The Killing Floor Bill Duke

While it lacks an aesthetic sheen it has a very important point of view.

The killing floor bill duke. Directed by bill duke. The killing floor is a 1984 american award winning made for television drama film directed by bill duke which highlights the plights of workers fighting to build an interracial labor union in the meatpacking industry in the years leading up to the chicago race riot of 1919 the film debuted on pbs via the american playhouse series on april 10 1984 and was produced by public forum productions. Director bill duke cast damien leake alfre woodard clemence felder moses gunn screenplay leslie lee cinematography william birch 1984 united states approx. For the killing floor actor turned director bill duke was drawn to the true story of black and white slaughterhouse workers trying to build an interracial union.

During world war i a poor black southerner travels north to chicago to get work in the city s slaughterhouses where he becomes embroiled in the organized labor movement. Duke made the killing floor for pbs and it definitely has a tv movie feel and approach to narration. Duke directed the tv movie the killing floor in 1984. Bill duke s directorial debut is ripe for the classroom tv wheel in late in the semester.

The killing floor re released. The killing floor a feature length film directed by bill duke premiered in 1984 on pbs american playhouse series and then went on to engage audiences at the cannes and sundance film festivals. 9 he also directed the cemetery club 1993 and sister act 2. He becomes prominent as a leader of fellow african americans in the union though many including his best friend view him as a sell out.

Back in the habit 1993 starring whoopi goldberg. Duke spoke to salon in conjunction with the release of the 4k restored version of his acclaimed 1984 film the killing floor in the conversation he reflects on the personal and professional. The movie according to press notes tells the story of black and white slaughterhouse workers who attempted to build an interracial union in the chicago stockyards. But tension mounts between the blacks and whites and a violent confrontation erupts turning the streets of chicago into the ultimate killing floor bill duke s hard hitting docudrama produced for pbs s american playhouse mixes documentary footage with a dramatization of the events leading up to the riots to powerful effect.

English the killing floor 1984 bill duke in his first feature director bill duke traces the racial and class conflicts seething in the city s giant slaughterhouses and the brutal efforts of management to divide the. That meaningful movements require all races to come together but the group in power white americans will forget that unity once.