Sounder
Directed by Martin Ritt
Written by Lonne Elder III from a novel by William H. Armstrong
1972/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental
David Lee: You know, I’m going to miss this raggedy old place…. But I ain’t going to worry about it.
This tender story of a loving family of poor African-American sharecroppers should be better remembered.
The time is the Great Depression somewhere in the rural South. The Morgan family works as sharecroppers. As the movie begins, cropping season is long gone and the company store will extend no more credit. The father Nathan Lee (Paul Winfield) goes out with his eldest son David Lee with a shotgun and hound “Sounder” to try to bring home some game. He is unsuccessful. Finally, in desperation, he steals meat from a white man’s smokehouse. He is promptly caught, jailed, tried, and sentenced for a year in a prison labor camp. The sheriff refuses to reveal which camp he is going to.
Finally, a white lady who has befriended the family and, in particular David Lee, gets access to the sheriff’s files and tells the family where father is. David Lee goes on a days long walk with Sounder to try to find his father. I will stop here.
The plot summary really gives only a bare outline. For me, the best of the movie is details of the day-to-day lives of the family and the relationships within it. Well-acted, well-made, and it made me cry sweet movie tears. I guess that’s a recommendation.
1972 was an outstanding year for soundtracks and this film’s was written by Taj Mahal, who also plays a jovial friend of the family. His folksy style perfectly suited this movie.
Sounder was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Picture; Best Actor (Winfield); Best Actress (Tyson); and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryois6DaxhM
