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Sounder (1972)
A 1972 Best Picture nominee, Sounder is a warm and emotionally charged coming of age story that takes the viewer through a myriad of emotions and will definitely have one fighting tears at some point.
Set in the deep south during the Depression, this the story of the Morgans, a dirt-poor family of black sharecroppers, working themselves to the bone and still going to bed hungry most of the time. The eldest son, David Lee, is forced to step up as the man of the family when his father, Nathan Lee, is arrested for stealing food for his family and sent to a prison work camp.
This extraordinary piece of family entertainment is based on a novel by William H. Armstrong, adapted into an Oscar-nominated screenplay by Lonnie Elder III that paints a troubling and conflicted time in the deep south where blacks were free on paper. but, for the most part, were still living like slaves. We're shocked when Nathan Lee's wife, Rebecca tries to visit him the day after he's arrested and learns that women are forbidden to visit prisoners completely.
This is where we see Rebecca step up the same way David Lee is forced to. Rebecca is a strong and proud black woman who has accepted her station in life, even if she knows it's not right, but also knows that fighting it is futile. Her heartbreak about her family's life is an undercurrent in every move she makes, but her intelligence is apparent as she is the only character in this movie who never makes a wrong move. Elder's screenplay also reminds us how important God and education is to most of these people. David Lee's desire to learn is beautifully showcased, even though his parents always refer to school as "that school".
Director Martin Ritt employs extraordinary detail in presenting important moments in the journey of the Morgan family, often without dialogue. The moment where Nathan Lee returns home from prison and Rebecca makes that long run to greet him moves me to tears every time I watch this movie. This movie is still the powerful experience it was when I was 12 years old, the first time I saw it...the only time my entire family saw a movie together. Cicely Tyson's tower of strength Rebecca earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and Winfield's Nathan Lee earned him a Best Actor nomination as well. Kevin Hooks was robbed of a supporting actor nomination for his star-making turn as David Lee, that is the heart of this film. Hooks would eventually find his niche in the business as a director. That's Hooks' real life younger brother, Eric, playing his younger brother. Simply, an extraordinary motion picture experience, deeply moving and unforgettable.
A 1972 Best Picture nominee, Sounder is a warm and emotionally charged coming of age story that takes the viewer through a myriad of emotions and will definitely have one fighting tears at some point.
Set in the deep south during the Depression, this the story of the Morgans, a dirt-poor family of black sharecroppers, working themselves to the bone and still going to bed hungry most of the time. The eldest son, David Lee, is forced to step up as the man of the family when his father, Nathan Lee, is arrested for stealing food for his family and sent to a prison work camp.
This extraordinary piece of family entertainment is based on a novel by William H. Armstrong, adapted into an Oscar-nominated screenplay by Lonnie Elder III that paints a troubling and conflicted time in the deep south where blacks were free on paper. but, for the most part, were still living like slaves. We're shocked when Nathan Lee's wife, Rebecca tries to visit him the day after he's arrested and learns that women are forbidden to visit prisoners completely.
This is where we see Rebecca step up the same way David Lee is forced to. Rebecca is a strong and proud black woman who has accepted her station in life, even if she knows it's not right, but also knows that fighting it is futile. Her heartbreak about her family's life is an undercurrent in every move she makes, but her intelligence is apparent as she is the only character in this movie who never makes a wrong move. Elder's screenplay also reminds us how important God and education is to most of these people. David Lee's desire to learn is beautifully showcased, even though his parents always refer to school as "that school".
Director Martin Ritt employs extraordinary detail in presenting important moments in the journey of the Morgan family, often without dialogue. The moment where Nathan Lee returns home from prison and Rebecca makes that long run to greet him moves me to tears every time I watch this movie. This movie is still the powerful experience it was when I was 12 years old, the first time I saw it...the only time my entire family saw a movie together. Cicely Tyson's tower of strength Rebecca earned her an Oscar nomination for Best Actress and Winfield's Nathan Lee earned him a Best Actor nomination as well. Kevin Hooks was robbed of a supporting actor nomination for his star-making turn as David Lee, that is the heart of this film. Hooks would eventually find his niche in the business as a director. That's Hooks' real life younger brother, Eric, playing his younger brother. Simply, an extraordinary motion picture experience, deeply moving and unforgettable.