In trying to get the textile mill she and her family work for unionized, Sally Field's Norma Rae Webster also tries to earn self-respect at any cost. She's been leading a dead-end existence: a single mother, still living with her family, sleeping with married men who abuse her. But after being inspired by a union-organizer (Ron Liebman, in an Oscar-worthy supporting performance), Norma Rae is awakened to the possibilities of life, and, what's more, everything that is wrong with the mill that seems to suck the energy and hope from those who stand there day after day trying to earn an honest dollar. There are problems with the picture: Beau Bridges' role as new husband Sonny is treated in a trivial manner (he's supposed to be a voice of reason, but he's too smooth, maybe condescending, and it's an unconvincing character); Oscar-winner Field's fiestiness occasionally feels overdrawn and/or one-note, but in many of the scenes outside the factory she does indeed excel, seeming vibrantly natural and exuberant. Martin Ritt's direction is focused and firmly rooted (he never sugarcoats Norma Rae's character, and sometimes she's not that likable) and the script manages to sidestep preachiness to get its points across entertainingly. The art direction is really the second star of the film: vivid, palpably hot and sweaty, with bits of cotton floating about in the air. The mill in question becomes very familiar to us, as do the people who work there. "Norma Rae" is involved and long, yet it is memorably bittersweet, and with a simple, haunting finish. *** from ****
62 Reviews
Legendary blue collar mom starts textile union
roghache28 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This is a dramatic and moving film that rests on the wonderful Oscar winning portrayal by Sally Field of a Southern textile worker, Norma Rae. The famous scene in which Norma Rae stands on a table holding up a union sign, as her coworkers turn off their machines one by one, has gone down in cinematic history.
At the outset, Norma Rae is an Alabama small town textile mill worker and single mother of three, living with her parents. She has had in the past a series of relationships with men, sometimes married, who have mistreated her; then as the story progresses, she meets and marries Sonny (Beau Bridges). Her life is quite ordinary until Reuben (Ron Leibman), a union worker from New York, comes to her mill and tries to unionize its labor force. He persuades Norma Rae to head up the cause at her mill, resulting in severe conflict with management and potential conflict in her own relationship with husband, Sonny.
The movie effectively portrays the plight of the mill workers where everyday working conditions involve a hot, noisy, and crowded environment, unfeeling bosses, and a regimented day. Given our present situation, it is difficult for us to picture factory life without the protections offered by unions. They are taken for granted nowadays.
I disagree with those who seem to pick up on all this sexual tension between Norma Rae and Reuben. I think one of the points to be made is that while they are definitely aware of each other's sexuality, she is loyal to Sonny, for once a man who treats her decently, though Reuben brings out leadership qualities in her that she hasn't hitherto realized. They also share a certain camaraderie and bond with regard to their union struggles, leaving Sonny rather on the outside. Eventually, as he grows secure in her love, her husband becomes more able to accept this relationship with Reuben. When Norma Rae declares regarding Reuben 'He's in my head', I don't think she's referring to sex or romance, but the union struggle and her leadership role within it that he is encouraging.
For me, the most touching scene in the movie is definitely the one following Norma Rae's arrest, in which she returns exhaustedly home from prison at night, awakens her three sleeping kids, informs them that their 'Mama's a jailbird' and that they're going to be hearing all kinds of stories about her. She admits she's made mistakes, tells each child who his or her father is, and gives each a photo of their dad which she's had tucked away. All parents must face that at some point their children will come to realize their mom or dad isn't perfect, and nowhere is this more dramatically shown than in this particular scene from Norma Rae.
This is a memorable movie...a vivid depiction of the struggles of blue collar life, the story of union development (fictional but historically based), and especially one woman's sympathetically captured personal tale and her unlikely role as leader of this union struggle at her own mill.
At the outset, Norma Rae is an Alabama small town textile mill worker and single mother of three, living with her parents. She has had in the past a series of relationships with men, sometimes married, who have mistreated her; then as the story progresses, she meets and marries Sonny (Beau Bridges). Her life is quite ordinary until Reuben (Ron Leibman), a union worker from New York, comes to her mill and tries to unionize its labor force. He persuades Norma Rae to head up the cause at her mill, resulting in severe conflict with management and potential conflict in her own relationship with husband, Sonny.
The movie effectively portrays the plight of the mill workers where everyday working conditions involve a hot, noisy, and crowded environment, unfeeling bosses, and a regimented day. Given our present situation, it is difficult for us to picture factory life without the protections offered by unions. They are taken for granted nowadays.
I disagree with those who seem to pick up on all this sexual tension between Norma Rae and Reuben. I think one of the points to be made is that while they are definitely aware of each other's sexuality, she is loyal to Sonny, for once a man who treats her decently, though Reuben brings out leadership qualities in her that she hasn't hitherto realized. They also share a certain camaraderie and bond with regard to their union struggles, leaving Sonny rather on the outside. Eventually, as he grows secure in her love, her husband becomes more able to accept this relationship with Reuben. When Norma Rae declares regarding Reuben 'He's in my head', I don't think she's referring to sex or romance, but the union struggle and her leadership role within it that he is encouraging.
For me, the most touching scene in the movie is definitely the one following Norma Rae's arrest, in which she returns exhaustedly home from prison at night, awakens her three sleeping kids, informs them that their 'Mama's a jailbird' and that they're going to be hearing all kinds of stories about her. She admits she's made mistakes, tells each child who his or her father is, and gives each a photo of their dad which she's had tucked away. All parents must face that at some point their children will come to realize their mom or dad isn't perfect, and nowhere is this more dramatically shown than in this particular scene from Norma Rae.
This is a memorable movie...a vivid depiction of the struggles of blue collar life, the story of union development (fictional but historically based), and especially one woman's sympathetically captured personal tale and her unlikely role as leader of this union struggle at her own mill.
Sally Field brilliant
SnoopyStyle20 November 2015
It's the summer of 1978. Norma Rae (Sally Field) works in a textile mill with her whole family. Her mother is going deaf from the noisy factory. Her father Vernon (Pat Hingle) threatens union organizer Reuben Warshowsky (Ron Leibman) who comes knocking on their door. She's a single mom and she ends her affair with a married man. She marries fellow worker Sonny (Beau Bridges). She starts helping Reuben causing tension in her relationships.
Sally Field is brilliant as an ordinary woman. She is eminently likable. The movie is a straight forward union story. It has a good sense of realism. It helps to have the noisy mill going. It's a great movie.
Sally Field is brilliant as an ordinary woman. She is eminently likable. The movie is a straight forward union story. It has a good sense of realism. It helps to have the noisy mill going. It's a great movie.
