| Native Land | |
| Director: | Leo Hurwitz Paul Strand |
| Producer: | Leo Hurwitz |
| Starring: | Paul Robeson (Narrator/Vocalist) Fred Johnson |
| Cinematography: | Paul Strand |
| Editing: | Lionel Berman Leo Hurwitz Bob Stebbins |
| Music: | Marc Blitzstein |
| Studio: | Frontier Films |
| Distributor: | Frontier Films |
| Runtime: | 79 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Native Land is a 1942 docudrama film directed by Leo Hurwitz and Paul Strand.[1]
A combination of a documentary format and staged reenactments (influenced by the cinematic works of Sergei Eisenstein and Aleksandr Dovzhenko), the independently produced film depicted the struggle of trade unions against union-busting corporations, their spies and contractors. It was based on the 1938 report of the La Follette Committee's investigation of the repression of labor organizing.[2] [3]
Famous African-American singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson participated as an off-screen narrator and vocalist.[4] [5]
A restored version of the film was released in 2011. The film was restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, funded by the Packard Humanities Institute.[6]
The new print was made “from the original 35mm nitrate picture negative, a 35mm safety duplicate negative, and a 35mm safety up-and-down track negative.”[6]
The restoration premiered at the UCLA Festival of Preservation on March 26, 2011[6] and was screened at other North American cities in 2011 including Vancouver.[7]