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I'd never heard of this title... but recorded it because of Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield being among the cast. When I finally got around to watching it I was delighted to see that it was set in Louisiana (where I hail from) back in 1933. I wondered to myself if I'd see any familiar sites? I did! I went to elementary school a very short distance from the courthouse (which was shown a couple of times).

I won't give away any of the plot... but it is a gripping tale of sharecropper's family... focusing on the eldest son, in particular. Much of it is difficult to watch, because of the unfairness of the era... but we must remember these things as not to repeat them.

Ultimately, I was moved emotionally... and there's also a fair amount of luscious cinematography to savor... along with some occasional kernels of humor... as well as some very hopeful lessons.

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!"

It's 1933 Louisiana. Poor negro farmer Nathan Lee Morgan (Paul Winfield) has a hound dog named Sounder. He's bitter about the hard times and his wife (Cicely Tyson) tries to comfort him despite their kids are going hungry. In desperation, he steals from the smokehouse and Sheriff Charlie Young arrests him. That's when a deputy shots Sounder. Nathan is sentenced to a year of hard labor and the family has to struggle without him. Rita Boatwright is the kind white lady. Oldest son David Lee sets off with Sounder to find his father. Kind teacher Camille Johnson wants David Lee to stay with her and attend her school.

Cicely Tyson's stardom is a little before my times. I've seen her in many things but I've never seen her in something like this. She is amazing. There are several scenes where her diminutive statute belies her powerful presence. She reveals an easy dignity, quiet strength, and endearing vulnerability. The pacing can be leisurely at times but it is never boring. The setting is perfectly southern. It presents a time and a place. The family has a desperation and a loving bond. The side characters are all great. The sheriff is a man of rules in a world of racist rules. The kind white lady falters in the face of power but recovers to do the right thing. This movie feels real and the realism accentuates the emotional power. There is nothing more powerful than the reunion. This is not a big story but it is a powerful drama of the heart.

Tale of a sharecropping family in 1933 Louisiana and what happens when the father (Paul Winfield) is sent to jail for stealing food to feed his family. It also deals with the oldest son (Kevin Hooks) coming of age. Sounder, BTW, is the name of the family dog.

Quiet, slow but ultimately very moving tale of a poor black family in the 1930s. There's some beautiful shots here (it was shot on location in Louisiana) and very little dialogue and only occasional music. I must admit I was getting a little bored at first--I wanted the story to MOVE! But the film slowly grew on me and, after half an hour, I was hooked. The images tell the story along with some very moving Oscar-nominated performances by Winfield and Cicely Tyson (as his wife). Even young Hooks (who was only 14 when this was done) is quite good. The film slowly works on you and, by the end, I was crying my eyes out--But don't worry--it DOES have a very happy ending.

This was a HUGE hit in 1972. It was one of the few G-rated films dealing with a black family. Unlike most other 1970s black films it had no drugs, violence, sex or swearing--this was a true rarity back then. And white, black, young and old audiences loved it. It works on all levels. It was also nominated for Best Picture. It didn't win anything but the fact that it was nominated was enough. The cast went through hell making it. I remember, in an interview, Winfield said it was brutally hot during the whole shot, the cast was eaten alive by mosquitoes and he caught a TERRIBLE case of hay fever from all the pollen. It's to this whole casts credit that they all give out good performances. Sadly...this film has been forgotten. That's too bad...it should be rediscovered.

There was a sequel 3 years later (with a different cast). It was "Sounder Part 2" but it seems nobody has ever seen it. But don't miss this one. A perfect family film.

For the breathtaking cinematography alone, this film is one not to be missed. It is surprising that such a simple film could have one's eyes glued to the screen for its entire duration. The father of a sharecropper family during the Great Depression in Louisiana steals food for his family in desperation and is sent to jail. The local law enforcement officers refuse to allow his wife to visit him and then, when he is sent away to a work camp, they will not disclose its name to his family. Finally, however, a sympathetic woman finds out and the eldest son goes on a journey to find his father. At the end of his travels, he meets a beautiful, kind, and learned school teacher who asks him to return in the fall to attend school. Excellent performances by all. (10 out of 10)

