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Category Archives: 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 on May 7, 2012 in Documentary, Entertainment Industry, Working Class

 

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

07 May

90m; U.S.

Director: Preston Sturges

Cast: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake and Robert Warwick

Synopsis (IMDB): Sullivan is a successful, spoiled, and naive director of fluff films, with a heart-o-gold, who decides he wants to make a film about the troubles of the downtrodden poor. Much to the chagrin of his producers, he sets off in tramp’s clothing with a single dime in his pocket to experience poverty first-hand, and gets some reality shock.

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Comedy, Entertainment Industry, Unemployment-Wages, Working Class

 

The Sundowners (1960)

07 May

133m; Australia

Director: Fred Zinnemann

Cast: Deborah Kerr, Robert Mitchum and Peter Ustinov

Synopsis (IMDB): In the Australian Outback, the Carmody family–Paddy, Ida and their teenage son Sean–are sheep drovers, always on the move. Ida and Sean want to settle down and buy a farm. Paddy wants to keep moving. A sheep-shearing contest, the birth of a child, drinking, gambling and a race horse will all have a part in the final decision.

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

 

Surviving the Good Times (2000)

07 May

A Bill Moyers report
During the longest economic expansion in American history, many people had never had it so good. But for others, the boom only resulted in working longer hours at lower wages simply to keep up. This eye-opening program tells the story of the Neumanns and Stanleys, two working families in Milwaukee whose efforts to make ends meet in the new global economy reveal what life was like for millions of Americans during that period. Filmed over ten years, this intimate documentary captures their struggle to cope with economic upheaval and to keep their families intact with both parents working, children facing challenges in school and in the street, and family values being threatened by problems with no easy solutions. (2 parts, 67 minutes and 50 minutes)
Available from Films Media Group
Also available online on Vimeo

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Cities-Urban, Documentary, Global Economy, Working Class

 

Sweatshop Cinderella (2010)

07 May

27m; U.S.

Director: Suzanne Wasserman

Synopsis: The story of Anzia Yezierska, a Jewish American writer whose family settled on the Lower East Side, where she toiled in sweatshops and laundries.

Contact: Suzanne Wasserman swasserman@gc.cuny.edu http://gothamcenter.org/cinderella/

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Documentary, Women, Working Class

 

Sweet Sixteen (2002)

07 May

106m; U.K.

Director: Ken Loach

Cast: Martin Compston, Michelle Coulter and Annmarie Fulton

Synopsis: Liam is a young, restless teen struggling to realize his dream in the gritty and dismal streets of Greenock, where unemployment is rampant and little hope is available to the city’s youth. He is waiting for the release of his mother, Jean, from prison where she is completing a prison term for a crime that her boyfriend actually committed. Her boyfriend, Stan, is a crude and obnoxious drug pusher is partnered by Liam’s equally rough and foul-mouthed, mean-spirited grandfather. Liam is determined to rescue his mother from both of them, which means creating a safe haven beyond their reach. But first he’s got to raise the cash–no small feat for a young man It’s not long before Liam and his pals’ crazy schemes lead them into all sorts of trouble. Finding himself dangerously out of his depth, Liam knows he should walk away. Only this time, he just can’t let go

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Drama, Legal System, Working Class

 

Swing Shift (1984)

07 May

100m; U.S.

Director: Jonathan Demme

Cast: Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell and Christine Lahti

Synopsis (IMDB): In 1941 America Kay and her husband are happy enough until he enlists after Pearl Harbor. Against his wishes, his wife takes a job at the local aircraft plant where she meets Hazel, the singer from across the way to whom she hadn’t previously been all that nice. The two soon become firm friends and with the other girls become increasingly expert workers able to ride the jibes of the male workforce. As the war drags on Kay finally goes on a date with her trumpet playing foreman and life inevitably starts to get complicated.

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Comedy, Drama, War, Working Class

 

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Swiped? (2008)

07 May

6m; U.S.

Director: Fivel Rothberg

Synopsis: Effect of credit card/GPS machines on NYC cabbies, who see them as “an affront to their autonomy and dignity.” Investigates how cabbies are faring under the TLC’s “Technology Enhancement” program.

Contact: Fivel Rothberg 6 Saint Francis Place, Apt 2 Brooklyn, NY 11216 fivel.rothberg@gmail.com 215-990-4442

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Documentary, Technology, Transportation, Working Class

 

Taxi! (1932)

07 May

69m; U.S.

Director: Roy del Ruth

Cast: James Cagney, Loretta Young and George E. Stone

Synopsis (IMDB): Amidst a backdrop of growing violence and intimidation, independent cab drivers struggling against a consolidated juggernaut rally around hot-tempered Matt Nolan. Nolan is determined to keep competition alive on the streets, even if it means losing the woman he loves.

 

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Crime-Action, Drama, Transportation, Working Class

 

The Hedgehog (2009)

07 May

100m; France

Director: Mona Achache

Cast: Josiane Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic and Togo Igawa

Synopsis (IMDB): Paloma is a serious and highly articulate but deeply bored 11-year-old who has decided to kill herself on her 12th birthday. Fascinated by art and philosophy, she questions and documents her life and immediate circle, drawing trenchant and often hilarious observations on the world around her. But as her appointment with death approaches, Paloma finally meets some kindred spirits in her building’s grumpy janitor and an enigmatic, elegant neighbor, both of whom inspire Paloma to question her rather pessimistic outlook on life.

 
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Posted by on May 7, 2012 in Children, Drama, Philosophy, Working Class

 
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