''The Passaic Textile Strike'' is a 1926 American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

directed by Samuel Russak and produced by Alfred Wagenknecht. The film was produced to raise public awareness and financial support for the 1926 Passaic Textile Strike, which involved over 15,000

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

textile mill Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods ...

workers in a work stoppage lasting more than a year. Although in good part a fictional melodrama, ''The Passaic Textile Strike'' is regarded as important by film historians both for its documentary footage and for the fact that it is one of the only early American labor films to have been preserved largely intact.

History

Origins of the film

Activists in the Workers (Communist) Party were important leaders of a strike of largely immigrant factory workers in several large

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

and

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

mills located in and around Passaic, New Jersey, a walkout of over 15,000 workers which began in January 1926. As a means of building public sympathy and generating funds for support of the strikers, the Communist Party, in conjunction with the International Workers Aid branch of the

Communist International The Communist International (Comintern), also known as the Third International, was a Soviet-controlled international organization founded in 1919 that advocated world communism. The Comintern resolved at its Second Congress to "struggle by ...

, shot a film dramatizing the alleged injustices faced by the striking workers and depicting the efforts of the Communist Party to lead the impoverished millworkers against their exploitive employers in a heroic light.

Synopsis

Reels 1 and 2 of the film, "The Prologue," present a melodramatic depiction of the life of a fictional Polish worker, Stefan Breznac, who comes to Passaic from Europe in 1907. Stefan takes a job in a woolen mill and earns a raise. He sends for his sweetheart, Kada, to come to America to share in his newfound prosperity. The couple start a family, but are soon struck by the misfortune of Stefan's employer imposing wage cuts which force the Breznac's to withdraw their 14-year-old daughter, Vera, from school to go to work to help support the family. The "big boss" of the mill, a fictional German capitalist named Mr. Mulius, takes a fancy to the teenager and makes her his assistant at a raise of wages so as to win her confidence. That afternoon the porcine bourgeois takes her home via a roundabout route through the countryside. On cue, Mr. Mulius' driver pretends to run out of gas in the middle of nowhere so that his employer may have his way with the helpless young girl. A disheveled Vera is eventually dropped off at home as her brazen employer enjoys a satisfying cigarette. Two months later, Vera discovers that Mr. Mulius is married and is abruptly terminated, leaving the family again in dire financial straits. Already working 66 hours a week, Stefan Breznac takes on a 72-hour week to make ends meet. He is warned by a workmate that the increase in work might kill him, but proceeds nonetheless. The increase in work breaks his health. Stefan is forced to accept work as a lower pay-rate as a transporter instead of working as a weaver as he had previously. Stefan finally sees the light and urges his fellows to form a union, but dies two days later, leaving his widow Kada as the sole breadwinner for the household. Kada takes a job working the night shift at the mill, and the prologue draws to a close. The main part of the film, a section titled "The Strike," documented the events of the actual 1926 Passaic textile strike, emphasizing the activity a number of key figures in the Communist and non-Communist workers' movement as themselves. Historian

Philip S. Foner Philip Sheldon Foner (December 14, 1910 – December 13, 1994) was an American labor historian and teacher. Foner was a prolific author and editor of more than 100 books. He is considered a pioneer in his extensive works on the role of radical ...

recounts:

The film then showed the strikers braving police clubs and shotguns, fire hoses in zero weather and tear gas bombs. The huge mass meetings, with ten thousand workers participating, were shown with the strike leaders and other speakers addressing the strikers. Relief activities were also depicted, as were the picket-line lunch counters, the Victory Playground for the strikers' children, and the specific organization of women strikers and sympathizers. Audiences were deeply moved by the film, especially by the scenes showing the 'atrocious police brutality against the strikers, including girl pickets and even the children of the strikers.'"

While some of the strike footage was apparently reenacted, most of this section was clearly filmed as events were taking place, giving the surviving film additional interest as a historical documentary.M. Keith Booker, ''Film and the American Left: A Research Guide.'' Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999; pg. 19. The film's importance is further enhanced by the fact that it is one of the only early American labor films to have been preserved essentially intact.

Legacy

''The Passaic Textile Strike'' premiered in Passaic, New Jersey in October 1926. The film is in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library ...

film collection. Only five of the seven reels were believed to have survived, with reels number 5 and 7 missing. More recently, however, a complete copy was donated to the Tamiment Library at New York University, and was preserved by the Library of Congress.

Cast

* George Ashkenuzi as himself * John J. Ballam as himself * Lena Chernenko as herself * Gustav Deak as himself * Thomas DeFazio as himself * Robert W. Dunn as himself *

Elizabeth Gurley Flynn Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (August 7, 1890 – September 5, 1964) was a labor leader, activist, and feminist who played a leading role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). Flynn was a founding member of the American Civil Liberties Union ...

as herself * Leo Krzycki as himself * Joseph Magliacano as himself * Clarence Miller as himself * Ella Reeve Bloor as herself * Jack Rubenstein as himself * Leona Smith as herself *

Norman Thomas Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 – December 19, 1968) was an American Presbyterian minister who achieved fame as a socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America. Early years Thomas was the ...

as himself * Alfred Wagenknecht as himself *

Albert Weisbord Albert Weisbord (1900–1977) was an American political activist and union organizer. He is best remembered, along his wife Vera Buch, as one of the primary union organizers of the seminal 1926 Passaic Textile Strike and as the founder of a s ...

as himself * Ellen Wilkinson as herself * Martin Winkler as himself

Footnotes

External links

* * *
"www.sambrody.com"
Website focusing on the life and contributions of left-wing filmmaker, photographer and critic Sam Brody. "The Passaic Textile Strike" was his first significant experience as a cinematographer. {{DEFAULTSORT:Passaic Textile Strike 1926 films American silent feature films American black-and-white films American documentary films 1926 documentary films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films