12/6/2014 American Dream: Additional Notes

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American Dream: Additional Notes

Resources for Teaching Film

1. Use of montages as a basic structural unit (action fragmented by cutting to diverse shots,accompanied by sound track­­combination of image and music meant to establish a particular mood).

2nd scene in film, provides context for labor strife­­also an example of an aural montage (chorus of voices) Promotional film of Hormel in the good old days­­happy workers­­ accompanied by upbeat music. Everyone is one happy family. Newspaper reports on the miracle worker, Ray Rogers­­again an example of an aural montage, chorus of voices Lewie Anderson on the road, in scene 6 Caravan montage, when P­9 turns its back on the international union, in scene 8 Upbeat union activity in scene 11, jazzy music used for the montage, scenes of union people dancing Opening of scene 11, shows Lewie Anderson on the road and working to help local unions resolve contract disputes Opening of scene 12, showing management keeping production lines open Opening of scene 14, first day plant reopens, night scene, confrontations Scene 17, when the National Guard is called out to maintain order Scene 20, arrests of P­9 strikers, while we hear voiceover from Guyette Scene 22, second time we see promotional film of Hormel; we hear voiceover from Lewie Anderson 2. Another structural note: Kopple begins the film with the END­­1986, the height of the strike,

National Guard called out. Then she returns to TWO YEARS EARLIER. What impact did thathave on the way you watched the action of the film?

3. Several times we hear the theme that the fight for local P­9 was also a fight for labor throughout

the country. Was it? In some respects that statement can be used as an excuse, a rationalizationfor errors in judgment. Ask yourself, who was making that claim? To what extent did makingthat claim reflect their own self­interests?

4. Note how the film reveals the impact the media has on our daily lives. a. Ray Rogers used the media to fuel his corporate campaign­­ media publicity is FREE, and

thus the small union can compete with the wealth of the company (that can be used foradvertising and marketing).

b. Early in the film we saw Lewie Anderson responding to Ray Rogers while watching him on a

videotape. We only saw Anderson take on Rogers directly in one scene­­during the local union'svisit to the international headquarters in Washington, D.C.

c. The most telling example is when we see John Morrison and Ron Bergstrom watching a

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television report of their return to the plant (to resume work). We in the audience were watchinga film of people watching themselves on a television set.

5. What did you make of the involvement of Barbara Kopple in the film? To what extent did she add

or detract to your understanding of the conflicts and increase your sensitivity to the peopleinvolved in conflict? To what extent did she provide a "woman's perspective" on the issues shedocumented?

6. Who were the losers? Who were the winners? Most of the union members who went on strike

and did not cross the picket lines lost their jobs at Hormel. (Only 20% were re­hired.) 571workers at other Hormel plants lost their jobs when they refused to cross picket lines set up attheir plants by local P­9. What about the stress on families­­like the Bergstroms? Like theseparation of families when strikers (out of work) moved away from Austin? Lewie Anderson wasfired. Barbara Kopple won an Academy Award. John Morrison was an average worker until hebecame a dissident and eventually was elected to be Business Manager of P­9.

7. We tend to turn our backs on issues we don't want to deal with. Let's not talk about street kids.

Let's not talk about racist attitudes on the part of cops. Let's not talk about prostitution. Let'snot talk about the loss of the American Dream. Let's not talk about blue collar workers (or "bluecollar losers"). In some respects we feel above these people. We feel superior to them. The filmreminds us in subtle ways that much of in our lives is interconnected with the lives of thesediverse individuals and groups. What happens to them touches our lives. What matters to themmatters to us. One of the characters, the sheriff, says, "We're personally involved in this whetherwe like it or not."

8. A recurring theme is the importance of a job to the individual­­perhaps a vestige of that "white

male club" stuff? Importance of being a provider, a breadwinner. [Derivation of "Lord" is "breadkeeper." Derivation of "Lady" is "bread maker."]

9. What is missing from the film? Scenes of Ray Rogers alone. Compare to Lewie Anderson­­we

have some scenes of him alone. Compare to Guyette­­only one or two scenes of him alone. Consider the impact of scenes of individuals alone in a film­­how much we come to know them asindividuals through that approach.

10. Did you feel that inevitability of tragedy in this film? At some point did you feel that all was going

downhill, and nothing was going to stop that downward progress? Tragedy is caused by theinterplay of conflicts­­what were the causes of the tragedy here? The characters? A set ofvalues? The clash of irresistible forces? A dream of a better way of life?

11. Great confrontations throughout the film­­all in direct cinema, of course. Remember scene 18,

the confrontation on the picket line between the man inside the truck and the man on the line­­"I've known him since grade school." Or the woman arrested in scene 20 (during Guyette'svoiceover)?

12. The union went on strike when wages were to be slashed from $10.69 to $8.25. They settled for

$10.25. After 25 weeks of strike. Now $10.69 earns a worker $22,300 per year. If they hadaccepted the company's offer of $10.00 / hour, they would have earned $21,500 / year (a loss of$1500 / year. )

13. How many people watching this film are from union families? How many of your parents were

from union families? One of the people in the film asks, "Does the public care about unionsanymore?"

14. Consider the process that has been at work in the past several year in this country. We have

been manipulated to accept and endorse a corporate mentality. Corporations are good. Corporations are sexy. Corporations will take care of you. You don't need unions anymore. Giveyourself a break today. Fly the friendly skies of United. Just do it! But isn't profit the bottom

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line of corporations? 16. Additional thoughts: Where are African­Americans or other people of color in this film? . . .

Where are the women leaders in the film? We did see several women involved on the picket lineand in union organizing activities. But the men ran the show . . . Did you notice the way themusic changed from upbeat and jazzy to more unsettled, tentative, downbeat, mournful? . . . Did you notice how Ray Rogers begins to disappear from view when the strike lingers on for fourmonths. When he was hired, he was in the foreground. After the strike, Guyette is in theforeground.

Film resource written by Robert YahnkeCopyright, Robert E. Yahnke, © 2009Professor, Univ. of MinnesotaRequest permission from the author to reprint this resource­­for educational use only

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