Sounder (film)

Sounder
Sounder
	Original poster
Directed by	Martin Ritt
Screenplay by	Lonne Elder III
Based on	Sounder; 1969 novel; by William H. Armstrong
Produced by	Robert B. Radnitz
Starring	Cicely Tyson; Paul Winfield; Kevin Hooks
Cinematography	John A. Alonzo
Edited by	Sid Levin
Music by	Taj Mahal
Production; company	Radnitz/Mattel Productions
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date	September 24, 1972;
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1.9 million
Box office	$16.9 million

Sounder is a 1972 American drama film directed by Martin Ritt and adapted by Lonne Elder III from the 1969 novel by William H. Armstrong.^[4] The story concerns an African-American sharecropper family in the Deep South, who struggle with economic and personal hardships during the Great Depression. It stars Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield, and Kevin Hooks.^[5] Taj Mahal composed the film's blues-inspired soundtrack, and also appears in a supporting role.

The film was both a critical and box office success, and the National Board of Review ranked it as one of the Top 10 best films of 1972. Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield both received Oscar nominations for their performances, and the film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Taj Mahal's score was nominated for a BAFTA and Grammy Award, and 13-year old Hooks earned a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer – Male.

In 2006, the American Film Institute ranked the film as the 61st in its list of most inspiring movies. In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".^[6]

^ Miller, Gabriel (2000). "Notes". The Films of Martin Ritt: Fanfare for the Common Man. University Press of Mississippi. p. 231. ISBN 978-1-6170-3496-1. Retrieved June 16, 2011.
^ Solomon, Aubrey (2002). Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Filmmakers Series. p. 257. ISBN 978-0-8108-4244-1. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
^ "Sounder, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
^ Harmetz, Aljean (Mar 18, 1973). "Robert Radnitz--Unlikely Avis to Disney's Hertz". Los Angeles Times. p. O1.
^ Greenspun, Roger (September 25, 1972). "Sounder (1972) Screen: 'Sounder' Opens: Story of a Negro Boy in Louisiana of 1930's". The New York Times.
^ Tartaglione, Nancy (December 14, 2021). "National Film Registry Adds Return Of The Jedi, Fellowship Of The Ring, Strangers On A Train, Sounder, WALL-E & More". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2021.