Norma Rae
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Movie Reviews of Norma Rae
Movie Review: Now more of a time capsule and a commentary on Free Market Capitalism
Summary: 4 Stars
Hollywood has a rich tradition of producing topical that subsequently wind up becoming video time capsules, summing up where we were as a society at the time. In 1979 "Norma Rae" was a trenchant look into the pervasive poverty of the American South and unions as a means to shift that paradigm. It was a groundbreaking performance for Sally Field, normally cast as the ingénue, and for Beau Bridges as her put-upon husband. I'd not seen the film in its original release, but seeing it 30 years on certainly does give it a different feel. At the time of its initial release it was as pro-union a film as could be imagined. Thirty years on it now feels more like an elegy for an industry shipped overseas as a result of higher wages and globalization. The unionization of "Norma Rae" ironically proved to be the undoing of the mills and the millworkers. The mill itself plays a prominent role in the movie, and the work seems little changed from even a hundred years prior. The loud roar of the machines pervades the movie, the cotton lint floating in the air coating the machines and workers alike a rough symbolism of how the workers and machines have become one.
"Norma Rae" is also pitch-perfect for the times, capturing the racism and anti-Semitism of the era; something rarely attempted in today's politically correct times. Field is superb as the flawed yet indomitable Norma Rae, and it's easy to see how she won the Oscar for her performance. The end is fittingly unsentimental and atypical for a Hollywood film with Norma Rae seeing Rueben, the union organizer, off to yet another destination. You couldn't create a better ending as sentimentalists would have the two running off together, but realists know Rueben is a man on a mission. The parting is the perfect metaphor for how the mills and their jobs would move on, seeking better opportunities, leaving the millworkers behind, jilted and unemployed. The deeper meaning of "Norma Rae" is that the millworkers and the mills needed each other desperately. Once one became a free agent the cycle of dependency was broken and mills were free to court other better options.
"Norma Rae" ultimately is more about the message but little thought as to the consequences. While unions could break the cycle of poverty for millworkers it proved to be a Pyrrhic victory, and if anything hastened the demise of their jobs. And to that end "Norma Rae" becomes an even more damning condemnation of Free Market Capitalism without ostensibly intending to do so. "Norma Rae" was certainly a polarizing movie at the time and it remains so today. Few who watch it now will be inspired to join a union or feel compelled to be unabashedly pro-union; it's quite simply not going to change many minds. If anything it's a glimpse into who we were as a people and as a society.
Movie Review: Rae of Hope
Summary: 4 Stars
Sally Field gives a career turning performance in 1979's Norma Rae. Up to that point, Ms. Field was better known as a TV actress who starred in fluffy comedies like Gidget, The Flying Nun & The Girl With Something Extra. In 1976, she showed a more serious side, taking home an Emmy for her work as a young girl with multiple personalities in Sybil. After Sybil, she proceeded to star in more fluff pieces like Smokey & The Bandit, Hooper & The End with her then boyfriend Burt Reynolds. Norma Rae was a film with much more substance. In fact after reading the script, Mr. Reynolds advised her that she would win an Oscar for the film. He turned out to be quite prophetic. Ms. Field is superb in the title role. Norma is an unassuming factory worker from a small town in the South, who is widowed and has two kids with two separate fathers. That is until she meets Reuben Warshawky (Ron Liebman). Reuben is an Union organizer from New York City and he is trying to get the mill workers to set up a union. Most people ignore as they are fearful for their jobs, but Norma is intrigued and she starts meeting with Reuben to try and start a union. She is met with resistance and is bullied by her bosses, but Norma is not persuaded to quit. She feels that she has stood by her whole life without making a difference and this is her chance to actually matter. There is of course the famous scene where Norma is about to be removed from the mill and she defiantly stands on a table with the Union sign. Her co-workers one by one realize the chances she's taken for them and they shut off their machines in support. The film has some excellent supporting work from Mr. Liebman, Beau Bridges and Pat Hingle, but this is Ms. Field's film all the way. She proved Mr. Reynolds right and took home the 1979 Best Actress Oscar and set forth on a path that would add another Oscar to her collection and feature some of the best films of 1980's & 1990's.Movie Review: Always Meant To See It!
Summary: 4 Stars
I found this very moving, cried several times. Loved the Jewish/New York Organizer meeting up with, and liking, the Southern Woman. Their friendship in the film is not eroticized in an obvious way, and I found that inspiring. Having lived, and been an outsider in, the South for 16 years; and having worked in factories in Virginia, Arkansas and California for about three years, many touches ring true. I love that movies of the 70's had courage and heart, and were trying to "say something." Where are the politically-inspiring movies of today? Why isn't this shown on cable more often? It gives alot of information on union organizing! Seems like people would want to know this stuff. I'm quite curious to learn more now. Why don't people talk about unions anymore? Did they get a bad rap? Wages are still unfair, factory work is hard hard and people are paid peanuts. UNION!!Movie Review: A textbook example of how to organize in your workplace!!
Summary: 4 Stars
I finally got the chance to watch this movie after missing out for almost 20 years. I should have watched this film years ago. Not only is Sally Field's acting great, but the screenplay was just as great as well. My only problem was the length of the movie as I thought 20 minutes could have been chopped off. With that said, this movie should be mandatory watching for all workers. If you care about the conditions in your workplace, watch it and learn how to organize your workplace!! It's a film much needed for required viewing in our society today!Movie Review: A little too stereotyped for my taste...
Summary: 4 Stars
The acting was fine, excellent actually, but the characters they played seemed a bit too stereotyped for my taste. That said, the film is certainly worth seeing; regardless of your feelings about unions, the acting in this film makes it worth seeing.