Educational Media Reviews Online

This is a simply remarkable work that provides insight on both the national implications of the American labor movement from its inception, and the personal details of the lives of key players. The work focuses on the three Reuther brothers Walter, Victor and Roy who impelled Detroit auto workers to unionize. The film gives stark detail to the level of intimidation used by employers to resist unionization. Despite the overwhelming fear and risk of workers losing their jobs in the wake of the depression, the Reuther brothers began with organizing small sit-down strikes and eventually assembled hundreds of thousands of workers into their United Autoworkers’ Union by 1935.

As the UAW grew in size and strength over the decades, the Reuthers single heartedly confronted a climate of bitterness toward labor unions, skillfully maneuvered against obstinate politicians and corporate entities, and managed to frequently use the media to their advantage. This work explicitly spells out the strategies and vision of the Reuthers, and their understanding of the interdependence and intertwining of economics, labor, politics, and social justice. The documentary includes an exceptionally strong exposition of the UAW’s influence in the 1960s, with Reuther’s close associations with Lyndon Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the divisions within the labor movement, chiefly the divide between the AFL-CIO and the UAW in the late 1960s.

Narrated by Martin Sheen, this is a simply perfect assembly of historical evidence, including interviews with the last surviving Reuther brother. The film strikes numerous emotional chords, as in its account of the nearly fatal shooting of Walter Reuther. Not to be understated is the film’s portrayal of the impacts of the Reuther brothers as crusaders for civil rights, racial equality, and arguably the formation of the 20th century American middle class.

Awards

• Winner, Best Documentary Feature, Detroit Independent Film Festival / Michigan Film Awards
• Winner, Best Documentary Feature, Workers Unite Film Festival