois.

      David Lee: What does he talk about?

      Camille: Here, I'll read something he said:

      [reading from "Of the Training of Black Men"]

      Camille: "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 themselves in these days that try their souls, the chance to soar in the dim blue air above smoke is to their finer spirits boon and guerdon for what they lose on earth by being black."

      David Lee: You're a nice lady, Miss Johnson.

    • Connections
      Edited into Afro Promo (1997)
    • 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 reviews38

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Great message and representation
    A gentle film about a poor African-American family in rural Louisiana in the 1930's, and the hard life they face. It's just a little too quiet and squeaky-clean in its dialogue and "feel good" moments for me to truly love, but on the other hand, there are moments of real darkness, and the film is touching in its message of perseverance and the hope for its characters to overcome a deck stacked against them. The film should also be given a lot of credit for its content and cast in 1972 - just compare it to other film depictions of African-Americans in this period.

    The intimidating malevolence of the white ruling class is felt in cruel ways, such as shooting at a dog(?!) and not telling the family where their father has been sent after he steals some food ala Jean Valjean. It's also felt in ways that are silently menacing, such as facing stern, judgmental eyes as they constantly struggle to make ends meet because of the unfair sharecropping agreement, and when the boy simply glances at a giant house while on a walk far from his own home, one of my favorite moments in the film. The other is when a couple of different teachers give him books to read, the only shred of a hope to rise in socioeconomic class. I only wish the film had a little more edge to it, which apparently the book does.

    Quote: Ike (recounting a time when he accidentally went into a white church): "...I went home and did me some praying to the Lord. I said, Lord, I went into this white church down in Row (County) and all I want you to tell me is how I ever got outta there in one piece." Nathan Lee: "What did the Lord tell you, Ike?" Ike: "He said, I don't know, Ike - you doin' better'n me, I been tryin' to get in there for 200 years and ain't make it yet!"
    helpful•5
    0
    • gbill-74877
    • Jun 29, 2020

    FAQ1

    • The name of the school where the boy attended was painted on the school, and ended in the letters B.C. It could not have been British Columbia, so what did those letters mean?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 26, 1973 (Argentina)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Saunder ili pasji zivot
    • Filming locations
      • East Feliciana Parish, Louisiana, USA
    • Production companies
      • Radnitz/Mattel Productions
      • Rainbow Group
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,100,601
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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