Set in the industrial South and
based on a true story, Martin Ritt's 'Norma Rae' is
a moving portrait of a woman's fight to improve both
her own life and the deplorable conditions that exist
in the mill where she works. Norma Rae (Sally Field)
has worked at the textile mill for years, but when a
union organizer from New York comes to town, Norma takes
on the hostility of the mill's management and the apathy
of her coworkers to try to unionize the mill. Field
plays Norma Rae as a passionate woman who realizes her
own potential and her need to rebel against the status
quo. She is also infuriated by the conditions at the
mill. When Norma, uneducated and poor, finally expresses
her disgust with life at the mill, it is an electrifying
moment, and Field radiates this energy for the rest
of the film, providing an emotional core and drive that
gives the picture its power. |
Sally Field... |
Norma Rae |
Beau Bridges... |
Sonny Webster |
Ron Leibman... |
Reuben |
Pat Hingle... |
Vernon |
Barbara Baxley... |
Leona |
Gail Strickland... |
Bonnie Mae |
Morgan Paull... |
Wayne Billings |
Robert Broyles... |
Sam Bolen |
Director... |
Martin Ritt |
Screenplay... |
Harriet Frank Jr. |
Screenplay... |
Irving Ravetch |
Producer... |
Tamara Asseyev |
Song... |
David Shire |
Music... |
David Shire |
Best Song... |
David Shire - 1979 Academy |
Best Actress... |
Sally Field - 1979 National Board
of Review |
Best Song... |
Norman Gimbel - 1979 Academy |
Best Actress... |
Sally Field - 1979 L.A. Film Critics
Assoc. |
Best Actress.... |
Sally Field - 1979 Cannes Film Festival |
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The original
"Norma Rae' movie poster |
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