In 1969 William H. Armstrong, a white 9th grade history teacher at Kent School in Connecticut, published 'Sounder', a short but deeply moving children's novel about the struggles of black sharecroppers in Louisiana during the depths of the Great Depression. Instantly recognized as a classic, 'Sounder' was awarded the John Newberry Medal and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1970. The book also attracted the attention of Martin Ritt, the once-blacklisted producer-director of 'Hud', 'The Molly Maguires', 'The Great White Hope' and a host of other socially committed movies. Ritt recognized that 'Sounder' transcended its coming-of-age theme by providing a powerful depiction of the Jim Crow South at its most oppressive: a part of history that had never been adequately represented in American cinema (though the story of white poverty in the Great Depression had been told in John Ford's 'The Grapes of Wrath', 1939). Ritt bought the film rights, sold Fox producer Robert B. Radnitz on the project, and hired African-American screenwriter Lonne Elder III to work with Armstrong in adapting 'Sounder' to the screen. Shot on location in East Feliciana and St. Helena parishes (just north of Baton Rouge), 'Sounder' stars Paul Winfield as Nathan Lee Morgan, Cicely Tyson as his wife, Rebecca Morgan, and Kevin Hooks as David Lee Morgan, their 13-year-old son who must assume the role of paterfamilias after his father is sentenced to a year in a work camp for stealing a ham to feed his starving family. (The title of book and film derive from the name of David's beloved dog, Sounder.) Beautifully photographed by John Alonzo ('Vanishing Point'; 'Harold and Maude'), 'Sounder' boasts a pitch-perfect script that avoids bathos; terrific acting; a great period blues soundtrack by Taj Mahal (who also has a small role in the film); and an uplifting message of black pride, determination, and endurance. Nominated for a Golden Globe and four Academy Awards (including Best Picture), 'Sounder' garnered excellent reviews—although some critics found the film too safely "liberal" because it was a family-oriented period piece. VHS (1998) and DVD (2002).

Before it became fashionable the root cause of black oppression is well portrayed in this affecting film be Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield

This is a great movie. It's what you call a slice of life, and the life that's investigated is that of a desperately poor, horribly downtrodden African-American family in Depression-era Louisiana. Love it for what it is.

When I was watching this in the movie theatre for the first time in 1972, I was seated with my other high school friends behind 3 rows of a Southern Baptist Sunday School class, that was amply chaperoned by about 2 adults for every 5 children. Near the beginning of the film, as the family and Ike are passing a clapboard church that has a white congregation, David asks his father why black and white people go to different churches when God is the same God to everyone.

Ike pipes up and says once, when he was in another town, he accidentally stumbled into a white church on a Sunday morning, and was lucky to get out alive. So he asked God, "why did fellow Christians practically try to kill me just for coming to worship You with them?" And God replied to Ike, "Son, at least you got INSIDE a white church - I've been trying to do that for 2000 years!!" And with that, the entire 3 rows of Southern Baptist Sunday School, children and adults, stood up and walked out of the theatre! The truth hurts. This is a truthful beautiful movie. So glad I stumbled upon it today - just as Nathan Lee was coming home. Sigh.

Genuine and sometimes beautiful emotions permeate this otherwise thin drama about a poorly black sharecropper and his family dealing with financial hardships in the Depression-scarred 1930s. Cicely Tyson gives a wonderfully gritty and natural performance playing the mother of three young ones in rural Louisiana who is left in charge of her ramshackle homestead after her husband is arrested for trespassing and robbery (stealing a ham) and sentenced to one year on a prison work farm. Adapted from the book by William H. Armstrong, this heartfelt piece is complimented by authentic locations and an appealing cast. If the midsection of the movie (focusing on the eldest son's education) seems to stray, one almost doesn't notice due to director Martin Ritt's rapt attention to character. Followed by a sequel in 1976. **1/2 from ****

Director Martin Ritt and the cast and crew of this movie have left a great legacy in this simple but moving story of a family's love for one another in the face of great adversity. The family does not succumb to bitterness or hatred but they persevere with hope and great faith in what they can overcome. The story: during the Depression, a family breadwinner is arrested and sent to a year's hard labour for a minor misdemeanour. I saw this movie almost 40 years ago and it made a deep impression. Almost everyone I spoke to who saw it admired it and the reviews were excellent but for some reason, it has been forgotten. I saw the movie again on Martin Luther King Day and rediscovered a story with great universal appeal. The landscape cinematography of Louisiana enhances the movie. Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield are the stars of the film along with Kevin Hooks as the eldest son. The music is stark with the lyrics of a spiritual and the strumming of a stringed instrument. We witness the cruelty of a heartless town and the courage of a friend who is moved to help. In the end, wounded and battered, the family carry on with great love and respect for one another. This movie is a strong statement because of the great character acting. It is a great testament to the human spirit.

Hugely popular in 1972 and somewhat overrated, "Sounder" is a slice-of-life drama about a black family of sharecroppers in Louisiana in the 1930s. It's a quiet tale about the loving bond of a family with no action (except one shooting scene) or dazzling special effects. As such, some people criticize it as slow, which it is, but that's because it's a rural family DRAMA.

