Charlie and the Movie Factory?
February 7, 2018 8:55 PM Subscribe
What are some cinematic portrayals of factory workers in narrative feature films, where we actually see them working at their jobs? (Not interested in television or documentaries.) Thanks!
If at all possible, links to specific scenes would be very much appreciated!
If at all possible, links to specific scenes would be very much appreciated!
What jumps to my mind immediately is the scene in Rudy where his friend dies at the steel mill. Not sure if that's what you mean though as it sounds like you want something less dramatic and more routine. I believe the steel mill is shown in other scenes but it's been a while since I watched Rudy.
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:07 PM on February 7, 2018
posted by AppleTurnover at 9:07 PM on February 7, 2018
Dancer In The Dark
Real Women Have Curves
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:31 PM on February 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
Real Women Have Curves
posted by pseudostrabismus at 9:31 PM on February 7, 2018 [4 favorites]
No link, but Toys.
posted by inexorably_forward at 10:09 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by inexorably_forward at 10:09 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
in 8 Mile, Eminem's character works at an auto plant pressing body panels. There's a scene with him operating a press making bumpers. I didn't find it on YouTube.
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 10:11 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by under_petticoat_rule at 10:11 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
Gung Ho is set in an automobile plant. There are a few scenes of H.I. working in a factory in Raising Arizona but it's not really clear what exactly he's doing.
posted by Dr. Grue at 10:13 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Dr. Grue at 10:13 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]
In The Deer Hunter, we see the characters working at their jobs at a steel mill.
posted by zsazsa at 10:20 PM on February 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by zsazsa at 10:20 PM on February 7, 2018 [2 favorites]
Les Resources Humaines, (Human Resources) is a French film about a college-age managerial intern at a manufacturing/metalworking plant where his father works in a senior blue-collar role. Ho witnesses the company's strife with its bottom line and the union representing its workers, just following the shift to 35-hour full-time weeks for the workers. It was filmed at a Renault plant, largely featuring the actual workers.
Another French movie, Le Placard (The Closet), is a comedy about a boring office-worker (played not-at-all boringly by the very funny Daniel Auteuil) at a condom factory, who is bossed and bullied at work, to the point that he is about to A) get fired and B) kill himself, when his neighbor both prevents the suicide and offers him a solution to his bullying problem: start a rumor that he's homosexual.
Seconding Dancer in the Dark (both uplifting and super-melancholy) and The Mechanic (more melancholy than uplifting, but worth seeing). I also thought Gung-Ho holds up pretty well.
posted by Sunburnt at 12:42 AM on February 8, 2018
Another French movie, Le Placard (The Closet), is a comedy about a boring office-worker (played not-at-all boringly by the very funny Daniel Auteuil) at a condom factory, who is bossed and bullied at work, to the point that he is about to A) get fired and B) kill himself, when his neighbor both prevents the suicide and offers him a solution to his bullying problem: start a rumor that he's homosexual.
Seconding Dancer in the Dark (both uplifting and super-melancholy) and The Mechanic (more melancholy than uplifting, but worth seeing). I also thought Gung-Ho holds up pretty well.
posted by Sunburnt at 12:42 AM on February 8, 2018
There's a small scene in Secrets and Lies.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 12:58 AM on February 8, 2018
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 12:58 AM on February 8, 2018
Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel in Blue Collar.
posted by johngoren at 1:03 AM on February 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by johngoren at 1:03 AM on February 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
Breaking Away
posted by rhizome at 1:19 AM on February 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 1:19 AM on February 8, 2018 [2 favorites]
one of the greatest opening credit sequences - Lords of War
posted by mannequito at 1:25 AM on February 8, 2018
posted by mannequito at 1:25 AM on February 8, 2018
The Post (2018) has a lot of shots of printing staff getting the paper out.
posted by unearthed at 1:39 AM on February 8, 2018
posted by unearthed at 1:39 AM on February 8, 2018
The main conflict in the 1927 silent film Metropolis is a group of oppressed factory workers rebelling against their bosses. Freder, the son of the city's master, is stirred to help the workers after he witnesses a lethal disaster at the factory and imagines it as a great demon consuming dozens of human sacrifices.
posted by J.K. Seazer at 1:45 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 1:45 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
In the intro to Tailor of Panama, we see the eponymous tailor and his employees working in his shop.
I can't find a good YouTube link, but Maria Full of Grace starts with a scene of the workers in a flower packing plant.
It has been a long time since I saw it, eh? but don't the hosers in Strange Brew work in a beer warehouse?