Ordinary Story, Extraordinary Results.
tfrizzell6 July 2002
Typical under-dog story that is so well-made that its success makes for a very memorable cinematic experience. The titled character (Sally Field in a super Oscar-winning part) tries to get her fellow textile workers to unionize in her small town, but there are consequences abound. A good supporting cast which includes Ron Leibman, Pat Hingle and Beau Bridges all add to Field's show-stopping performance. Field proved that she could handle delicate material and carry a film to cinematic history. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
A simple story about courage and standing up for the working people. Not too wordy but not overblown either. Carried beautifully by the endearing Sally Field
mickman91-14 May 2022
Great to watch a young and beautiful Sally Field. She carries this entire movie without really exerting herself. This demonstrates enormous talent and charisma. It is very engaging film with some really touching moments. Its subject matter sounds quite dry but it is not an overly wordy or heavy film, it strikes a nice tone. Nothing is overblown it is just a simply story about a brave lady and people who stood up for themselves and others against harsh working conditions and corporate greed. But without being political or finger-pointing, it is a positive and ultimately uplifting film.
a documentary?
evso30 December 1999
This film is in no way a documentary, but the filming style and plot line lend to its feeling so. Sally Field's acting in this movie is impeccable. She becomes Norma Rae. We see her fear, her disgust, her anger at the mill's treatment of its employees, and the passion she has for what she believes in. Although the best known scene from the movie is her standing at the mill with the "Union" sign, I believe the most memorable scene is towards the end when she talks to her children, telling them what to expect. The movie tends to turn away from her children, but this scene focuses in on her relationship with them. Beau Bridges is great, and the character of the Union leader (can't remember his name) is terrific. The sexual tension between Norma Rae and he is palpable. I strongly recommend this film to any Sally Field fans, or anyone interested in social issue films.
Norma and Ron.
rmax30482321 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is a rather nice movie, more gentle than disturbing, despite the social conflict involved. Ron Liebman, a union representative, comes down to a textile mill in the South and tries to organize the workers. He runs into indifference from the good folk of Shinbone or Monkey Junction or whatever it is, and hostility from the management of the plant. His first convert is Norma Rae, Sally Field, and she gradually develops an all-consuming enthusiasm, a moral calling, to get the union established. It costs her a good deal. Management attempts to buy her off by promoting her to a position in which she must check her father's work. Humiliating for him. He dies. She neglects her family -- her four kids of varying legitimacy and the guy she's living with, Beau Bridges. She was never exactly a flower of Southern womanhood but now she's become a mover and shaker and it naturally upsets people. But under Liebman's patient and humane guidance she recruits just about everyone and the union wins.
Written and directed by the team that brought us "Hud" and "Hombre", it's remarkable as much for what doesn't happen as for what does.
First, though, this cleared the path through the woods for any number of later films featuring declasse floozies who fight injustice -- "Erin Brokovich" being an example. This is an original and gets bonus points for it.
As for what it leaves out, there is a set up for an affair between the charming Liebman and the frustrated Field -- but it doesn't happen, not even when the two are swimming alone, bare-assed, in a muddy river and talking about their private lives. What a temptation THAT must have been for the writers and if they had less in the way of resolution, it would have happened.
The writers also managed to neatly sidestep the temptation to turn the mill's management into a horde of rotten, filthy, violent lawbreakers. They're hostile, yes, and careless about the welfare of their employees. (The women can't leave their posts, even when they're having their periods.) However, they are not evil thugs skulking in the shadows and they don't put the nocuous Liebman in the hospital. Management violates the law only in small ways. Liebman -- who is very law-savvy -- has a legal right to post his recruiting letters on the company bulletin board but management posts them so high up that only Wilt Chamberlain on stilts could read them. The only violence, and it's brief, is when some white workers clobber a black employee under the impression that African-Americans are banding together to lead the union so they can order the white folks around.
The script isn't flawless. Ron Liebman is the sophisticated Jewish New Yorker who brings enlightenment to this benighted Southern outpost of civilization. He's a paragon of normality with no weaknesses. He introduces Field to Dylan Thomas. He teaches her Yiddishisms. A stereotype. I wish we'd been able to see him in some devalued activity. Maybe he could have a collection of panties in his dresser drawer or something.
And the bravura scene in which Norma Rae is fired and about to be thrown out of the deafeningly noisy mill. She leaps to a table top and holds up a printed sign reading UNION. The employees stare at her without expression. Eons seem to pass while she slowly rotates so that everyone can read the sign. Then one woman turns off her machine. Slowly, one by one, the others follow suit until finally the mill is completely and shockingly silent. A great movie moment but it jars with its lack of logic. When the final vote is taken, almost half the employees vote AGAINST the union. So where were these right-to-work people when the machines were being shut down? I've singled out these two flaws because they are buried under the multitude of virtues in the rest of the script. The story is pretty moving, and I applaud it for sticking as closely as it does to reality. When they part after their joint success, Liebman and Field don't even kiss good-bye. It's hard to imagine.
Written and directed by the team that brought us "Hud" and "Hombre", it's remarkable as much for what doesn't happen as for what does.
First, though, this cleared the path through the woods for any number of later films featuring declasse floozies who fight injustice -- "Erin Brokovich" being an example. This is an original and gets bonus points for it.
As for what it leaves out, there is a set up for an affair between the charming Liebman and the frustrated Field -- but it doesn't happen, not even when the two are swimming alone, bare-assed, in a muddy river and talking about their private lives. What a temptation THAT must have been for the writers and if they had less in the way of resolution, it would have happened.
The writers also managed to neatly sidestep the temptation to turn the mill's management into a horde of rotten, filthy, violent lawbreakers. They're hostile, yes, and careless about the welfare of their employees. (The women can't leave their posts, even when they're having their periods.) However, they are not evil thugs skulking in the shadows and they don't put the nocuous Liebman in the hospital. Management violates the law only in small ways. Liebman -- who is very law-savvy -- has a legal right to post his recruiting letters on the company bulletin board but management posts them so high up that only Wilt Chamberlain on stilts could read them. The only violence, and it's brief, is when some white workers clobber a black employee under the impression that African-Americans are banding together to lead the union so they can order the white folks around.
The script isn't flawless. Ron Liebman is the sophisticated Jewish New Yorker who brings enlightenment to this benighted Southern outpost of civilization. He's a paragon of normality with no weaknesses. He introduces Field to Dylan Thomas. He teaches her Yiddishisms. A stereotype. I wish we'd been able to see him in some devalued activity. Maybe he could have a collection of panties in his dresser drawer or something.
