Solidarity (and Films) Forever

a reviewers pick of union movies
by Emma Wunsch

In sympathy and support for the recent newspaper strikers, and because I simply cannot bear to write about any of the recent Hollywood holiday blockbusters, (can someone tell Tom Hanks that no matter how many different ways he's cast as a hero, he'll always be just another overpaid celebrity) I have decided to look back at some of the most interesting union films. Watch these films and I guarantee you'll start singing "Solidarity Forever."

Stephen Daldry's Billy Elliot was the one pre-holiday movie I found enjoyable. While the film is mainly about Billy's desire to be a ballet dancer, I found the most intense scenes to the ones that focused on Billy's father and older brother who are striking coal miners. Billy Elliot is set in Northern England in 1984; both father and son are adamantly sticking to the union despite the never-ending violent clashes with the police. Daldry paints a vivid picture of the fairly recent trials of British unions. Another British film in this vein is Peter Cattaneo's 1998 feature debut film The Full Monty. Although billed as a comedy, The Full Monty also has a union theme. After the Sheffield steel foundry closes, the working-class men are faced very real economic hardships. Tom Zaniello, a Northern Kentucky University Professor and author of Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds and Riffraff: An Organized Guide to Films About Labor, described The Full Monty as acutely accurate description of class divisions and unemployment issues in England. But, Zaniello says, "If you asked people what it was about, they would tell you it's about guys stripping."

Another recent and solidly union film is Tim Robbins's Cradle Will Rock. Released last year, Cradle Will Rock boasts an impressive cast including: Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, John Turturro, Vanessa Redgrave and Bill Murray. Cradle Will Rock focuses on the last days of the Federal Theatre Project in the 1930's. It was in the last stages of this project that Orson Welles and John Housam presented a wild production of Marc Blitzstein's musical The Cradle Will Rock. The production went down as one the great moments in theatre and union history because the actors union attempted to stop the performance. While there are aspects of Robbins's film that are a little rough on the edge (it seems as! though the director became so involved and excited by the historic details that he wanted to include every minute detail), he does a brilliant job of capturing the power and strength it took the actors in the play to stand up for their free speech. These moments are so powerful that I found it hard to remain seated myself.

When it was released in 1989, Michael Moore's documentary Roger and Me swept the film festival circuit on an international scale. It won the Best Film award at the Toronto and Vancouver Film Festivals as well as the Audience Award at the Berlin Film Festival and Best Documentary from the LA Society of Film Critics. Roger and Me remains one of the most successful pro-union/anti-corporation films. This full-length documentary chronicles Moore attempts to meet GM chairman Roger Smith, invite him to have a few beers and "talk things over." Moore wants to meet Roger Smith because GM has just devastated Moore's automotive hometown, Flint, MI, by closing down another plant. Moore's film captures the harrowing (20,000 people waiting on line fo! r federal surplus cheese and butter) and the hilarious Pat Boone and Ronald Regan making appearances in town to boost morale. From the Yacht Club to the golf club, Moore patiently tries to see Roger Smith, of course to no avail. I believe Roger and Me is a landmark film in its portrayal of a United Corporation States of America.

Another successful political filmmaker is John Sayles. His 1987 film Matewan paints a harrowing picture of the West Virginia Coal Mine Wars of 1920 and 1921. During these wars nearly nine thousand miners resisted an thousand volunteer army, sheriffs and ultimately a presidential intervention. Sayles' Matewan spotlights an early part of the coal mine wars, known as the Matewan Massacre. At this time the coal companies were hiring minorities to work as strike breakers. But the scabs leave to join the union. Ultimately, the violence occurs between the striking miners and armed agents. Sayles film, while its adamantly pro-union, deals with the questio! n of violence within the union. The strikes must debate weather to use violence in Matewan, a city of armed resistance. The idea for Matewan had been an idea for Sayles ever since he wrote his 1978 National Book award-winning novel Union Dues.

Violence is an undercurrent theme of unions. In On the Waterfront John Friendly runs his local ruthlessly until Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) brings him down. On the other hand, Mike Nichols' 1983 Silkwood plays on anti-union violence in his representation of the Karen Silkwood's story. Karen Silkwood, (Meryl Streep) as a member of the bargaining committee at Kerr McGee, went after the company on their health and safety record. Unknown to virtually all employees were being exposed to exurbanite levels of plutonium. Once Karen Silkwood was informed of the health risks for employees at the company, she began a crusade to educate the employees and get better protection from Kerr McGee. Karen Silkwood was killed on her way to meet a New York Times reporter when her car ran off! the road. No documents were found in her car and many people speculate that a company insider forced Silkwood's car off the road. Karen Silkwood remains a symbol for peace, justice and unions.

Although they may not be abundant in number, there are union movies of all kinds lining the walls of video stores everywhere. I highly recommend Tom Zaniello's book "Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds and Riffraff (referred to previously). Zaniello's book offers a thorough investigation of hundreds of union movies. And because big video companies aren't too found of the unions, I recommend renting union movies from a local video stores like Scarecrow, Video Vertigo, and Broadway Video.