Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff: An Expanded Guide to Films About Labor (ILR Press books) (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The revised and expanded edition of Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff offers 350 titles compared to the original edition’s 150. The new book is global in scope, with examples of labor films from around the world. Viewers can turn to this comprehensive, annotated guide for films about unions or labor organizations; labor history; working-class life where an economic factor is significant; political movements if they are tied closely to organized labor; production or the struggle between labor and capital from a "top-down"—either entrepreneurial or managerial—perspective.

Each entry includes a critical commentary, production data, cast list, MPAA rating (if any), suggested related films, annotated references to books and websites for further reading, and information about availability of films for rental and/or purchase. This edition addresses both historical and contemporary films and features many more documentaries and hard-to-find information about agitprop and union-financed films. Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff: An Expanded Guide to Films about Labor features fifty-eight production stills and frame enlargements. It also includes a greatly expanded Thematic Index of Films. Two new sections will help the reader discover labor films in chronological order or by nationality or affiliation with certain cinematic movements. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Inside Flap

"Comprehensive, richly informed, sound in its judgments and highly entertaining, Working Stiffs is an invaluable reference tool for scholars in a wide variety of fields. It’s also a treasure for non-specialist fans like myself who sometimes get lost without a paddle in video stores."—Benjamin DeMott

"Tom Zaniello’s encyclopedic guide is an indispensable contribution to film and labor studies as well as to the community of labor activists and others concerned with labor issues. Its inclusive sweep is an inspiring reminder of the diversity and complexity of film’s treatment of labor and working people, locally and globally. Zaniello’s guide to important but hard-to-get or unavailable films celebrates social commitment in film and protests its erasure."—Linda Dittmar, University of Massachusetts, Boston

"With close attention to detail, Tom Zaniello has created a long overdue guide to films that tell entertaining and heartfelt stories of working people—stories that are as vital today as ever before. It would take years to find all the information contained in this one book. Working Stiffs, Union Maids, Reds, and Riffraff is a wonderful compilation of hidden treasures for audiences everywhere."—Barbara Kopple, filmmaker --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 434 pages
• Publisher: ILR Press (June 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801488516
• ISBN-13: 978-0801488511
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #965,287 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)