And the bravura scene in which Norma Rae is fired and about to be thrown out of the deafeningly noisy mill. She leaps to a table top and holds up a printed sign reading UNION. The employees stare at her without expression. Eons seem to pass while she slowly rotates so that everyone can read the sign. Then one woman turns off her machine. Slowly, one by one, the others follow suit until finally the mill is completely and shockingly silent. A great movie moment but it jars with its lack of logic. When the final vote is taken, almost half the employees vote AGAINST the union. So where were these right-to-work people when the machines were being shut down? I've singled out these two flaws because they are buried under the multitude of virtues in the rest of the script. The story is pretty moving, and I applaud it for sticking as closely as it does to reality. When they part after their joint success, Liebman and Field don't even kiss good-bye. It's hard to imagine.
Unions A Timely Film ****
edwagreen8 March 2006
Sally Field's first Oscar came way via "Norma Rae."
The factory where she and her dad work does not know or want to know about unions. Workers are routinely abused and there is no way out for these hard-working laborers.
Along comes Jewish Ron Leibman, from the north, with the idea of forming a union. He meets up with much hostility. We see the southern hatred of unions in general and there is an underlining feeling of anti-Jewishness here as Jews have always been in the forefront of labor issues in America.
Pat Hingle's fatal coronary spurs daughter Norma to action. Her stopping work and turning around with the sign union is memorable.
This picture is timely due to the rash attacks on the labor movement from the federal government on down to management. Made at a time when President Reagan destroyed the Air Traffic Controller's Union, the film is most appropriate.
The factory where she and her dad work does not know or want to know about unions. Workers are routinely abused and there is no way out for these hard-working laborers.
Along comes Jewish Ron Leibman, from the north, with the idea of forming a union. He meets up with much hostility. We see the southern hatred of unions in general and there is an underlining feeling of anti-Jewishness here as Jews have always been in the forefront of labor issues in America.
Pat Hingle's fatal coronary spurs daughter Norma to action. Her stopping work and turning around with the sign union is memorable.
This picture is timely due to the rash attacks on the labor movement from the federal government on down to management. Made at a time when President Reagan destroyed the Air Traffic Controller's Union, the film is most appropriate.
Masterfully written, well acted, poor political objectives
BigV85 March 2005
The masterful way in which southern small town details and some characteristics are displayed makes the authors point seem not only valid but confirmed! You can't help but watch vignettes of the film and say to yourself, yup, a huh! Specs of behavior, dress, mannerisms all are carefully unrolled to create a scene that endorses their political goals.
Yes, "Norma Rae", although entertaining jams leftist political views down ones throat. In doing so it makes out small town Southerners on average to be drunken simpletons that live reckless promiscuous lives. Unable to take care of themselves, the hero from New York (Ron Leibman) sets things straight and awakens the otherwise naive Christian southerner played by Sally Field.
Many clichés throughout the movie are utilized. It's no wonder the media and the educational system embraced and praised this movie to such a large extent. It's another opportunity to influence young people.
Yes, "Norma Rae", although entertaining jams leftist political views down ones throat. In doing so it makes out small town Southerners on average to be drunken simpletons that live reckless promiscuous lives. Unable to take care of themselves, the hero from New York (Ron Leibman) sets things straight and awakens the otherwise naive Christian southerner played by Sally Field.
Many clichés throughout the movie are utilized. It's no wonder the media and the educational system embraced and praised this movie to such a large extent. It's another opportunity to influence young people.
Really hits home!!
diezman6 January 2003
Norma Rae is without a doubt one of my favorite movies of all time. I grew up in a blue collar working class family so this movie really hits home for me.
An outstanding performance by Sally Field and a very powerful storyline of Unionizing a textile mill in the south make Norma Rae a movie watcher's experience rather than pure entertainment.
An outstanding performance by Sally Field and a very powerful storyline of Unionizing a textile mill in the south make Norma Rae a movie watcher's experience rather than pure entertainment.
a realistic setting boosted by Field's powerful acting
lasttimeisaw24 January 2016
Martin Ritt's kitchen-sink drama NORMA RAE is my fourth entry of his filmography, it won Sally Field her first Oscar, and is reckoned as a shining specimen perfectly designed to gratify Awards recognition, aka "Norma Rae moment" for its actors, usually adapted from real events.
The movies takes place in a small town in North Carolina, based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton (1940-2009), our heroine Norma Rae (Field) is a single mother of two kids (one from the wedlock and the other is an illegitimate son borne out of a casual fling), now her husband is long dead, and she trysts with a married man but often got beaten due to the rife male chauvinism among the hillbillies, should audience judge her too? Is she a dimwit slut or a liberal-minded feminist?
Norma Rae, and her parents (Hingle and Baxley), all work in their local cotton mill factory, receive minimum-wage and their poor working conditions are ignored by the management, life could be that for her, keeping working until her health deteriorates under the awful condition and kicks the bucket, then hopefully her children will be old enough to take her place in the factory, do the same job and continues the circle of life. But the arrival of Reuben Warshowsky (Leibman), a New York union organiser, galvanises her life and the prospect of forming a labor union beckons a possibly better future, so she is bent on functioning as Reuben's right-hand man. Norma Rae also meets a fellow worker, Sonny (Bridges), a divorcé with a young daughter, and soon they form a family, but her whole-hearted devotion to the ongoing campaign for the union engenders clashes with the management of the factory, and she has to be crucified for the progressive cause when the antagonism reaching its boiling point. The Union wins in the end, but Norma Rae loses her job and Reuben leaves when his mission is achieved, will her future become better afterwards, the film doesn't reveal any detail, but a reconciliation with Sonny bespeaks at least no marital disruption will occur.
Sally Field, injects such a redoubtable force in her acting, like Reuben patronisingly tells her, she is too good for the place, one can totally get impressed by her punchy effort in every line, gesture and expression, which transcends Norma Rae from an ordinary gal to a highly relatable and extremely likable cinematic heroine, that's the reason why we love to see these stories being told again and again on the screen. The script carefully treads the camaraderie between Norma Rae and Reuben, to avoid any scandals, but Leibman's Reuben, in the meaty supporting role, should be an equally likable character, doesn't register the same impact, wanting of sincerity in his acting could be the culprit, whereas Beau Bridges' Sonny and Pat Hingle's Vernon, Norma Rae's father, both cast more weight in their much leaner screen-time.
NORMA RAE is a juggernaut success, receives four Oscar nominations (including the prestigious BEST PICTURE) and wins two (Field's BEST LEADING ACTRESS and David Shire's theme song IT GOES LIKE IT GOES, beautifully sung by Jennifer Warnes), the relevance of labor union has ebbed away since then, but it definitely sparks off a neo-realistic trend for American indie films, with real- life location and tapping into the misery of low-class people which average cinema-goers consider too harrowing to watch on the silver screen, in retrospective, it is something we should praise for!
