Native Land
May 19, 2012
(Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand, United States, 1942, 35mm, 80 min)
New 35mm print!
Native Land, which sought to expose the injustices perpetrated upon Americans by American capitalism, was released shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor to an unwelcoming public. But the archival footage that the film’s directors compiled 75 years ago—footage of union busters and strikebreakers at war with farmers, sharecroppers, and minorities—deserves to be brought back and viewed in light of its renewed relevance. Narrated by Paul Robeson, a pioneer in African-American theatre, spiritual music, and Civil Rights, Native Land is a documentary whose artistic production enhances its call to action.