Norma Rae

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Veteran director Martin Ritt (Sounder) directed this earnest and very popular tale of a naive textile worker, widow, and mother in the U.S. South who becomes empowered by standing up for her rights in the workplace. Sally Field stars in the Oscar-winning title role as a woman who has been content to go along with the status quo until she realizes that she is entitled to more and can succeed if she stands up for herself. Her fight to improve deplorable working conditions at the textile plant causes a rift between her and the people closest to her, but her determination brings a new awareness to her and to all the women with whom she works. Ritt's typical, socially conscious story uses the politics of Norma Rae's struggle and also its emotions to build the film to a rousing climax. --Robert Lane

Description

In an Oscar-winning performance, Sally Field is unforgettable as Norma Rae, the Southern millworker who revolutionizes a small town and discovers a power in herself she never had. Under the guidance of a New York unionizer (Ron Leibman) and with increasing courage and determination, Norma Rae organizes her fellow factory workers to fight for better conditions and wages. Based on a true story, Norma Rae is the mesmerizing tale of a modern day heroine. Beau Bridges co-stars.

Customer Reviews:

Norma Rae.......2007-07-04

The diminutive but plucky Field, who got her start playing Gidget on television, achieved breakout movie stardom with her assured, Oscar-winning performance as Norma Rae, who evolves from pliant employee to impassioned agitator for workers' rights. The interplay between Norma Rae and unlikely ally Reuben (Leibman) is interesting to watch, but ultimately it's the emergence of Norma Rae's righteous fire that's most memorable, reminding us that in this country, fighting for the fair treatment of working people is both a right and necessity.

Norma Rae.......2007-03-23

The DVD arrived in excellent condition. Have been away and have not had time to view it yet.

One of the Best.......2007-03-08

This film is immense. The power of one person to move the hearts and souls of others is incredible. Sally Field is the consumate actor. This is the type of story that brings you into the cause right along with the rest of the cast.
One can only hope that this film gets the gift of re-release for it's 30th anniversary.
A must see for all people, all ages. The constant reminder to stand up for your beliefs to bring about change.

Union! Union! Union!.......2006-12-06

If you love great acting, memorable dialogue, unforgettable scenes that stay with you since the 1979 movie debut, and if you adore socially conscious films where the underdog outwits the oppressor, then Norma Rae is the film to return to.

Based on a true story about a Southern textile mill and attempts by a northern union organizer to form the first union, Norma Rae is fiction, not fact. Sally Field (b. 1946) as Norma Rae won a well-deserved Oscar in her embittered battle against hardnosed union management who turned a blind eye to the legitimate complaints of their long-suffering workers: excruciatingly high noise levels which deafened some employees, cotton fibers at the mill which caused lung disease, and scant wages barely higher than a sweat shop's for backbreaking work that literally killed some of the mill's loyal employees.

Management didn't care. After all, they were the only company in town. But Sally Field, egged on and smitten by a union representative from New York, brilliantly and subtly played by Ron Leibman (b. 1937), was a pawn in his hand. Had she not met Leibman it is doubtful that she would have risen to power in the never-named southern factory, which is really the famous J.P.Stevens out of North Carolina. The movie was filmed in Alabama.

The delightful culture and sense of place of the South is evoked, including choirsinging in churches, fire & brimstone preachers, and baking of delicious pies. Since I'd seen the film when it first came out, I was awaiting my favorite moment, one of the great moments in all of moviedom: the suspensful climax where Field climbs up on the table holding out a sign reading Union and turns round and round until each employee shuts off the deafening machine he or she is working at.

A viewer can't ask for anything as tearjerkingly emotional as that!

Field's character, with poor self-respect and children by different men, evolves into a character with dignity, thanks to her platonic relationship with Leibman. When her husband asks, "Are you sleeping with him?" she utters the classic lines, "No, but he's in my mind." That happily clinches the relationship for Field and her husband, endearingly played by Beau Bridges (b. 1941 and son of Sea-Hunt Lloyd) and he vows to love Sally all the more.

Feisty, fervent, and flamboyant describe our riveting heroine, a true joy to behold, with her skinny sexy body that, to me, anyway, seems to long for her Jewish mentor and teacher, Leibman, the man who has opened her eyes to the larger world of culture, books and catching your dreams. For him, she begins reading one of his favorite poets, Dylan Thomas. He's had the power to change this plain woman with poor morals into a strong outspoken survivor.

Is Leibman just using her to get the union started? No,they part with genuine respect for one another, sealed by a handshake. An earlier scene shows them taking a delightful skinnydip together. Leibman is always a calm force to Field's tempestuous behavior.

However, it may be that socially conscious director Martin Ritt (1914-1990) blacklisted during the McCarthy era, just may have been using the real Norma Rae - Crystal Lee Sutton - since she didn't receive a cent from the film. However, Crystal states in later interviews she enjoyed the film and the attention.