The movies takes place in a small town in North Carolina, based on the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton (1940-2009), our heroine Norma Rae (Field) is a single mother of two kids (one from the wedlock and the other is an illegitimate son borne out of a casual fling), now her husband is long dead, and she trysts with a married man but often got beaten due to the rife male chauvinism among the hillbillies, should audience judge her too? Is she a dimwit slut or a liberal-minded feminist?
Norma Rae, and her parents (Hingle and Baxley), all work in their local cotton mill factory, receive minimum-wage and their poor working conditions are ignored by the management, life could be that for her, keeping working until her health deteriorates under the awful condition and kicks the bucket, then hopefully her children will be old enough to take her place in the factory, do the same job and continues the circle of life. But the arrival of Reuben Warshowsky (Leibman), a New York union organiser, galvanises her life and the prospect of forming a labor union beckons a possibly better future, so she is bent on functioning as Reuben's right-hand man. Norma Rae also meets a fellow worker, Sonny (Bridges), a divorcé with a young daughter, and soon they form a family, but her whole-hearted devotion to the ongoing campaign for the union engenders clashes with the management of the factory, and she has to be crucified for the progressive cause when the antagonism reaching its boiling point. The Union wins in the end, but Norma Rae loses her job and Reuben leaves when his mission is achieved, will her future become better afterwards, the film doesn't reveal any detail, but a reconciliation with Sonny bespeaks at least no marital disruption will occur.
Sally Field, injects such a redoubtable force in her acting, like Reuben patronisingly tells her, she is too good for the place, one can totally get impressed by her punchy effort in every line, gesture and expression, which transcends Norma Rae from an ordinary gal to a highly relatable and extremely likable cinematic heroine, that's the reason why we love to see these stories being told again and again on the screen. The script carefully treads the camaraderie between Norma Rae and Reuben, to avoid any scandals, but Leibman's Reuben, in the meaty supporting role, should be an equally likable character, doesn't register the same impact, wanting of sincerity in his acting could be the culprit, whereas Beau Bridges' Sonny and Pat Hingle's Vernon, Norma Rae's father, both cast more weight in their much leaner screen-time.
NORMA RAE is a juggernaut success, receives four Oscar nominations (including the prestigious BEST PICTURE) and wins two (Field's BEST LEADING ACTRESS and David Shire's theme song IT GOES LIKE IT GOES, beautifully sung by Jennifer Warnes), the relevance of labor union has ebbed away since then, but it definitely sparks off a neo-realistic trend for American indie films, with real- life location and tapping into the misery of low-class people which average cinema-goers consider too harrowing to watch on the silver screen, in retrospective, it is something we should praise for!
A great movie
Tito-83 May 2000
Sally Field's stellar performance is the highlight of this terrific movie, but Ron Leibman was just as effective in my opinion. In fact, the whole cast does a fine job, so if you're looking for superb acting, then look no further. The film is good from start to finish, but a few wonderful moments towards the end make it seem even better than it already is. Perhaps slightly overlong, but overall a great movie.
Sally Field Wants You
evanston_dad9 November 2007
One of those rousing films in which a blue-collar normal Joe (or in this case perhaps we should say normal Joan) stands up against the big boys in the corporate office for what is right and just. Movies like "Erin Brockovich" wouldn't exist today if movies like "Norma Rae" hadn't existed first.
And "Norma Rae" is a lot easier to swallow, because it's done without all the Hollywood ritz and glamour. Director Martin Ritt specialized in making movies about blue-collar folks that looked like blue collar movies, and Sally Field, playing the factory worker who's sympathetic to an invading union organizer from the north and becomes his ace card in rallying the other workers, is a much better actress than Julia Roberts, and we're actually able to believe her in the role.
The image of Field standing up on a table silently holding up a placard that says "Union" has become indelible.
Grade: B+
And "Norma Rae" is a lot easier to swallow, because it's done without all the Hollywood ritz and glamour. Director Martin Ritt specialized in making movies about blue-collar folks that looked like blue collar movies, and Sally Field, playing the factory worker who's sympathetic to an invading union organizer from the north and becomes his ace card in rallying the other workers, is a much better actress than Julia Roberts, and we're actually able to believe her in the role.
The image of Field standing up on a table silently holding up a placard that says "Union" has become indelible.
Grade: B+
In hindsight
quailpat16 January 2019
After watching this movie it is interesting that to look on the union organization as an actual evil to help destroy the USA textile mills in favor of import/export Global New York interests ,it makes more sense historically.Actual propaganda that helped destroy the companies owned by non-tribal owners.
Thoughts on Norma Rae
nancycmoore20 April 2005
I find it interesting to discover so many comments on a 26-year-old film. I guess it's a sign of a quality production if it's still touching people. From here in the heart of the disappearing textile industry, Norma Rae rings truer than true. The first time I saw the movie, it was like looking out the window of my three-room mill house and seeing my neighbors. When Normae Rae is in the bar discussing her husband's death, she was a carbon copy of one of my friends -- swigging beer and having sex to forget about the problems of life. The reaction of people to the union was so typical. Most people didn't and still don't want to hear anything about it, afraid it would lead to a shut-down.
Finally, a commentary on the 2004 review by jslack. For the most part, I agree with it. But not about Ron Leibman being either miscast or unattractive. I'm curious to know if jslack is a man or a woman. Of course, Leibman of 1979 is not classically handsome, but he has a bearing and charisma that is almost breathtaking. I can't imagine anyone else in the role. The point is his difference, that he's not the same as all the cookie-cutter good old boys. This is not an affair of bodies or even hearts. It's an affair of the minds.
Finally, a commentary on the 2004 review by jslack. For the most part, I agree with it. But not about Ron Leibman being either miscast or unattractive. I'm curious to know if jslack is a man or a woman. Of course, Leibman of 1979 is not classically handsome, but he has a bearing and charisma that is almost breathtaking. I can't imagine anyone else in the role. The point is his difference, that he's not the same as all the cookie-cutter good old boys. This is not an affair of bodies or even hearts. It's an affair of the minds.
A decent film but an excellent performance
mav007716 October 2001
For such a highly acclaimed film, I found it remarkably unmoving. The audience is never fully engaged in the character of Norma Rae, her relationships, or the situation of the workers in the mill. The story of the Southern mill workers hardships and struggle to unionize seems perfect for a emotionally stirring drama; however, this potential was completely unrealized by the film's inability to connect with it's audience on any real emotional level. It is easy to see why Sally Field won Best Actress, but the film never really found its niche; rather, it glossed over many aspects of the story giving highlights of each, but leaving me to wonder what the whole story might actually have been.
