Sounder

5 stars isn't nearly enough.
"Sounder" is a film of sublime beauty- one of the most powerful films for anyone to see. Even though the title made no immediate sense to me (it's the name of the family dog), the plot and script is choice and proves what I've always believed regarding most scripts: less is more. Films which feature close, reverent African-American families are still rare in the 21st century, and this was a *1972* release- which broke ground when it was nominated at that year's Academy Awards for lead actor (Paul Winfield), lead actress (Cicely Tyson), screenplay (Lonne Elder III), and best picture. Only director Martin Ritt was not nominated- which was a travesty, but the Academy is historically famous for bonehead decisions. At any rate, I was happy to see a film which shows family supporting each other- even in the event of the father's absence. I won't say why that happens, but it's only temporary, and his third act return- staged against a long stretch of open farm field and spotlighting a...

Disappointing DVD transfer
This great movie deserves better treatment on DVD. The "extras" are worthless, the picture transfer is rather faded and flat, and the movie is presented in "pan and scan" format instead of the original widescreen. Dolby Mono.

This is a great movie with great music. Can't somebody see their way to giving it the DVD treatment it deserves?

On the plus side, it is cheap, and if you love this movie, you can look past these flaws.

Sounder
This heartwarming movie is one you'll never forget. Sounder is certainly one of Martin Kitt's(Director) best. Both children and adults will feel elated after seeing this movie. Based on the best-selling book, by William Armstrong, this film will blow you away.
When Nathan Lee Morgan, played by Paul Winfield, has to steal food from a local neighbor for his family, and gets arrested, the whole family has to pull through life, and survive without the man of the house. The Morgans are black sharecroppers during the depression. The family consists of the oldest son, David Lee(Kevin Hooks), the father Nathan Lee, the mother Rebecca(Cicely Tyson), David's brother and sister, and of course, Sounder the family huntin' dog. This story portrays how horrible life for blacks was. In this great dramatic and adventurous story, you will learn about what blacks had to go through just to feel equal.
The actors and actresses were wisely picked for this movie. The whole Morgan Family...

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