Occupation/Type of Work | THE LABOR FILM DATABASE

Sounder (1972)

105m; U.S.

Director: Martin Ritt

Cast: Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield and Kevin Hooks

Synopsis (IMDB): The Morgans, a loving and strong family of Black sharecroppers in Louisiana in 1933, face a serious family crisis when the husband and father, Nathan Lee Morgan, is convicted of a petty crime and sent to a prison camp. After some weeks or months, the wife and mother, Rebecca Morgan, sends the oldest son, who is about 11 years old, to visit his father at the camp. The trip becomes something of an odyssey for the boy. During the journey he stays a little while with a dedicated Black schoolteacher.

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Blacks, Drama, Farm & Food, Labor History, Legal System, Working Class

The Southerner (1945)

07 May

92m; U.S.

Director: Jean Renoir

Cast: Zachary Scott, Betty Field and J. Carrol Naish

Synopsis (IMDB): Sam Tucker, a cotton picker, in search of a better future for his family, decides to grow his own cotton crop. In the first year, the Tuckers battle disease, a flood, and a jealous neighbor. Can they make it as farmers?

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Drama, Environment, Farm & Food, Working Class

Spare Parts (2003)

07 May

87m; Italy

Director: Damjan Kozole

Cast: Peter Musevski, Aljosa Kovacic and Primoz Petkovsek

Synopsis (IMDB): Embittered widower, Ludvik, spends his nights transporting illegal refugees in his van from Croatia, across Slovenia, and into Italy. The young and inexperienced Rudi acts as his helpmate. Together they become a well-trained duo who almost every night convey “spare parts” to Italy. Of course the story of their illegitimate exports into Europe ends tragically, for everyone. The whole idea of this account is that everyone – including ourselves – is looking for happiness: the “spare parts” because of the misery they are plunged into without, and our characters because they can’t find it inside

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Drama, Immigrants/Immigration, Legal System, Migrant workers

Spare Time (1939)

07 May

15m; U.S.

Director: Humphrey Jennings

Synopsis (IMDB); A look at how industry workers spend their time when they are not at work.

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Documentary, Industrial/Mine/Manufacturing, Working Class

Spartacus (1960)

07 May

184m; U.S.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

Cast: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier and Jean Simmons

Synopsis: This sweeping epic, set in the 1st Century B.C., stars Kirk Douglas. An enslaved army deserter and gladiator, he escapes and recruits 120,000 followers who defeat several Roman legions before finally losing. Stellar cast includes Laurence Olivier, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov. Screenplay by blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, from also black-listed Howard Fast’s novel. ‘Who is Spartacus?’ ‘I am Spartacus!’ (Rochester Labor Film Series)

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Drama, Slavery, War

Starkiss: Circus Girls in India (2003)

07 May

77m; Netherlands/India

Director: Jascha de Wilde, Chris Relleke

Synopsis (IMDB): This documentary provides an interesting look at the life of young girls (as young as 7)who are basically sold to the circus as performers. Some parent’s, having received advances on their daughter’s contracts, abandon them for years. Others, pay occasional visits to their daughters, often coming for another advance. The girls are basically jailed, unable to communicate with anyone other than their trainers and guard. A well done documentary providing some really poignant shots and candid interviews.

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Children, Documentary, Entertainment Industry

Startup.com (2001)

07 May

107m; U.S.

Director: Chris Hegedus, Jehane Noujaim

Cast: Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, Tom Herman and Kenneth Austin

Synopsis (IMDB): Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman have had a dream since they became friends at age fifteen: get rich by developing their own dot com company, in some aspect of computer technology interface. Now in their late twenties, they have now come up with the idea they believe will make their riches, namely as Tom refers to it, “parking tickets”: the company will be the on-line revenue collection interface for municipal governments. GovWorks.com came into existence in May 1999 with only an idea. The process of building the business focuses on obtaining venture capital based solely on the idea, with the actual mechanics of the website seemingly almost an afterthought, or at least one left primarily to the hired help. Regardless of the strength of the idea itself in raising this capital, another initial problem they face is what they see as non-commitment by a third partner, Kaleil’s friend Chieh Cheung.

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Documentary, Technology, White Collar

Steel (1979)

07 May

102m; U.S.

Director: Steve Carver

Cast: Lee Majors, Jennifer O’Neill and Art Carney

Synopsis (IMDB): Mike Catton was once a world-renowned construction foreman (at least in the construction world), but an accident left him with a serious fear of heights. Unable to climb the big skyscrapers while under construction, he retired and became a truck driver. But when an old friend needs him to help put up a building, and when the old friend gets harassed and threatened by an Evil Corporate Type, he comes out of retirement and assembles the creme de la creme of the construction world. Together, they race against time to finish the building while the Evil Corporate Type tries to stop them.

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Construction Trades, Crime-Action, Working Class

Strictly Background

07 May

84m; U.S.

Director: Jason Connell

Cast: Terry Bolo, Geoffrey Gould and Cecilia Hartfeld

Synopsis (IMDB): For decades, film and television audiences have watched their favorite stars with little thought or concern for the people standing behind them. All of that is about to change as “Strictly Background” explores the charm and determination of some of Hollywood’s hardest working actors, professional “extras.” Turning industry convention on its head, this humorous & heartfelt documentary follows ten background actors as they navigate their way on and off the set. Both a behind-the-scenes look at Hollywood and a character-driven film, “Strictly Background” is a dynamic exploration into the pursuit of stardom and the real life struggle to stand out

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Posted by Metro Council on May 7, 2012 in Documentary, Entertainment Industry, Working Class