Great American movie
Boyo-220 August 1998
I own a copy of this movie and I watch it at least twice a year. An intelligent story, without cookie-cutter characters. It still amazes and thrills me each time I see it. The fact that there was no forced romance thrust upon us, is also worth noting. Sally Field created a woman who is now part of movie history.
Run of the Mill
JoeytheBrit26 October 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Norma Rae is something of an oddity in that the technical quality of the film-making and acting is beyond reproach but the story itself, while based on true events, seems to skim the surface of key events in a situation that is treated with deep significance but never manages to distinguish itself. No doubt it was significant to the real-life characters involved, but, for me, the story just came across as a run-of-the-mill 'little (wo)man against the system' tale.
Sally Field gives a bright and forceful performance as Norma Rae, a cotton mill worker and single mother living with her parents, who also work at the mill. In fact, the mill is the town's main employer and, as such, sees fit to run roughshod over the rights of its employees. The film does a good job of capturing the feel of the unpleasant environment in which these people work: machines clatter incessantly and are densely packed into the prison-like factory, creating a hot and noisy hell from which there are few opportunities to escape. And yet the film never really delves too deeply into the conflict between the workers and the management - which should have formed the core of the story - other than in a strictly conventional "good guys vs. bad guys" manner. All the management are depicted as mean-spirited and unsmiling, with no redeeming features, who stoop to phone tapping and incitement of racial hatred to try and foil the plans of Union representative Reuben Warshawsky (a sharp and edgy Ron Leibman) to win the work force over. Maybe it really happened like that, but the impression lingers that the makers deliberately depersonalised the management figures who are all peripheral in order to enhance the heroic status of their lead character.
Warshawsky, with the help of Norma Rae, finds it tough going to convert the workers, attracting a group of only seventeen out of 800. Presumably this is because of the worker's fears of repercussions from the management, but again this is never really made clear, and there is little feeling of the awakening of a sleeping giant as the call for an organised union grows: one minute there are just a handful of recruits, the next the whole workforce is downing tools as Norma is hauled off to prison. This is in keeping with the jarring compression of the time scale in which the story takes place. How long exactly does Sonny, Norma Rae's love interest, court her? The sequence of events is that Warshawsky arrives in town, Sonny takes Norma out on their first date, then Sonny proposes and they get married while poor old Warshawsky is still trying to drum up interest in his union. Either Sonny and Norma enjoyed the briskest of whirlwind romances or Warschawsky was the most stubborn man in the South and would still be canvassing the mill's workforce to this day had he not met with success.
I don't know whether such inconsistencies are down to laziness or simply the demands put upon the screenplay by the true turn of events but, either way, it irritates throughout. By trying to touch all bases the union story, the domestic strife, the father (Pat Hingle) and daughter relationship, the friendship between Norma and Warshawsky, Norma's growth as a person, etc the film devotes too little time to each and suffers badly as a result; it all looks pretty shallow by the final credits and, in my book, must go down as a missed opportunity on the part of Martin Ritt and the writers.
Sally Field gives a bright and forceful performance as Norma Rae, a cotton mill worker and single mother living with her parents, who also work at the mill. In fact, the mill is the town's main employer and, as such, sees fit to run roughshod over the rights of its employees. The film does a good job of capturing the feel of the unpleasant environment in which these people work: machines clatter incessantly and are densely packed into the prison-like factory, creating a hot and noisy hell from which there are few opportunities to escape. And yet the film never really delves too deeply into the conflict between the workers and the management - which should have formed the core of the story - other than in a strictly conventional "good guys vs. bad guys" manner. All the management are depicted as mean-spirited and unsmiling, with no redeeming features, who stoop to phone tapping and incitement of racial hatred to try and foil the plans of Union representative Reuben Warshawsky (a sharp and edgy Ron Leibman) to win the work force over. Maybe it really happened like that, but the impression lingers that the makers deliberately depersonalised the management figures who are all peripheral in order to enhance the heroic status of their lead character.
Warshawsky, with the help of Norma Rae, finds it tough going to convert the workers, attracting a group of only seventeen out of 800. Presumably this is because of the worker's fears of repercussions from the management, but again this is never really made clear, and there is little feeling of the awakening of a sleeping giant as the call for an organised union grows: one minute there are just a handful of recruits, the next the whole workforce is downing tools as Norma is hauled off to prison. This is in keeping with the jarring compression of the time scale in which the story takes place. How long exactly does Sonny, Norma Rae's love interest, court her? The sequence of events is that Warshawsky arrives in town, Sonny takes Norma out on their first date, then Sonny proposes and they get married while poor old Warshawsky is still trying to drum up interest in his union. Either Sonny and Norma enjoyed the briskest of whirlwind romances or Warschawsky was the most stubborn man in the South and would still be canvassing the mill's workforce to this day had he not met with success.
I don't know whether such inconsistencies are down to laziness or simply the demands put upon the screenplay by the true turn of events but, either way, it irritates throughout. By trying to touch all bases the union story, the domestic strife, the father (Pat Hingle) and daughter relationship, the friendship between Norma and Warshawsky, Norma's growth as a person, etc the film devotes too little time to each and suffers badly as a result; it all looks pretty shallow by the final credits and, in my book, must go down as a missed opportunity on the part of Martin Ritt and the writers.
The Film Stereotyped an Industry, But Broke the Stereotype of an Actress
dglink19 May 2005
Although based on real events and a real person, "Norma Rae's" tale of corporate greed versus oppressed workers has been fictionalized for reasons of privacy. However, fictionalized or not, "Norma Rae's" power and influence continue since the U.S. textile industry has forever been branded in the minds of Americans as an outmoded industrial complex, whose windowless mills are filled with the deafening noise of hand-tended machines that are layered with cotton fibers and whose workers breathe in and permanently damage their lungs with stale air that is filled with cotton dust. Although those conditions certainly did exist, they no longer occur in that industry today. However, despite the modernization of textile manufacturing in the U.S. over the past couple decades, the image of the noisy, dusty mill that is depicted in the film remains as the general perception of a textile operation. Unfortunately, while modern textile mills are free of cotton dust and the noise levels have been reduced to the low hum of computers, textile workers like Norma Rae and the others portrayed in this film have also been replaced with robotics, lasers, and a few highly skilled technicians to monitor the computerized operations. While the unionization depicted in the film successfully raised wages and increased benefits, eventually those higher costs led to efforts to cut expenses through mechanization.
However, despite the demonizing of an industry, the film retains its power, and the story of Norma Rae's personal growth as a woman is probably even more memorable than the efforts to unionize one Southern textile mill. Sally Field inhabits the role of an unwed Southern mill worker with two children, and, as the film progresses, she slowly evolves from an aimless girl, who is used and abused by men, whether they be lovers or employers, into a mature woman who finds a depth and strength that helps her take control of her life and find the confidence to lead. Television viewers who only knew Field as the Flying Nun were surprised at her range and depth, although those who had taken the time to watch the television movie "Sybil" already suspected the breadth of her talent.
