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Sounder

Play trailer Poster for Sounder G 1972 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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91% Tomatometer 22 Reviews 79% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
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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Sounder

Critics Reviews

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Pauline Kael The New Yorker 09/21/2023
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. Go to Full Review
Michael Booth Denver Post 04/03/2007
Director Martin Ritt soaks us in the heat, the beauty, the racism and the buzzing cicadas of Louisiana. Go to Full Review
Derek Adams Time Out 06/24/2006
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. Go to Full Review
Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Feb 6
8/10
It may be a simple, unadorned premise, but the morals, the performances, and the striking portrayal of heartening humanity are undeniably winning. Go to Full Review
Josh Larsen LarsenOnFilm 05/04/2021
3/4
...depicts its central family's life as one of resilient beauty. Go to Full Review
Tom Meek Cambridge Day 02/12/2021
3/4
A great awakening and lesson for kids here... Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Leaburn O Sep 9 A simple tale made all the more affecting by its bare bones simplicity. Tale of the bond between a sharecropper and his son. Not too much drama but enough going on to keep you engrossed. Warm and hopeful, it’s a nice thing to sit through. Watched on Amazon Prime. See more diva h Feb 27 film yang sangat menarik dan rekomen untuk di rewatch ga ngebosenin See more Dorcas G Jan 20 This is one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. Saw it in theater when it was released, and it became a favorite of my husband and me. Watching in 2025 and it still shines, See more Alec B 02/26/2024 It remains a compelling and intimate epic. One for the whole family that never oversimplifies its narrative. See more 09/25/2023 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 See more jon c 09/24/2022 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 See more Read all reviews
Sounder

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Movie Info

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
Producer
Robert B. Radnitz
Screenwriter
Lonne Elder III
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
Runtime
1h 45m
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