Sounder (1972)

Director:

Martin Ritt

Writers:

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

Release Date:

16 August 1973 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Sharecropper | Prison | Louisiana | Schoolteacher | Against The Odds

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.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Earl and Josie go to bed, after the reunion dinner, the position of Nathan's hand and cup changes.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Mike Myers/Aerosmith (#22.16)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Needed Time

You Learn What You Are Made of When Life Throws Those Curve Balls.

1933 Depression-era Louisiana is seen through the eyes of an adolescent African-American boy (Kevin Hooks) in this methodical and smartly realized cinematic drama. Poverty and near starvation almost become tragedy when Hooks' father (Oscar nominee Paul Winfield) is arrested for stealing a hog and butchering it. Immediately he is sentenced to one year in jail (probably dodging much worse punishment) and it is up to wife Cicely Tyson (in her Oscar-nominated role) and her three young children to make the money needed to survive as Winfield is shipped from prison to prison. And through it all Hooks dreams of a better life via an education. The film's title refers to the family dog/game hunter who gets injured early on and yet finds a way to persevere much like his family (this is a great element of symbolism found within the movie). A brilliant screenplay by Lonne Elder III (who received an Oscar nomination as well) and intelligent direction by the always good Martin Ritt make "Sounder" one of the lesser-known gems of the 1970s. 4 stars out of 5.