While Sally Field finally shed her Gidget and Flying Nun image with this film and certainly is the emotional core of the movie, she is well supported by a cast of pros, especially the two most important men in her life. Unfortunately, because Field is so outstanding, viewers will likely need a second viewing to appreciate just how good both Ron Leibman and Beau Bridges are in "Norma Rae." Ron Leibman as the assertive union organizer from New York is the man who awakens Norma's intellect and propels her into uncharted territory as a woman. Meanwhile, Beau Bridges as Norma Rae's gentle, understanding husband stands by his woman despite his not completely comprehending or appreciating the changes that are underway in his wife's character.
"Norma Rae" is an outstanding film, well directed by Martin Ritt, beautifully written by Frank and Ravetch, and performed with heart by Field, Leibman, and Bridges. Although the movie has probably stained the image of the U.S. textile industry for good, "Norma Rae" also established Sally Field as an actress of the first order and remains an engrossing human story of a woman's growth into maturity and her discovery of previously unrealized potential within herself.
However, despite the demonizing of an industry, the film retains its power, and the story of Norma Rae's personal growth as a woman is probably even more memorable than the efforts to unionize one Southern textile mill. Sally Field inhabits the role of an unwed Southern mill worker with two children, and, as the film progresses, she slowly evolves from an aimless girl, who is used and abused by men, whether they be lovers or employers, into a mature woman who finds a depth and strength that helps her take control of her life and find the confidence to lead. Television viewers who only knew Field as the Flying Nun were surprised at her range and depth, although those who had taken the time to watch the television movie "Sybil" already suspected the breadth of her talent.
While Sally Field finally shed her Gidget and Flying Nun image with this film and certainly is the emotional core of the movie, she is well supported by a cast of pros, especially the two most important men in her life. Unfortunately, because Field is so outstanding, viewers will likely need a second viewing to appreciate just how good both Ron Leibman and Beau Bridges are in "Norma Rae." Ron Leibman as the assertive union organizer from New York is the man who awakens Norma's intellect and propels her into uncharted territory as a woman. Meanwhile, Beau Bridges as Norma Rae's gentle, understanding husband stands by his woman despite his not completely comprehending or appreciating the changes that are underway in his wife's character.
"Norma Rae" is an outstanding film, well directed by Martin Ritt, beautifully written by Frank and Ravetch, and performed with heart by Field, Leibman, and Bridges. Although the movie has probably stained the image of the U.S. textile industry for good, "Norma Rae" also established Sally Field as an actress of the first order and remains an engrossing human story of a woman's growth into maturity and her discovery of previously unrealized potential within herself.
Sally Field More Serious Than With the Bandit
gavin694215 January 2016
A young single mother and textile worker (Sally Field) agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.
The story is based on Crystal Lee Sutton's life as a textile worker in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, where the battle for the workers union took place against a J.P. Stevens Textiles mill. How much is true and how much is fiction, I have no idea. My suspicion is that the bulk is fiction, because the film is called "Norma Rae" and not "Crystal Lee".
This film has to be the highlight of Martin Ritt's career. Not only does it have some nice awards (cementing Field's career), but it now sits in the Library of Congress. The only other Ritt film that comes close is "Hud" (1963).
The story is based on Crystal Lee Sutton's life as a textile worker in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, where the battle for the workers union took place against a J.P. Stevens Textiles mill. How much is true and how much is fiction, I have no idea. My suspicion is that the bulk is fiction, because the film is called "Norma Rae" and not "Crystal Lee".
This film has to be the highlight of Martin Ritt's career. Not only does it have some nice awards (cementing Field's career), but it now sits in the Library of Congress. The only other Ritt film that comes close is "Hud" (1963).
All it takes is one voice to raise ...
ElMaruecan8212 May 2013
Norma Rae lives in a small Southern town in her parents' home with two kids from different fathers. She's a good Christian (with "a lapse or two" as would say the priest) who goes regularly to the church and sings in the choir. Like her parents, like most of the townspeople, she works on the cotton mill, and she wouldn't be surprised if her children followed the same path. As the song says "it goes like it goes" and this is how things go for Norma Rae.
Martin Ritt directs every scene in the kind of documentary-like minimalism that was slowly fading from the screens in the late 70's, the New Hollywood parenthesis was soon to be closed for more commercial movies, and those like "Norma Rae" represented a last breath of freshness before the age of prefabricated entertainment. The realism of "Norma Rae" is constant, following a straight-to-the-point screenplay. As a result, it never loses its track by creating some glimpses of romances or sentimentality, as if it deliberately embodied the common attitude of the factory workers, real no-nonsense people who talk like they think and try not to think too much.
The film opens with pictures of a little girl; we recognize the eyes and smile of Sally Field. The point is to show that this little girl could have been any little girl, except that her background immediately conditioned her life. That's why she accepts it, and that's why most people accept it. It's not fatality but a form of wisdom, of acceptation that life is mostly made of struggle and effort, and that some places in the country are so modest the sun-rays of the American Dream can't touch them. The town epitomizes the darkest aspects of capitalism: less the minimum wages, the layoffs or the hellish conditions of work than the workers' submission to a modern form of slavery, and their reluctance to form a union.
The situation is unbelievable and intolerable, for us. But that's the crisis-stricken America of the 70's and people were no different from their elders of the Great Depression. And as I mentioned before, people didn't think too much, it obviously took some knowledge to speak about people's rights, and when education was lacking, silence was still a better option. "Norma Rae" chronicles the evolution of a woman who was no more or no less brave, intelligent or capable than her co-workers,but she was the first to follow an intruding union organizer from New York Ron Leibman as Reuben Warshowsky, because at least, she was the first to have faith in his fight.
And this faith doesn't come from nowhere. The film starts with Norma Rae's mother (Barbara Baxley) temporarily losing her audition because of all the machinery's noises, later, it's made clear that her father (Pat Hingle) has a heart condition. Norma Rae paid too much a price for the factory and Reuben's arrival coincided with a time where she couldn't take it anymore, before the power, she had the anger and that was enough. As for Reuben, he crystallizes everything Norma Rae is not, he's from the city, educated, street-smart, politically engaged, and even his Jewish background accentuates his status as a 'foreigner' and awakens a latent form of Anti-Semitism. But Norma Rae is fascinated by these differences because anything different from her world can't be that bad.