In a memorable line, Leibman asks, "Why is it all you southerners have three names?"

Watch the movie to experience the thrill of defiance and winning. Watch it to root for Sally Field to take on the establishment and, glory be, to win!

Pedagogy of the Oppressed in Norma Rae.......2006-10-07

While watching Reuben interact with the factory workers, I am reminded of a resounding theme backed by a specific paragraph from Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. On page 65 Freire states that "attempting to liberate the oppressed without their reflective participation in the act of liberation is to treat them as objects which must be saved from a burning building." This thought is also reinforced on page 94 with the excerpt from the Selected Works of Mao-Tse-Tung, Vol. III. It states that "All work done for the masses must start from their needs and not from the desire of any individual, however well-intentioned.... There are two principles here: one is the actual needs of the masses rather than what we fancy they need, and the other is the wishes of the masses, who must make up their own minds instead of our making their minds for them."

It was very clear that the factory workers (masses) needed a change. The working environment was hazardous to their daily health, the pay was horrendous and the treatment was detrimental to people's spirits. However, this is the view of the "liberator" and not of the oppressed. A significant portion of the factory workers (as demonstrated by the vote) were not yet conscious of their needs and not yet willing to make the change. This was true for the majority of the workers at the beginning of the movie. While Reuben managed to change some of their minds, it was not done through dialogue. I never once felt that Reuben trusted in the factory worker's ability to reason and to come to this decision (the need for a union) on their own. To me, Reuben always prescribed to the banking concept of education. He deposited information (in the forms of speeches and leaflets) and expected the factory workers to accept it as truth and to follow along.

The funny thing is, this is not done out of malice. I do believe that his intentions were sincere but like many individuals who feel the need to "liberate" the oppressed, they subconsciously see a cause and not actual people.

Average customer rating:

Norma Rae //Working Girl

Norma Rae / Working Girl
Starring: Norma Rae , and Working Girl
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000KGGIXC
Release Date: 2006-12-05

Amazon.com

Norma Rae: Veteran director Martin Ritt (Sounder) directed this earnest and very popular tale of a naive textile worker, widow, and mother in the U.S. South who becomes empowered by standing up for her rights in the workplace. Sally Field stars in the Oscar-winning title role as a woman who has been content to go along with the status quo until she realizes that she is entitled to more and can succeed if she stands up for herself. Her fight to improve deplorable working conditions at the textile plant causes a rift between her and the people closest to her, but her determination brings a new awareness to her and to all the women with whom she works. Ritt's typical, socially conscious story uses the politics of Norma Rae's struggle and also its emotions to build the film to a rousing climax. --Robert Lane

Working Girl: Melanie Griffith had a fling with stardom in this Mike Nichols comedy about an executive secretary (Griffith) who can't get her deserved shot at upward mobility in the brokerage industry. Hardly taken seriously by male bosses, things aren't really any better for her once she starts working for a female exec (Sigourney Weaver, never more delightful), a narcissist with a boy-toy banker (Harrison Ford) and a tendency to steal the best ideas from her underlings. When Weaver's character is laid up with a broken leg, Griffith poses as a replacement wheeler-dealer, flirting with Ford and working on a new client who doesn't suspect the deception. Nichols brings a lot of snap and sass to Kevin Wade's smart script about chafing against class restrictions and perceptions. Sundry scenes are played quite charmingly, especially those of Griffith and Ford's mutual pickup in a bar and Joan Cusack's championing of Griffith's crusade. Nominated for Best Picture, Director, Actress (Griffith), and two Supporting Actress awards (Weaver, Cusack); Carly Simon's song "Let the River Run" won the Oscar. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Norma Rae //Working Girl.......2007-06-02

These are two very good movies at a very reasonable rate.

Average customer rating:

Not as bad as other's are saying it is
umm ok. revised review.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Great cast-poor movie
It's decent

Hideaway
Starring: Jeff Goldblum , Christine Lahti , Alicia Silverstone , Jeremy Sisto , and Alfred Molina
Director: Brett Leonard
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
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ASIN: B00004W228
Release Date: 2000-10-03

Customer Reviews:

Not as bad as other's are saying it is.......2007-05-15

If you can mix the movies of "Dead Zone", "Pet Cemetery", "Copy Cat" and "Ghost" you have this one. It is a little different take on the "after" life and death experience and what comes of it. It is not bad for it's age and the story does at times take on an "unbelievable" turn at times, but all in all it isn't that bad. The cast is a very strong cast and it is well acted. I am one for B movies and this is much better than a B movie. See it for yourself. I liked it. I recommend this movie to anyone that likes a little of the "unbelievable" mixed with a thriller all in one.

umm ok. revised review........2005-11-26

With the name Alfred Molina, a distiguished actor from scores of films and such films as Chocolate and Spiderman 2, you would think that n e movie is worth watching with him in it. Well this isnt one of those films. Films like this inspire you to never want to watch a book to movie adaptation of Dean Koontz. His books are abused more then any author i have seen. This one was bad enough he wanted his name off of it. You know its bad when the author of the book wants nothing to do with it. But ill give a rundown of the movie because im watching it right now to make it a more detailed review.