If you like other rural Southern dramas like "The Apostle," "The Great Santini" and "Undertow," you'll probably appreciate "Sounder," although it's the least of these, in my humble opinion.

The film was shot in Louisiana and runs 105 minutes.

GRADE: B-

This film seems great until you read the book on which it's based. The movie completely waters down the power of the book in the interest of box office. The book is a lean, mean profile of sharecroppers in the south a few decades after the Civil War. None of the characters are given names except for the dog, Sounder. I would think that the later movie (directed by Kevin Hooks, who played "the boy" in the original movie) is much better and accurate to the text. "Sourland" is a follow up to "Sounder" (the book) and makes you really think. I recommend both highly. I taught this book for a number of years to 6th grade students in East LA. Their reaction after reading the book was that the movie is much to easy on the subject of race and brings in too many "feel good" moments such as a "typical" American picnic with fried chicken and baseball which detracts from the historical reality of the period (the movie moves up the book a few decades). The music included was very "edgy" back in '72 but is passe and distracting now. If you're renting this movie thinking you're going to educate your child on the struggle of blacks in America, don't bother. It's too cleaned up. Read the book with your kids. It's not a book for 3-8th graders to read alone without guidance.

In retrospect, looking back at SOUNDER...there was a lot going on... both in a public, AND in a Private sense for me, at least, in relation to SOUNDER. To the best of my recollection...It had a theatrical release in NOV.1971. However... I didn't get around to seeing it until Februrary '72. My 1st wife left me just before New Year's '72. So... ALL movies that I saw in early 1972, I don't seem to remember very well. SOUNDER was in that group. Saw it for the second time just hours ago. Sorry I waited so long!

Here is something I would wager most of you can relate to: For a film that was shown in theaters in late '71 and early '72, SOUNDER was QUITE unique. It was WAY ahead of its time.

Compare SOUNDER's somber tone and subject matter, its very deliberate pacing and mood to other films with a predominately Afro-American cast from that time frame. Notice any difference? No BLACKxploitation here! SOUNDER is completely character-driven! This is undoubtedly why a lot of people seem to define it as "Slow".

Sadly lacking on the NF-DVD of SOUNDER, from which I viewed This film, were any special features, whatsoever! Just the movie and the trailer... That's it! I really yearned for background info!

Set in rural Louisiana in 1933, perhaps the worst year of the Great Depression, Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson both shone in career-defining roles. Winfield, as the father, short on education but long on character, strength and spirit, who is sent off to an undisclosed prison for a year for his first criminal offense... Stealing a ham to feed his starving family; Tyson, as the dutiful, solid-as-a-rock, stand-by-her-man wife and mother. My hat is off to Ms. Tyson. Despite being considered something of a black sex symbol at the time of filming, she accepted a role which required a very scruffy and unflattering, no make-up look! And what a fine job she does! My Rating: A resounding 10*************

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.

Only 34 reviews so far for a certified American classic that if not in the top 100 Hollywood films of the twentieth century is damn close? Almost as puzzling as why the Oscars rejected Cicely Tyson's subtle portrayal of dignity for Liza Minnelli's hammy chorus girl. (Paul Winfield's brilliant interpretation of the angry, loving father losing out to another dad, Brando's Don Vito Corleone, is of course, more defensible). However, IMDB indifference aside, this is a wonderful study of a poor, black, rural family's struggles in the segregated American South of the 1920s. It's a story we've seen many times before but rarely so de-sentimentalized. Lonnie Elder's fine screenplay and Martin Ritt's blessedly and unexpectedly low key direction seem to go out of their way to defang lugubriousness, so to speak, before it can bite us in our tear ducts. The result is a film that is moving without being schmaltzy or hokey and if you think that's all that common I defy you to come up with another example off the top of your head. Throw in John Alonzo's lovely cinematography which provides a nice, ironic contrast with the decidedly unlovely existence of the Morgan family, and Taj Mahal's wonderful blues/country score (which didn't even garner an Oscar nomination ,much less an award) and you can see why this is one of those rare films you can watch repeatedly and the experience still feels fresh. Give it an A. PS...Best performance by a dog in a movie since "Old Yeller".