A total metamorphosis would have damaged the film's credibility, but Norma Rae changes without ever changing. It's impossible to review the film without applauding Sally Fields' performance that swept off all the main acting awards that year. With her nasal voice, short temper, and frail silhouette that contrast with the goons surrounding her, Norma Rae is the perfect incarnation of the 'little people', there's a fire burning inside her, but she's constantly underestimated and patronized. And with the help of Reuben, she'll learn how to raise her voice enough to be heard. The film tactfully avoids some clichés like having a romance, or turning her new husband, played by Beau Bridges, into a jealous and bitter man, it keeps focused on Norma Rae, her personal evolution and America's average working conditions in factories.
The evolution reaches a pinnacle during the film's most iconic moment, that elevated Norma Rae to one of American Cinema's greatest heroines. Forced to leave the factory, as a last resort, she writes UNION in a piece of cardboard and turns it to every worker. One by one, they stop their machine. At the end, the factory is silent but this time, it's an eloquent silence that exudes what has been restrained during so many years. It's a silence that resonates as the loud sound of solidarity. After the incident, Norma is put in jail, and finally breakdowns in Reuben's car, in what I thought, was the most powerful moment of the film, because true to life. Because that's how a real woman would have felt, no matter what Reuben had to endure, she was still the daughter of these American little towns where people have two names.
The following scene might be too sentimental but it's crucial because it illustrates the deep changes in Norma Rae's personality, she tells her children about her past, her present so that they wouldn't learn it from strangers. They listen, nod, and go to sleep, then she's joined by her husband and become again the loving housewife she is. Everything will be different from there, but her conscience is clear and she knows no one would ever judge her, because at least, she stood up for her beliefs.
And if "Norma Rae" is about anything, it's precisely the courage to stand up against injustice, even when we're alone, or especially when we're alone, because an injustice is only the sum of individual ones, and if they can't raise their voice, one must show the example. It goes like it goes but this is the only way it goes to victory ...
Martin Ritt directs every scene in the kind of documentary-like minimalism that was slowly fading from the screens in the late 70's, the New Hollywood parenthesis was soon to be closed for more commercial movies, and those like "Norma Rae" represented a last breath of freshness before the age of prefabricated entertainment. The realism of "Norma Rae" is constant, following a straight-to-the-point screenplay. As a result, it never loses its track by creating some glimpses of romances or sentimentality, as if it deliberately embodied the common attitude of the factory workers, real no-nonsense people who talk like they think and try not to think too much.
The film opens with pictures of a little girl; we recognize the eyes and smile of Sally Field. The point is to show that this little girl could have been any little girl, except that her background immediately conditioned her life. That's why she accepts it, and that's why most people accept it. It's not fatality but a form of wisdom, of acceptation that life is mostly made of struggle and effort, and that some places in the country are so modest the sun-rays of the American Dream can't touch them. The town epitomizes the darkest aspects of capitalism: less the minimum wages, the layoffs or the hellish conditions of work than the workers' submission to a modern form of slavery, and their reluctance to form a union.
The situation is unbelievable and intolerable, for us. But that's the crisis-stricken America of the 70's and people were no different from their elders of the Great Depression. And as I mentioned before, people didn't think too much, it obviously took some knowledge to speak about people's rights, and when education was lacking, silence was still a better option. "Norma Rae" chronicles the evolution of a woman who was no more or no less brave, intelligent or capable than her co-workers,but she was the first to follow an intruding union organizer from New York Ron Leibman as Reuben Warshowsky, because at least, she was the first to have faith in his fight.
And this faith doesn't come from nowhere. The film starts with Norma Rae's mother (Barbara Baxley) temporarily losing her audition because of all the machinery's noises, later, it's made clear that her father (Pat Hingle) has a heart condition. Norma Rae paid too much a price for the factory and Reuben's arrival coincided with a time where she couldn't take it anymore, before the power, she had the anger and that was enough. As for Reuben, he crystallizes everything Norma Rae is not, he's from the city, educated, street-smart, politically engaged, and even his Jewish background accentuates his status as a 'foreigner' and awakens a latent form of Anti-Semitism. But Norma Rae is fascinated by these differences because anything different from her world can't be that bad.
A total metamorphosis would have damaged the film's credibility, but Norma Rae changes without ever changing. It's impossible to review the film without applauding Sally Fields' performance that swept off all the main acting awards that year. With her nasal voice, short temper, and frail silhouette that contrast with the goons surrounding her, Norma Rae is the perfect incarnation of the 'little people', there's a fire burning inside her, but she's constantly underestimated and patronized. And with the help of Reuben, she'll learn how to raise her voice enough to be heard. The film tactfully avoids some clichés like having a romance, or turning her new husband, played by Beau Bridges, into a jealous and bitter man, it keeps focused on Norma Rae, her personal evolution and America's average working conditions in factories.
The evolution reaches a pinnacle during the film's most iconic moment, that elevated Norma Rae to one of American Cinema's greatest heroines. Forced to leave the factory, as a last resort, she writes UNION in a piece of cardboard and turns it to every worker. One by one, they stop their machine. At the end, the factory is silent but this time, it's an eloquent silence that exudes what has been restrained during so many years. It's a silence that resonates as the loud sound of solidarity. After the incident, Norma is put in jail, and finally breakdowns in Reuben's car, in what I thought, was the most powerful moment of the film, because true to life. Because that's how a real woman would have felt, no matter what Reuben had to endure, she was still the daughter of these American little towns where people have two names.
The following scene might be too sentimental but it's crucial because it illustrates the deep changes in Norma Rae's personality, she tells her children about her past, her present so that they wouldn't learn it from strangers. They listen, nod, and go to sleep, then she's joined by her husband and become again the loving housewife she is. Everything will be different from there, but her conscience is clear and she knows no one would ever judge her, because at least, she stood up for her beliefs.
And if "Norma Rae" is about anything, it's precisely the courage to stand up against injustice, even when we're alone, or especially when we're alone, because an injustice is only the sum of individual ones, and if they can't raise their voice, one must show the example. It goes like it goes but this is the only way it goes to victory ...
Good acting in a movie good not because of the story but the characters...
Enchorde21 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Recap: Norma Rae is a single mother of two, living with her two parents in a small town in the south of USA. The textile industry is the major employer and entire families work there. But the pay is bad, the workplace unsafe and work long and hard. Then directly from New York comes Reuben, an union-organizer, to unite the workers and start a union. Neither the workers nor the managers want him there though and Reuben has little progress. But finally, with the aid of Norma Rae, now married again with Sonny, they have some luck. But the opposition is still very strong and management have some tricks up their sleeve.