The start of the film starts off promising and makes the viewer think(if they have read the book first) that its going to follow the story line close enough to keep the spiritual core in place. But i found myself drifting once they showed the horrible special effects of what was supposed to be hell. After that it was all downhill. Now the fault lies not with the actors although there is a lot of overacting to be had. The fault is the script adaptation. The lines are beyond ridiculus and are hardly believeable especially when overacted, like a memorable scene where hatch is speeding home and seeing through the psychic link the killer nabbing his daughter. The look alone betrays how badly the script was written and the director is clearly inept to direct anything and should be forbidden to make any more movies.

Explaining the synopsis is a plain waste of time because the book is butchered beyond recognition. But ill move on to the descrepincies between book and movie, which are numerous in number.
1. According to the movie, Hatch and Lindsey had 2 daughters. One was killed in a car wreck and the other is Regina. The readers of the book will realize they subsituted the 10 yr bright Regina for a 16 yr old snotty and spoiled version. I myself had wanted to see the Regina from the book brought to life but sadly this is not the case.
2.The movie has Hatch see a psychic, who apparently has precognitive powers.The movie is almost given away at the exact moment Hatch walked through the door. This is a fabricated moment because this never took place in the book.
3.The grotesque tableau of dead bodies in the book are gruesomely detailed and show the psychotic serial killer at work. But the movie completely changes it. Instead of the bodies being his art, a giant steel gaping monster is the centerpiece and isnt that frightening at all. You dont get the sense of a unique killer. He seems run of the mill psycho.
4. Dr. Jona is the father of this killer but in the movie he dies by his hand. The book is a great deal different in that he has little role in the actual events of the book but has a minor role. He quits his right job and becomes a vet.
All in all this movie is a waste and im losing braincells watching it right now. Im going to use it as a coaster. Its more entertaining then watching it.

SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.......2005-11-20

It's reported that Dean Koontz, who wrote the bestseller upon which this film is based, begged the producers to take his name off the opening credits--he was that disappointed. Having read and enjoyed the book much more than this film version, I can understand why. The screenwriters opted to focus on Patch's deceased daughter rather than the spiritual forces that propelled the novel's plot. Jeremy Sisto was also seriously miscast as the villain, appearing much too effeminate and non-threatening as compared to the book's bad guy. Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Alicia Silverstone and Alfred Molina do okay, but they are overcome by the writer's ineffectiveness. The special effects are rather banal as well, but you may find yourself immersed in the film's atmospheric setting. Just should have been much better.

Great cast-poor movie.......2005-05-04

Very poor script with a great cast--I love Jeff Goldblum and Alicia Silverstone but what are they doing in such a stupid movie? The effects are so fake that it is insulting--the storyline starts out good but becomes very stupid as the movie goes on. Jeff plays a father with a head trip-he died and came back-saw his deceased daughter on the way. Jeff is very good in these roles but this is a little far fetched. The serial killer part is cool but the connection is a little off. The ending is very predictable and you wonder why you watched the movie in the first place. Avoid this one Jeff Goldblum fans!!!

It's decent.......2004-11-30

I have to say, I was fairly underwhelmed by this film. I have not read the book, but I have a feeling that it is much better than this.

Even with all the short comings the movie is decent, but it has some major flaws. For starters, the direction is horrid. The film seems flat, and almost made for TV at times. There is no tightness, nothing close. That hurts the movie a great deal, because the lack of any claustrophobia cuts the tension down immensly. There is only a few short moments where there are any real scares (the begining, and a few of the Sisto in the shower moments), but other than that there is hardly anything here to really scare the audience. The second problem is how the movie seems to glaze over some of the more violent aspects. Yes, there are on screen murders, but they are so tame that the horror of the moment is lost. It all feels very by the numbers as well. The final problem is the acting. Everyone here seems to be trying, but the script gives them very little to work with at times, and because of this, the acting is very on and off. Jeremy Sisto suffers the most in this area. His performances goes from dark and menacing to horridly over the top, and almost pushes this entire affair in to B-movie territory. Jeff Goldblum suffers from the same problem. Christine Lahti has some nice moments, especially towards the end while she is fighting Jeremy, but she also slips in to some over acting. Alicia Silverstone is there, and not much else. She really has no character or than the hostage. The rest of the cast is fine.

The movie does have some very interesting set designs, and the story does have it's cool moments (although those moments are hurt by the very blah pacing).