After an energetic but fruitless coon hunt, "Nathan" (Paul Winfield) returns home to a family with his young son "David" (Kevin Hooks) and some empty bellies. They are a close and loving bunch and "Nathan" knows that nothing is likely to improve until the cropping season starts - but that is still some months away. Then he goes and gets himself imprisoned for stealing food and that leaves his wife "Rebecca" (Cicely Tyson) and the children to eke what they can and deal with the planting whilst he does twelve months hard labour. It doesn't help their morale that they don't even know where he has been detained, and so "David" with the help of their kindly neighbour "Miss Boatwright" (Carmen Matthews) sets about trying to track him down and make a contact that can reassure both that they are in each other's thoughts and prayers. This film sees two strong performances. One from Tyson as a woman who will move heaven and earth to keep her family together and from starvation and the other from the enthusiastic and charismatic young Hooks who delivers quite poignantly as the young man who just wants to be with his dad. It shines the usual light on racism and iniquity, but it also extols some positivity as the young kids are determined to go to school, and they have parents who are equally determined that this opportunity should not be wasted. It's touching but not sentimental and there is a degree of optimism for these children and, thanks to the somewhat risky intervention of "Miss Boatwright", there might even be some roots of decency sprouting from the white folks too. The production is really quite effective at illustrating just how tough their lives was, and at the double-standards that prevailed amongst a community where hard work earned little but money for someone else.

It's the story of an African American family in rural Louisiana in 1933. Nathan Lee Morgan (Paul Winfield) and Rebecca Morgan (Cicely Tyson) are sharecroppers for Mr. Perkins (Ted Airhart). They have three children: David Lee (Kevin Hooks), about 13, his younger sister, Josie Mae (Yvonne Jarrell), and his younger brother, Earl (Eric Hooks). They raise and process sugar cane. David, who likes school, is the only family member who can read and write. The faithful family hound dog is called Sounder. A good family friend is Ike Phillips (Taj Mahal).

Nathan commits a minor crime and is sentenced to a year in a work camp. Sheriff Young (James Best) refuses to tell the family what work camp the state will send Nathan to. The movie follows the family's life as they try to maintain the farm in Nathan's absence. David tries to find his father and encounters an African American school run by a young progressive teacher, Miss Johnson (Janet MacLachlan).

Although "Sounder" shows the challenging reality of African American life in the South in the 1930s, it significantly sanitizes the violence, perhaps because of its perceived audience. Nonetheless, "Sounder" is emotionally gripping with a satisfying ending. Winfield, Tyson, MacLachlan, Kevin Hooks, and Sounder give excellent performances. Many of the secondary players are less powerful. The soundtrack created by Taj Mahal is effective. The editing felt a bit uneven.

The movie is impressive but there should be a harmony and consistency between its name ( Sounder) and the content. My expectation drom the name of movie was that the role of Sounder should have been more highlighted. To me, the name of movie is meaningless. Let me give some examples: White Fang, Benjee, Lasee, Beethoven, Hachi and Togo that the dogs played a major role and there was a consistency between the content and title of movie.

On the other hand, the recession time or era, was not quite bolded and the suffering of the father in the camp of hard labour. It was not clear to us that what he stole that was entitled for one year prison. There are msny questions unanswered to me. However, the performance of the actors were admirable.

this is a wonderful movie that portrays the racial divide in the south with honest and poignant scenes. the minorities in the movie are treated as second class citizens but the movies message is heartfelt. Young Kevin Hooks is well cast (he is now a director and also was a cast member on "the white shadow") and Paul Windfield and Cicely Tyson have such on screen chemistry it is rapture. a must see film that if it does not touch your heart you do not have one. absolutely a film white racist(young) should see to maybe change their mind about black folk and minorities in general . Sounder is the "old yeller" of its time and deserves a DVD release .

"Sounder" is one of the essential American dramas set in the deep South during the Depression era of the early 1930s, and while it has been released more than 45 years ago, it's one of those rare films which absolutely feel like they haven't aged a single bit ever since their release. It has been way ahead of its time, considering that movies with pre-dominantly African-American cast members were reserved for action and blaxpoitation films back in the days, and it also broke ground for the fact that it was the first film to feature two Oscar-nominated performances from African-American actors (namely Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield). Both of them absolutely deserved their nominations, though in the case of Cicely Tyson, her breathtaking, vibrant and emotionally devastating performance leaves no room for arguing that anyone else should have won the Oscar for Best Actress that year. Another standout is Kevin Hooks, who gave one of the best child performances I have seen in any film from the 1970s. "Sounder" has become famous for one incredibly emotional scene, a scene everyone knows which one is meant when seeing it, and it's a scene which absolutely turns this into something beautiful. The film relies mainly on character development and thus may be considered too slow by some audiences, which may also be the reason why it's so rarely mentioned anymore nowadays, but in my opinion, it's one of the best films dealing with racial tensions, and one of the best films from the early 1970s.