Comments: A interesting story, not really about the start of a union, but about a strong woman that breaks most rules and norms. She does not do like women were supposed to do, she has affairs, she speaks her mind and she does certainly not put the meal on the table when her husband comes home. She is instead making a place for herself, and in the process, she fights for the rights of the workers. But being the one that spearheads a new way of living is not easy, and Norma has to fight for every step she takes. She has the support of her husband (although her marriage is not without friction) and the aid of Reuben. But their relationship is not simple. Reuben has a completely different background than Norma, and that leads to small collisions sometimes at the same time it is a base of interest and attraction. This is movie to watch for solely on the development of Norma and her relationships.
The movie won two Oscars. One went to Sally Field for her portrayal of Norma Rae, the other was for Best Music, Original Song. The first one I can understand. Sally Field does do a really good job with her character Norma Rae. She couldn't have done it without the supporting cast, but their performances are really good too. The other one, I can't understand. It is almost the only song in the movie, played at the beginning and the end, and I find it scary. It makes me think of Hitchcock rather than Sally Field...
6/10
Comments: A interesting story, not really about the start of a union, but about a strong woman that breaks most rules and norms. She does not do like women were supposed to do, she has affairs, she speaks her mind and she does certainly not put the meal on the table when her husband comes home. She is instead making a place for herself, and in the process, she fights for the rights of the workers. But being the one that spearheads a new way of living is not easy, and Norma has to fight for every step she takes. She has the support of her husband (although her marriage is not without friction) and the aid of Reuben. But their relationship is not simple. Reuben has a completely different background than Norma, and that leads to small collisions sometimes at the same time it is a base of interest and attraction. This is movie to watch for solely on the development of Norma and her relationships.
The movie won two Oscars. One went to Sally Field for her portrayal of Norma Rae, the other was for Best Music, Original Song. The first one I can understand. Sally Field does do a really good job with her character Norma Rae. She couldn't have done it without the supporting cast, but their performances are really good too. The other one, I can't understand. It is almost the only song in the movie, played at the beginning and the end, and I find it scary. It makes me think of Hitchcock rather than Sally Field...
6/10
Well worth your time....
planktonrules18 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This is the first film that earned Sally Field an Oscar--in the title role. "Norma Rae" is a slightly fictionalized retelling of a real-life series of events (among other things, the names have been changed). It's set in a textile town in North Carolina. When a union organizer comes to town, the workers are very leery about talking with him or joining the union. However, eventually Norma Rae and a few others join. However, they face intimidation, job loss and perhaps worse if they join--even though this is a violation of the law. It seems in this town, what the mill owners want, the mill owners get. Can Norma Rae survive and win against a huge machine bent on crushing the union?
This is a very compelling story--especially since these places were terrible places to work--with low wages, brown lung (a fatal disease caused by inhaling cotton fibers) and bosses who have a 'take it or leave it' attitude about the employees. Ironically, in real life, after the mill workers eventually unionized, slowly the mills began to close and jobs were sent abroad. Today you'd barely know that North Carolina was once a huge textile producing state.
Overall, a very good film with a nice performance by Field and was her breakout movie role. I liked how the leading character was, at the beginning, a complete screw-up in life. But, as the film progressed, she grew up and became so much more. The plot was compelling, interesting and, at times, exciting. Not a great film but a very, very good one--and well worth your time.
It's funny, but my wife seemed to have no interest in watching this film. Because her family comes from North Carolina and practically all of them worked in the mills decades ago she'd be interested...but she wasn't. Perhaps it's too depressing for her to think of her parents and grandparents working such a low paying and thankless job. Regardless, when she saw I was watching "Norma Rae", she left to find something else to do!
By the way, this movie repeats an often repeated line as the Sheriff tells Norma Rae (after she's arrested) "You got one phone call...". You CAN and do have more than one phone call--it's just a movie/TV myth that it's only one.
This is a very compelling story--especially since these places were terrible places to work--with low wages, brown lung (a fatal disease caused by inhaling cotton fibers) and bosses who have a 'take it or leave it' attitude about the employees. Ironically, in real life, after the mill workers eventually unionized, slowly the mills began to close and jobs were sent abroad. Today you'd barely know that North Carolina was once a huge textile producing state.
Overall, a very good film with a nice performance by Field and was her breakout movie role. I liked how the leading character was, at the beginning, a complete screw-up in life. But, as the film progressed, she grew up and became so much more. The plot was compelling, interesting and, at times, exciting. Not a great film but a very, very good one--and well worth your time.
It's funny, but my wife seemed to have no interest in watching this film. Because her family comes from North Carolina and practically all of them worked in the mills decades ago she'd be interested...but she wasn't. Perhaps it's too depressing for her to think of her parents and grandparents working such a low paying and thankless job. Regardless, when she saw I was watching "Norma Rae", she left to find something else to do!
By the way, this movie repeats an often repeated line as the Sheriff tells Norma Rae (after she's arrested) "You got one phone call...". You CAN and do have more than one phone call--it's just a movie/TV myth that it's only one.
Sally Field
AaronCapenBanner15 October 2013
Martin Ritt directed Sally Field to a best actress Academy Award in this biography of southern factory textile worker Norma Rae who meets Union organizer Reuben(played by Ron Leibman) who enlists her to help him organize her factory. Though reluctant, an incident with her father(played by Pat Hingle) who also works at the factory, inspires her to help, leading to hatred from management, which only escalates until she stands up with a "Union" sign...Beau Bridges plays her sympathetic husband Sonny.
One the one hand, this is an expertly made and acted drama, with Field unforgettable in the lead. On the other, it must be acknowledged that this is lopsided dramatic storytelling bordering on propaganda, since no(and I mean zero!) attempt is made to show management POV, or indeed to humanize them, which weakens this film a bit, though its central message of course is well taken, and film can still be appreciated as long as viewer is aware of this narrative bias.
One the one hand, this is an expertly made and acted drama, with Field unforgettable in the lead. On the other, it must be acknowledged that this is lopsided dramatic storytelling bordering on propaganda, since no(and I mean zero!) attempt is made to show management POV, or indeed to humanize them, which weakens this film a bit, though its central message of course is well taken, and film can still be appreciated as long as viewer is aware of this narrative bias.
Late Seventies union propaganda
smatysia18 February 2013
A good acting vehicle for Sally Field, who did show her chops. She only occasionally overdoes the Southern accent. The plot is about union organizing in a Southern textile mill. Surprisingly they do not go too far in depicting management recalcitrance, not even portraying violence from them. Less surprisingly, they also ignore union violence and intimidation, a standard tactic. Well, the textile industry did unionize in the Seventies and Eighties, and it died in the Nineties. All those jobs are now in Guatemala and Bangladesh. Interestingly, the only real energy left in the union movement is in government workers, as they have no competition to hold back union excesses.
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