Now, the movie is far from horrible. It is entertaining to a degree, and has some very interesting sequences (the hell and heaven stuff does look horribly dated due to the reliance on computer graphics though). Also, it is always fun to see some fairly well known actors in a fairly cheesy horror movie. I would recommend renting it, and if you can find the DVD or VHS for really cheap, then grab it. Otherwise, this one can warrant a miss.

Blue Collar [NON-US Format, Pal, Region2, Import - Great Britain]

Average customer rating:

Blue Collar [NON-US Format, Pal, Region2, Import - Great Britain]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 8371979525

Product Description

Amazon.com Paul Schrader had established his reputation as a screenwriter (The Yakuza and Taxi Driver, among others) before embarking on his directorial debut. Blue Collar is the story of three working-class guys at the Checker auto plant who run their local union office. Richard Pryor delivers a funny, passionate, seething performance in one of his rare dramatic roles as a rabble-rousing union man. Trapped by family worries and crippling back taxes, he dreams up the robbery after scoping out the joint and enlists his coworker and buddies, family man Harvey Keitel and high-living bachelor Yaphet Kotto, who are in similar financial straits. This is a strictly amateur-hour heist, and their successful getaway is the last bit of good luck in store for the trio. The robbery turns up no cash, only incriminating files, and the inept thieves are soon blackmailing the powerful union, which fights back with force, seduction, and murder. Schrader's first film has little of the polish or style he developed by American Gigolo, but his portrait of lower middle class families in 1970s Detroit, interracial relations, and male camaraderie is sharp and insightful. His attention to detail shows in every frame and adds to the edgy material, which balances the thriller plot with social commentary about corruption, labor relations, and the lure of power. Schrader's later films show more subtlety and cinematic confidence, but time hasn't dimmed the power he unleashes in this angry working class drama. The DVD features commentary by Paul Schrader, his first such audio track, guided and prodded by critic Maitland McDonagh, who does her best to draw the director out of his long silences and launch him into his fascinating production stories. --Sean Axmaker

Average customer rating:

Not as bad as other's are saying it is
umm ok. revised review.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Great cast-poor movie
It's decent

Hideaway [Region 2]
Starring: Jeff Goldblum , Christine Lahti , Alicia Silverstone , Jeremy Sisto , and Alfred Molina
Director: Brett Leonard
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004RYSY

Customer Reviews:

Not as bad as other's are saying it is.......2007-05-15

umm ok. revised review........2005-11-26

SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.......2005-11-20

Great cast-poor movie.......2005-05-04

It's decent.......2004-11-30

Average customer rating:

Not as bad as other's are saying it is
umm ok. revised review.
SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
Great cast-poor movie
It's decent

Hideaway [Region 2]
Starring: Jeff Goldblum , Christine Lahti , Alicia Silverstone , Jeremy Sisto , and Alfred Molina
Director: Brett Leonard
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00004CZN6

Customer Reviews:

Not as bad as other's are saying it is.......2007-05-15

umm ok. revised review........2005-11-26

SHOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.......2005-11-20

Great cast-poor movie.......2005-05-04

It's decent.......2004-11-30

Average customer rating:

Norma Rae
Norma Rae
One of the Best
Union! Union! Union!
Pedagogy of the Oppressed in Norma Rae

Norma Rae [Region 2]

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00019HOPE

Amazon.com essential video

Customer Reviews:

Norma Rae.......2007-07-04

Norma Rae.......2007-03-23

The DVD arrived in excellent condition. Have been away and have not had time to view it yet.

One of the Best.......2007-03-08

Union! Union! Union!.......2006-12-06

Pedagogy of the Oppressed in Norma Rae.......2006-10-07

Average customer rating:

A REALLY BAD MOVIE WITH A REALLY GOOD CAST...

Hideaway [Region 2]
Starring: Jeff Goldblum , Christine Lahti , Alicia Silverstone , Jeremy Sisto , and Alfred Molina
Director: Brett Leonard
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004VXY2

Customer Reviews:

A REALLY BAD MOVIE WITH A REALLY GOOD CAST..........2006-04-26

Despite a stellar cast, Jeff Goldblum, Christine Lahti, Alicia Silverstone, and Alfred Molina, who do their best with a really bad script based on the Dean Koontz novel of the same name, this movie is a stinker. Even the special effects are bad. It is so bad that Dean Koontz tried to disassociate himself from the film, with good reason.

The basic premise of the movie has to do with a family man (Jeff Goldblum), who dies in an accident and is brought back to life through the extraordinary intervention of a doctor (Alfred Molina). Though the doctor's efforts appeared at first blush to have been successful, our family man now seems to be psychically linked to someone else, a psycopathic killer who happens to be a satanist. Of course, it turns out that this killer was also brought back from the dead by the very same doctor. What happens next is too stupid for words. Save your money. Do not buy this movie.

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