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Norma Rae
1979 110 min United States of America PG 6+
★7.8
Drama
Director: Martin Ritt
Trailers
Description
Norma Rae is a southern textile worker employed in a factory with intolerable working conditions. This concern about the situation gives her the gumption to be the key associate to a visiting labor union organizer. Together, they undertake the difficult, and possibly dangerous, struggle to unionize her factory.
Budget:
$4.5M
US Gross:
$22.23M
Worldwide:
$22.23M
Starring
Sally Field
Actor
Beau Bridges
Actor
Ron Leibman
Actor
Awards
Academy Awards 1980
— Best Actress
Academy Awards 1980
— Best Original Song
Cannes Film Festival 1979
— Silver Award – Best Actress
Academy Awards 1980
— Best Original Song
Golden Globe 1980
— Best Screenplay
Cannes Film Festival 1979
— Silver Award – Best Actress
Academy Awards 1980
— Best Picture
Cannes Film Festival 1979
— Palme d'Or
Golden Globe 1980
— Best Actress (Drama)
Cannes Film Festival 1979
— Technical Grand Prix
Key opinion
Norma Rae is widely regarded as a significant and life-affirming portrayal of labor rights and individual empowerment in the American South. While most critics praise its authentic thematic focus and the central performance, some find the narrative presentation to be overly simplistic or melodramatic.
| Theme | The film serves as an important, relevant exploration of the necessity of unions and the struggle against capitalist exploitation. | |
| Direction | Director Martin Ritt effectively highlights the transformative journey of a timid worker into a fierce advocate for collective action. | |
| Acting | Sally Field's portrayal of Norma Rae is debated; supporters celebrate her sensual, nuanced, and Oscar-winning performance, while detractors view it as prone to overacting and lacking depth. | |
| Screenplay | Opinions on the screenplay are divided, with some finding it a compelling and realistic portrait of labor struggles, while others dismiss the dialogue and narrative beats as clichéd and shallow. |