Conrack

**Conrack** is a 1974 American drama film directed by Martin Ritt.

The film was released on March 15, 1974 by 20th Century Fox. It is based on Pat Conroy's 1972 autobiographical book, "The Water is Wide."

## Plot

The film tells the true story of Pat Conroy (Jon Voight), an elementary school teacher who teaches a class of African-American students on an isolated island in South Carolina.

## Cast

* Jon Voight as Pat Conroy
* Paul Winfield as Mad Billy
* Madge Sinclair as Mrs. Scott
* Tina Andrews as Mary
* Antonio Fargas as Quickfellow
* Ruth Attaway as Edna
* James O'Rear as Postman
* Hume Cronyn as Mr. Skeffington

## Production

Filming for "Conrack" took place from May 8, 1973 to July 23, 1973 in and around Brunswick, Georgia and on St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Director Martin Ritt insisted of having students of Pat Conroy portray themselves in the film.

In a 2007 interview on "The Dennis Miller Radio Show," Jon Voight recalled a reuninon that was held 20 years after the film's release with all of the available actors and actresses. Of the 21 actors and actress who all portrayed students in the film, 3 of them were teachers at the time of the reunion.

## Box Office

On a budget of $2.37 million, "Conrack" grossed $2 million in the United States and Canada.

## Critical Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, "Conrack" has an approval rating of 73% based on 11 reviews, with an average score of 6.08/10.

Nora Sayre of The New York Times wrote that *"despite Mr. Voight's skill, the teacher's character never jells...Another weakness is the glaze of sentimentality that sugars much of the narrative."*

A review in Variety stated: *"Its computerized warmth may make 'Conrack' seem a bit self-congratulatory at times, but at least its creative participants deserve outsiders' congrats for translating hokum into potentially viable b.o. fodder."*

Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four and praised it as *"an undeniably tender film full of affecting moments, genuine tension, and much good will. It's also one of those rare film commodities: a nice family picture."*

Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote: *"Conrack has Voight's commanding characterization as its center, and those kids, and a strong visual sense throughout. And in its warm concern for human values, it is beyond question a welcome alternative to the hard-edge melodramas which have been conspicuous in recent times. The disappointment is that to achieve a sentimental optimism, it is felt necessary to create a world which, however real it looks and sounds, turns out to be make-believe at its center."*

Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called the film *"an unusually decent and appealing adventure, a commercial entertainment that also reflects the best of human and social intentions. One trusts that it will be a popular film, and it deserves to be."*

John Raisbeck of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: *"With its lingering long shots, Conrack is a constant visual delight; but for all its craftsman-like virtues, it seems a conscious turning aside from the complexities of modern cinema to the simpler alternatives of yesteryear. Indeed, with underpriveleged white children instead of black and Greer Garson substituting for Jon Voight, the film might have been made all of thirty years ago."*