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 3:41 AM on February 8, 2018
I can't find a good YouTube link, but Maria Full of Grace starts with a scene of the workers in a flower packing plant.
It has been a long time since I saw it, eh? but don't the hosers in Strange Brew work in a beer warehouse?
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 3:41 AM on February 8, 2018
Carmen gets into a fight at the tobacco factory in Carmen.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 3:50 AM on February 8, 2018
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 3:50 AM on February 8, 2018
We Are Marshall has a scene that takes place in a factory.
posted by coldhotel at 4:07 AM on February 8, 2018
posted by coldhotel at 4:07 AM on February 8, 2018
Factory work, you say. How about the opening scene of the UK film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning? Lathe work. Starring young Albert "don't let the bastards grind you down" Finney.
posted by Mister Bijou at 4:07 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Mister Bijou at 4:07 AM on February 8, 2018 [1 favorite]
'Killer of Sheep', slaughterhouse scene.
[seems as though I ought to warn that it includes the disassembly of deceased sheep on general principle.]
posted by mr. digits at 5:10 AM on February 8, 2018
[seems as though I ought to warn that it includes the disassembly of deceased sheep on general principle.]
posted by mr. digits at 5:10 AM on February 8, 2018
- There's a short scene in X-Men Apocalypse where Magneto uses his power to save a co-worker when they are at work at a factory.
- Maybe not what you want, but the munitions factory in Schindler's List.
- I didn't find a good clip but Wonder Woman has a few scenes in the poison factory
You might get more inspiration looking at IMDB's "factory" keyword.
posted by jessamyn at 6:13 AM on February 8, 2018
- Maybe not what you want, but the munitions factory in Schindler's List.
- I didn't find a good clip but Wonder Woman has a few scenes in the poison factory
You might get more inspiration looking at IMDB's "factory" keyword.
posted by jessamyn at 6:13 AM on February 8, 2018
Ok, this is kind of a joke answer (and the clip itself is cringingly dated), but Homer takes Bart to a steel mill.
posted by matildaben at 7:46 AM on February 8, 2018
posted by matildaben at 7:46 AM on February 8, 2018
The Bourne Legacy includes a scene where the main characters infiltrate a pharmaceutical factory and we see multiple shots of the workers on the assembly line. (Pretty sure this clip only shows some of it, starting around 1:10. I think a little before this scene begins, they have some calmer establishing shots of the workers in the factory).
posted by castlebravo at 10:52 AM on February 8, 2018
posted by castlebravo at 10:52 AM on February 8, 2018
Aki Kaurismäki's The Match Factory Girl (scroll ahead to about 2:28).
Barbara Loden's Wanda (scroll to about 12:45).
No link to a video clip, unfortunately, but Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Fox and his Friends.
posted by nightrecordings at 12:02 PM on February 8, 2018
Barbara Loden's Wanda (scroll to about 12:45).
No link to a video clip, unfortunately, but Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Fox and his Friends.
posted by nightrecordings at 12:02 PM on February 8, 2018
Mr Mom features a car factory, if I recalll.
It's been awhile since I've seen Mr. Mom, but are you sure you're not thinking of Gung Ho?
RoboCop has scenes of a cocaine-processing plant.
posted by rhizome at 12:14 PM on February 8, 2018
It's been awhile since I've seen Mr. Mom, but are you sure you're not thinking of Gung Ho?
RoboCop has scenes of a cocaine-processing plant.
posted by rhizome at 12:14 PM on February 8, 2018
Another 'Schindler's List' - the (non munitions) factory; a Nazi comes to inspect, asks a worker to assemble a hinge. Worker does an outstanding job quickly. Nazi looks in the 'completed work' bucket, notices that its essentially empty. Gets suspicious.
Not quite factory work, but in 'Boondock Saints' there's a scene of the brothers working in an abattoir.
posted by porpoise at 1:31 PM on February 8, 2018
Not quite factory work, but in 'Boondock Saints' there's a scene of the brothers working in an abattoir.
posted by porpoise at 1:31 PM on February 8, 2018
"Christine" opens on the final stretch of the late 50's Plymouth Fury assembly line.
posted by Rash at 4:35 PM on February 8, 2018
posted by Rash at 4:35 PM on February 8, 2018
Response by poster: These are all great!! Thank you.
posted by egeanin at 9:29 PM on February 8, 2018
posted by egeanin at 9:29 PM on February 8, 2018
I can't find a good link, but Cal (1984) starts out in an abattoir.
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:08 PM on February 18, 2018
posted by Multicellular Exothermic at 5:08 PM on February 18, 2018
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posted by sacrifix at 8:59 PM on February 7, 2018 [1 favorite]