The film Norma Rae is inspired by the true story of Crystal Lee Sutton, a North Carolina textile worker who fought at much personal risk and sacrifice to unionize the plant at which she was employed. A controversial figure, a poor, female, union organizer from the south her story wouldn't seem to have the makings of box office gold. However the fictionalized screen play treatment of her story by the husband and wife screen writing team of Harriet Frank and Irving Ravetch was incredibly good (also incredibly impressive is that as of this writing Harriet is still alive at the age of 102).
The screenplay attracted the attention of Martin Ritt, best known at the time as the director of the multiple Oscar winning 1963 film HUD. Ritt got 20th Century Fox to agree to make the film on the condition that he cast a big star in the lead role, the thinking being that the movie was a prestige flick that probably wouldn't make money but they wanted to minimizes it's losses. After being repeatedly turned down by the big stars he tried to recruit Ritt was turned on to the former sitcom star Sally Field after seeing her Emmy winning performance in min-series Sybil. Ritt told Field he believed she could do justice to the role of Norma Rae and would fight for he with the studio if she really wanted it, she did. Eventually Ritt prevailed, the movie was made and in addition to being a critical darling, winning Ms. Field her first Oscar, it was a box office smash making $22 million off of a $4.5 million budget.
Norma Rae is very strong film making, its certainly rooted in its time but it still feels fresh. Characters aren't as stereotypical as they might at first appear, and the platonic relationship between unsophisticated southern country girl Norma and the Jewish union man sent from New York to organize the factory (Ron Liebman) is just a treasure. Good supporting parts for Beau Bridges and Pat Hingle. I was mighty impressed, it exceeded my not low expectations for the film, a marvel and a very fulfilling watch. ****
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