America Today (1934) [NR]

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Release Date:
January 1, 1934

Original Title:
America Today

Alternate Titles:
America Today / World in Review
The World in Review

Genres:
Documentary

Production Companies:
Workers Film and Photo League

Production Countries:
United States of America

Ratings / Certifications:
US: NR 

Runtime: 11

One of the key works in creating the American social documentary film, this 1934 newsreel compilation crams a lot of information into just 11 minutes. Skillfully edited, the picture captures a panorama of international events centered on the labor movement. Scenes include Mussolini, Hitler and FDR preparing for war, Nazi soldiers persecuting German Jews, a political strike in Paris, the Scottsboro demonstration in Washington, DC, police violence against striking steelworkers in Pennsylvania and union members stopping scab workers from delivering milk during a dairy farmers strike in Wisconsin. Under the direction of pioneering documentarian Leo Hurwitz, the images are edited together to create a powerful image of a world that, in his view, desperately needed radical change.

Additional information:

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Director:
Leo Hurwitz

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