- Native Land
-
Native Land Directed by Leo Hurwitz
Paul StrandProduced by Leo Hurwitz Written by Leo Hurwitz
Ben MaddowStarring Paul Robeson (Narrator/Vocalist)
Fred JohnsonMusic by Marc Blitzstein Cinematography Paul Strand Editing by Lionel Berman
Leo Hurwitz
Bob StebbinsRelease date(s) 11 May 1942 Running time 79 minutes Country United States Language English Native Land is a 1942 documentary film [1] directed by Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand.
A combination of a documentary format and staged reenactments, the film depicted the struggle of trade unions against union-busting corporations, their spies and contractors. It was based on the 1938 report of the La Follette Committee's investigation of the repression of labor organizing.
Famous African-American singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson participated as an off-screen narrator and vocalist.
Contents
Cast
- Paul Robeson as Narrator and vocalist (voice)
- Fred Johnson as Fred Hill, a farmer
- Mary George as Hill's wife
- John Rennick as Hill's son
- Amelia Romano as Window scrubber
- Houseley Stevenson as White sharecropper
- Louis Grant as Black sharecropper
- James Hanney as Mack, Union president
- Howard Da Silva as Jim, an informer
- Art Smith as Harry Carlyle
- John Marley as Thug with crowbar
Restoration / re-release
A restored version of the film was released in 2011. The film was restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, funded by the Packard Humanities Institute.[2]
The new print was made “from the original 35mm nitrate picture negative, a 35mm safety duplicate negative, and a 35mm safety up-and-down track negative.”[2]
The restoration premiered at the UCLA Festival of Preservation on March 26, 2011[2] and was screened at other North American cities in 2011 including Vancouver.[3]
References
- ^ Grant, Barry Keith and Jim Hillier. BFI Screen Guides: 100 Documentary Films, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2009. pp. 147–148.
- ^ a b c Jan-Christopher Horak. "UCLA Film & Television Archive: Native Land (1942)". http://www.cinema.ucla.edu/events/2011-03-26/native-land-1942. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
- ^ "Recent Restorations: Treasures From The UCLA Festival Of Preservation » Native Land". http://www.cinematheque.bc.ca/recent-restorations-treasures-from-the-ucla-festival-of-preservation/native-land. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
External links
Categories:- American films
- English-language films
- 1942 films
- 1940s documentary films
- 1940s drama films
- Black-and-white films
- U.S. Civil Rights Movement in film
- Documentary films about the U.S. civil rights movement
- Trade unions
- Paul Robeson
- 1940s film stubs
- American film stubs
- Documentary film stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
