Alexandra Lescaze's compelling and ultimately heartbreaking documentary Where Do You Stand? traces the seemingly endless struggle to bring union representation to the mill workers of Kannapolis, North Carolina. Beginning with an aborted union drive in 1934 and picking up genuine momentum four decades later, the move toward unionization was harshly attacked by the mill's owners, who repeatedly promised to stand with their workers against union organizers. Alas, the mill owners ultimately had other plans and the property changed hands three times in a two decade period. By the time the union finally gained a foothold, it proved to be a pyrrhic victory: within three years the mill closed and all the jobs were outsourced overseas. Combining rare footage (including never-before-seen anti-union industrial films produced by the mill's owners) and interviews with the understandably bitter workers (who fervently supported the union's goals but later lost their jobs when it was decided the union-backed reforms made American-based manufacturing too expensive to maintain), Where Do You Stand? is a powerful and emotionally devastating film that offers a wealth of insight into labor practices, business management, media manipulation, and the struggles of the working class to find a voice in a system that has little interest in what they have to say. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)
Where Do You Stand?
(2004) 61 min. VHS or DVD: $49.95: high schools & public libraries; $195: colleges & universities. California Newsreel. PPR. Color cover. Closed captioned. Volume 20, Issue 1
Where Do You Stand?
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: