Sounder

G

Released Sep 24, 1972

1 hr. 45 min.

Drama

List

91%

22 Reviews

Tomatometer

77%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

The Morgans, a family of poor black sharecroppers in the Depression-plagued South, struggle to find enough to eat despite the help their hunting dog, Sounder. When father Nathan (Paul Winfield) resorts to stealing food, he is captured by police and sent to prison, and his wife, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), is left to care for their son, David (Kevin Hooks). Though Sounder has run away, David never gives up hope that his dog will return, just as he believes that he will see his father again someday.

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Alec B

It remains a compelling and intimate epic. One for the whole family that never oversimplifies its narrative.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Even a dog can change a whole family Taking place during the Great Depression in Louisiana the story focuses on a black family the Morgans Paul Whitfield and Cecily Tyson play husband and wife as well as parents to their kids Their oldest son is David They are poor sharecroppers struggling to make ends meet Desperate to feed his family Nathan steals food then ends up getting arrested His wife is then left to take care of the others She tries her hardest to see him but the heightened segregation and racism is a huge blockade Their hunting dog Sounder runs away too but David doesn't want to give up hope to seeing him again as his father The movie is less about the dog and more about this boy finding his father when no one else will help The animal just ends up taking a backseat for most of this But there's some committed performances from everyone around and they capture the true face of the south in this era of America A person can miss a place but doesn't necessarily have to worry about it Despite some minor hiccups and the misleading of the title we understand this family's solidarity in the face of intimidating odds -- poverty, racism, injustice -- gives the movie a humanistic, optimistic center

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/25/23

Full Review

jon c

Even a dog can change a whole family Taking place during the Great Depression in Louisiana the story focuses on a black family the Morgans Paul Whitfield and Cecily Tyson play husband and wife as well as parents to their kids Their oldest son is David They are poor sharecroppers struggling to make ends meet Desperate to feed his family Nathan steals food then ends up getting arrested His wife is then left to take care of the others She tries her hardest to see him but the heightened segregation and racism is a huge blockade Their hunting dog Sounder runs away too but David doesn't want to give up hope to seeing him again as his father The movie is less about the dog and more about this boy finding his father when no one else will help The animal just ends up taking a backseat for most of this But there's some committed performances from everyone around and they capture the true face of the south in this era of America A person can miss a place but doesn't necessarily have to worry about it Despite some minor hiccups and the misleading of the title we understand this family's solidarity in the face of intimidating odds -- poverty, racism, injustice -- gives the movie a humanistic, optimistic center

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

james g

I loved this when I saw it as a kid in 1972. "Sounder" has hardly aged at all: 50 years have passed and it's solid, great cast, great score, lovely scenes. It deserved that Best Picture nomination. But some characters are flat, like Mrs Boatwright: was she losing her hearing? And other aspects of Ike and Camille would have added to the film, perhaps editing down extended tracking shots of on-location Louisiana. You just know Camille has a great back story. Still, a must-see, and rare, G-rated drama for all ages.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A movie about a black family growing up in rural Louisiana in the 30s, yeah u can already see how this one is going to go. Despite this film being very messed up due to racism and the socioeconomic politics of the time, there are def happy parts as the cruelness binds the family together along with their beloved dog. Everyone in the family really depends on one another and their love is palpable. Almost made me sad to think how our individualism separates us more nowadays. I felt like this film didn't sugarcoat, but I also felt like it was more realistic than a lot of other racism films that almost become like torture porn. Like many a great films this one is based off a good book. Also like many great films there is a good dream sequence.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

marisol m

Moving coming-of-age drama that celebrates the vital perseverance of family through the invisible shackles of sharecropping. At no point does 'Sounder' veer into poverty porn exploiting suffering; instead it's bursting at the seams with the steady strength of compassion and the dignified force of family. The lack of a score is key; it frees many scenes from manipulation and allows the performances (especially of Winfield and Tyson) to speak for themselves. Other than minimal banjo notes, the music of the South is the chirping of birds, the hissing of cicadas, and the melodies of spirituals on the breeze. Rest in peace, Cicely Tyson.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Martin Ritt

Director

Cicely Tyson

Rebecca Morgan

Paul Winfield

Nathan Lee Morgan

Kevin Hooks

David Lee Morgan

Carmen Mathews

Mrs. Boatwright

Taj Mahal

Ike

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Pauline Kael

New Yorker

Ritt never pushes a moment too hard or too far -- the movie earns every emotion we feel. And I think it will move audiences -- move them truly, that is -- as few films ever have.

Sep 21, 2023

Full Review

Michael Booth

Denver Post

Director Martin Ritt soaks us in the heat, the beauty, the racism and the buzzing cicadas of Louisiana.

Apr 3, 2007

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

Ritt's film must respond to the needs of an entertainment industry, and in its desire to be uplifting, leaves its characters one-dimensional without ensuring that the one dimension is heroic.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...depicts its central family's life as one of resilient beauty.

Rated: 3/4

May 4, 2021

Full Review

Tom Meek

Cambridge Day

A great awakening and lesson for kids here...

Rated: 3/4

Feb 12, 2021

Full Review

Frederick I. Douglas

Baltimore Afro-American

It is something special.

Jul 28, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

The Morgans, a family of poor black sharecroppers in the Depression-plagued South, struggle to find enough to eat despite the help their hunting dog, Sounder. When father Nathan (Paul Winfield) resorts to stealing food, he is captured by police and sent to prison, and his wife, Rebecca (Cicely Tyson), is left to care for their son, David (Kevin Hooks). Though Sounder has run away, David never gives up hope that his dog will return, just as he believes that he will see his father again someday.

Director: Martin Ritt
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Radnitz/Mattel Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 24, 1972, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2016

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