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.

From PASTO, COLOMBIA-Via: L. A. CA; CALI, COLOMBIA+ORLANDO, FL The ONLY Tony Kiss Castillo on FaceBook!-----------------------------

In retrospect, looking back at SOUNDER, there is a lot going on, both on a public, and for me, on a private level in relation to this film. It had a theatrical release in NOV.1971. I didn't get around to seeing it until Februrary '72. Movies that I saw in early 1972, I don't seem to recollect very well. SOUNDER was in that group. Saw it for the second time just hours ago. Really sorry I waited so long!

Here is something a lot 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 BLACKSploitation here! SOUNDER is completely character-driven, this is probably why a lot of people seem to define it as "Slow". Sadly lacking on my DVD of SOUNDER were any special features. 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 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 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 sex symbol at the time, she accepted a role which required a very scruffy and unflattering, no make-up look! And what a fine job she does!

10*.....ENJOY/DISFRUTELA!

Any comments, questions or observations, in English o en Español, are most welcome!

[email protected]

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.