The Passaic Textile Strike (1926) User Reviews

Rediscovered PASSAIC TEXTILE STRIKE footage

[siss400 · 7/10 · 28 July 2012]

When the NYU Tamiment Library acquired the Communist Party USA collection in 2006, a few hundred reels of films came with it. The librarians' initial inventory led to a significant find: a nitrate print of The Passaic Textile Strike (1926), a storied film sponsored by International Workers Aid to convey labor's perspective on the strike by mill workers in New Jersey. However, only an incomplete version was known to exist, with 2 reels lost. Those reels were found.

The deteriorating nitrate went to the Library of Congress, which had previously preserved the other 5 reels. George Willeman is working to salvage as much of the rediscovered footage as possible. George will tell us more at Orphans 6. Meanwhile, you are here among the first to see these samples of PASSAIC footage he has been able to rescue. (Courtesy of LOC and Tamiment Library.)

SOURCE: the Orphan Film Symposium

posted at 2/12/2008

This review is for the prologue only

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 11 November 2010]

I have no idea if the entire 70 minute film still exists. Considering no one has reviewed it, I assume it probably is not. However, I did get a chance to see the Prologue and this review is based only on this portion.

It's interesting that according to IMDb, everyone associated with this production other than the director were all Communists. This isn't all that surprising, as in the 1920s, Communists were pretty big in the labor movement (particularly with the more radical unions like the so-called "Wobblies"). However, because of this, I have some doubts as to the truthfulness of the film in general. In other words, while there may have been some abuses like this of the worker at the time, it probably was NOT typical.

The film is a fictional story of an immigrant and his family being exploited by evil factory owners. Not only do they cut the husband's salary and work him to death, but the boss also takes time out of his schedule to rape the worker's 14 year-old daughter. And, by the end, the family is destroyed.

Despite the story coming on very strong, it was reasonably well made and probably did a great job in recruiting union members and encouraging the proletariat. Plus, for a 1920s social drama, it was reasonably well made--with decent production values and acting. An interesting curio--and one that history teachers might find particularly enjoyable.