Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds and Riffraff

Anyone interested in films about working people, labor activism, or related issues has had to rely until now on word of mouth for the identification and description of resources. No longer. Tom Zaniello has compiled an illustrated comprehensively annotated guide to 150 labor and labor-related films for general viewers and scholars. Features of each listing: lively and entertaining description; critical commentary; MPAA rating, if available; production details; suggested films of related interest; annotated references for further reading; and availability index indicating how readily the film can be obtained with selected address lists for films that might be harder to locate. The focus of the guide is on popular American films, although foreign films and documentaries are well represented. Films were selected on the basis of recommendations from trade unionists and labor educators within five categories: films about unions and labor organization; films about labor history; films about working-class life where an economic factor is important; films about political movements linked to organized labor, such as the Polish film "To Kill a Priest, " which is closely tied to the Solidarity Labor Movement; and films focused on production or the struggle between labor and capital from an entrepreneurial or management perspective. Zaniello includes a thematic index so that, for example, films dealing with Appalachian workers are listed together. Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff begins with a critical introduction by the author and is illustrated with more than 40 photographs.