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Norma Rae (1979)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
4 June 1979 (Denmark)
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Tagline:
The story of a woman with the courage to risk everything for what she believes is right. more
Plot:
A young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Won 2 Oscars.
Another 9 wins
&
6 nominations
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NewsDesk:
(11 articles)
Glee recap (1.09): "Wheels"
(From AfterElton.com. 12 November 2009, 7:20 AM, PST)
ReThinking Norma Rae: A Union Icon Falls Fighting the Healthcare Industry
(From Huffington Post. 16 September 2009, 11:08 AM, PDT)
(From AfterElton.com. 12 November 2009, 7:20 AM, PST)
ReThinking Norma Rae: A Union Icon Falls Fighting the Healthcare Industry
(From Huffington Post. 16 September 2009, 11:08 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
More than one actress's tour-de-force, an indelible and moving human story
more (29 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Sally Field | ... | Norma Rae |
 | Beau Bridges | ... | Sonny |
 | Ron Leibman | ... | Reuben |
| Pat Hingle | ... | Vernon |
| Barbara Baxley | ... | Leona |
| Gail Strickland | ... | Bonnie Mae |
 | Morgan Paull | ... | Wayne Billings |
| Robert Broyles | ... | Sam Bolen |
| John Calvin | ... | Ellis Harper |
| Booth Colman | ... | Dr. Watson |
 | Lee de Broux | ... | Lujan (as Lee DeBroux) |
| James Luisi | ... | George Benson |
| Vernon Weddle | ... | Reverend Hubbard |
| Gilbert Green | ... | Al Landon |
| Bob Minor | ... | Lucius White |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
110 min | Canada:96 min (Ontario) | USA:123 min (TCM print)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Norway:12 |
Iceland:L |
Canada:PG (Ontario) |
Singapore:PG |
Argentina:X (original rating) |
Argentina:13 (re-rating) |
Australia:PG |
Chile:14 |
Finland:K-16 |
USA:PG |
Netherlands:16
Filming Locations:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Goofs:
Factual errors: When Norma's father suffers a heart attack on the job, we see him as the first symptoms start until he collapses onto the textile mills floor. The problem here is that as he enters the first stages of his coronary, he grasps his RIGHT arm rather than his left. Anatomically, the nerve conduction with regards to a cardiac event, target the left arm - except in cases of extremely rare congenital abnormality (i.e. dextrocardia).
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Friends: The One Where Rachel Goes Back to Work (#9.11)" (2003)
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Soundtrack:
It's All Wrong, But It's All Right
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (29 total)
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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 ****