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Labour Videos
Warning: These videos are in NTSC format, which is appropriate for US and Canadian televisions, and not PAL/SECAM which is the standard in most countries. Don't order them unless you are in North America -- or possess a multi-system VCR capable of showing NTSC format videos.
This list is based in part upon the special issue of Workers Education (March 1995) on the subject of Films and Videos, which I edited. If you have suggestions of other videos to include here (and they MUST be listed in the Amazon catalog), please email them to me. -- Eric Lee
- Brassed Off (1996, UK) $16.99 Note new price -- 15% off!
When government cutbacks threaten a century-old Yorkshire mine, the brass band consisting of the miners and their families struggles to keep it together in the face of economic repression and emotional turmoil.
- Business as Usual (1987-8, UK) $16.99
A boutique manager protests when a home-office executive makes a crude pass at an employee. She is fired for her outspokenness, but soon galvanizes the union, her Liverpool neighborhood and the nation to take action.
- F.I.S.T. (1978, USA) $8.95
Forget Rambo; forget Rocky -- this is Sylvester Stallone's one real contribution to the movies. A fictionalized account of the rise of Jimmy Hoffa and the Teamsters.
- The Full Monty (1997, UK) $16.99
Though my friends in the north of England say that "Brassed Off" (see above) was a better film, this is the one that showed millions around the world the effects of Thatcherism on working class life in the 1980s -- with humor and heart.
- Germinal (1993, France) $16.99
Misunderstood by the media as France's answer to Jurassic Park (released at the same time) this moving drama is best understood as part of a long tradition of great strike films.
- The Grapes of Wrath (1940, USA) $11.23
One of the greatest films ever made -- the struggles of a depression-era family in the USA.
- Harlan County USA (1976, USA) $25.49.
An award winning film about a 13-month-long strike in Kentucky.
- Hoffa (1992, USA) $8.99
Another account of Hoffa's life, this time starring Jack Nicholson as the Teamster leader.
- The Killing Floor (1985, USA) $20.99
Black workers in Chicago's labour movement following the first world war. Based on a true story.
- Land and Freedom (1996, UK) $12.99
Ken Loach's take on the Spanish Civil War and the true role played by the Stalinists in it. A cinematic equivalent of George Orwell's Homage to Catalonia.
- Matewan (1987, USA) $12.99
Labour wars among West Virginia coal miners.
- Modern Times (1936, USA) $14.98
Charlie Chaplin goes to work.
- Molly Maguires (1970, USA) $12.99
Irish mineworkers in Pennsylvania in the 19th century.
- Newsies (1992, USA) $8.99
The 1899 New York newsboys' strike is the subject of this full-scale musical set against a stylized backdrop depicting turn-of-the-century New York City. In a series of rousing song and dance routines, choreographer/director Kenny Ortega chronicles the "newsies'" struggle with publishing mogul Joseph Pulitzer, their battering at the hands of strike-breakers, and their eventual triumph over the powerful newspaper establishment.
- Norma Rae (1979, USA) $8.99
One of the best labour films ever made -- a must in organizing campaigns. My favorite moment: when Sally Field holds up a sign saying "Union" and in the middle of the textile factory and one by one, the workers shut down their machines.
- On the Waterfront (1954, USA) $14.96
Longshoremen (that's "dockers" for you Brits and "wharfies" to you Aussies) up against corrupt union bosses in New Jersey. A classic.
- Our Daily Bread (1934, USA) $25.49
King Vidor's classic about depression-era jobless people setting up a -- for want of a better word -- kibbutz. Best scene: the opening of the irrigation canals.
- Roger & Me (1989, USA) $12.99
Michael Moore takes on General Motors.
- Salt of the Earth (1953, USA) $17.49 Note: This is a DVD - not a videocassette.
In New Mexico, Mexican zinc miners, fed up with the life-threatening conditions under which they work, organize a walk-out. The racist management of the company tries to end the strike, with a variety of extremely violent and cruel tactics. This film was sponsored by the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. When "Salt of the Earth" was first released, it was considered yo be a propaganda film in favor of communism. Some of its makers faced a McCarthy-era Congress, and its director served time in jail.
- Silkwood (1983, USA) $12.99
Karen Silkwood lost her life fighting to protect fellow workers from nuclear contamination. This film, starring Meryl Streep, honors her memory.
If the video you're looking for isn't listed above, try searching Amazon's immense catalog:
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Not all labour videos are sold through Amazon.com; some are sold by small, independent producers. We encourage you to check out some of our favorites:
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We recommend this guide to labour films:
Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff: An Organized Guide to Films About Labor by Tom Zaniello; Paperback; $18.95; Published June 1996.
The Nation wrote: The first comprehensive guide to films about labor. . . succeeds in being a labor-history primer for cinephiles as well as an obscure-film resource for teachers and revolutionaries. Zaniello's capsule analyses are both scholarly and chatty, providing sources for further reading . . . on every single film. . . . A useful and far-reaching guide with abundant information.
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