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:

Featured in The Man Who Shot Chinatown: The Life and Work of John A. Alonzo (2007)

Soundtrack:

Needed Time

One scene makes it a thing of beauty.

'Sounder' is a very small, sublime film- quietly powerful and perfect for just about anyone. Even though the title made no immediate sense to me (it's the name of the family dog), the plot and script is choice and proves what I've always believed regarding most scripts: less is more. Films with close, reverent, African-American families are still rare in the 21st century, and this one was extraordinary because it was a *1972* release, breaking ground when it was nominated at that year's Academy Awards for lead actor (Paul Winfield), lead actress (Cicely Tyson), screenplay (Lonne Elder III), and best picture. Only director Martin Ritt was not nominated, which was a travesty, but the Academy is historically famous for bonehead decisions. At any rate, it's nice to see a film which shows true family support- even in the event of the father's absence. I won't say why that happens, but it's only temporary, and his third act return- staged against a long stretch of open farm field and spotlighting a barefoot Tyson and limping Winfield running into each other's arms- is a bewitching, magical, sequence in the film. (There won't be a dry eye in the house.) Everyone is a standout, including Kevin Hooks as the pre-teen who needs to grow up overnight and to Carmen Matthews as the neighbor who quietly helps the family. Even more amazing is that this is a G-rated film; your whole family- black, white, or brown- will absolutely cherish it.