Conrack (1974 film)

Infobox film
name = Conrack


caption = 1974 Promotional Poster for "Conrack"
writer = Pat Conroy (novel)
Harriet Frank Jr.
Irving Ravetch
director = Martin Ritt
distributor = 20th Century Fox
budget = $15,000,000
gross = $72 million
starring = Jon Voight
Paul Winfield
Madge Sinclair
Antonio Fargas
Hume Cronyn
William Hunter III
Mac Arthur Nelson
Kathy Turner
LaCrisia Hardee
Frieda Williams
Johnny Bell
Margaret Perry
John Kennedy
Deborah Jones
Carlos Chambliss
Ellis L. Cash
Dennis Williams
Anthony Demery
Rebecca Cobbs
Rickey Walker
Ronny Harris
Veola Clemens
Ronnie Leggett
Rosemary Miller
Cathy Wilson
released = March 27, 1974
cinematography = Martin Ritt
country = USA
language = English
imdb_id = 0071358 "Conrack" is an Academy Award-nominated 1974 film based on the 1972 autobiographical book "The Water Is Wide" by Pat Conroy, directed by Martin Ritt and starring Jon Voight in the title role, alongside Paul Winfield, Madge Sinclair, Hume Cronyn and Antonio "Huggy Bear" Fargas. The film was released by 20th Century Fox on March 27, 1974, grossing over $72 million at the box office.

Synopsis

The story follows a young teacher (Jon Voight) assigned to an isolated island off the coast of South Carolina populated mostly by poor black families. He finds out that the children as well as the adults have been isolated from the rest of the world and speak a dialect called Gullah and "Conrack" is their way of saying his name "Conroy." The school is a two room school with the Principal (Madge Sinclair) teaching grades one through four and Conrack teaching the higher grades. He discovers that they know very little. He tries to teach them about the outside world and comes in conflict both with the principal and the superintendent. This comes to a head when he takes them to Beaufort on the mainland to go trick or treating, which the superintendent has forbidden. He also must overcome parental fears of "the river." As a result, he's fired, causing unrest on the island, as if to mimic the wider world's concerns with the Vietnam War. The children come out to see him leave, bringing along a record player on which they play the beginning movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as he leaves.

Reception

The film received much positive reviews, it currently has a "Fresh" score of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, based of 8 reviews. (7 fresh reviews and 1 rotten).