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.