American Dream

"The award-winning film of American lives, American courage, and the..."

1990 1h 38m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 17

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

When workers at the Hormel meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota are asked to take a substantial pay cut in a highly profitable year, the local labor union decides to go on strike and fight for a wage they believe is fair. But as the work stoppage drags on and the strikers face losing everything, friends become enemies, families are divided and the very future of this typical mid American town is threatened.

“The award-winning film of American lives, American courage, and the...”

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Where to watch · US

Criterion ChannelSubscription

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Barbara Kopple
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Barbara Kopple, shot by Peter Gilbert. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Michael Small. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cathy Caplan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The award-winning film of American lives, American courage, and the...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0099028 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Barbara Kopple directs. Peter Gilbert behind the camera. Michael Small scores. Cathy Caplan cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Barbara Kopple, shot by Peter Gilbert. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Michael Small. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Cathy Caplan shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Marketing tagline: "The award-winning film of American lives, American courage, and the...".
8IMDB entry: tt0099028 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 17 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.