'Working class hero' movies

[Metatron]

In total contrast to the current trendiness of Gatsby and friends
I seem to enjoy old movies about working class men having moral/existential upheavals.
Taxi driver is probably the best of all, but keeping it 1930s-1950s:
On the Waterfront is my favourite, but I have also enjoyed films with Jean Gabin like La jour se Leve, Le Quai des brumes(a bit tedious) and Moontide(just a bit cheesy).
I would appreciate some recommendations, are there other good vintage films about the working man out there?

 

[Two Types]

I've never managed to track down a copy, but there was 'Love on the Dole'

taken from the 1930s Walter Greenwood novel. Not having seen it, I can't say much about the moral/existential upheavals, but the book is recognised as a classic of working class British literature.

'The Proud Valley'

Paul Robeson as a coal miner in Wales is a good one - plenty of moral dilemmas in that one.

'There Ain't No Justice' (1939)

James Hanley as a car mechanic who takes up boxing against the advice of his family, but realises the error of his ways. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, but there are some good outfits in the film.

'Once Jolly Swagman'

Dirk Bogarde as a working class lad who 'makes good' as a speedway rider but struggles to cope with the wealth and fame. His attitude is contrasted to his brother who goes to fight in the Spanish civil war.

An interesting addition to the list would be 'Millions Like Us'.

It's a story of factory girls in World War 2. An interesting character is the foreman, played by Eric Portman (who wears a belt back sports jacket), who muses on class and politics throughout the film. Though not the central character, he is the one facing the moral issues, balancing his politics against his emotions.

 

[Tomasso]

I thought this was John Waters for a moment.....

 

[Stanley Doble]

There were lots of them in the thirties. "Meet John Doe" for one. "Sullivan's Travels" is terrific.

 

[lolly_loisides]

I haven't seen it in years, but Street Scene (D. King Vidor 1931) is very good. The movie focuses on a group of people from different ethnic backgrounds that gather together on the steps of their tenement building in Manhattan during a heat wave. It's available on archive.org & youtube.

Vidor also directed Our Daily Bread which is worth seeing too.

 

[Worf]

The Grapes of Wrath

Worf

 

[The Wolf]

They Drive by Night

Wolf

 

[Two Types]

A.C. - I like your Bogarde/Waters comparison. of course, both were involved with some very impressive films. Whatever John Waters early films are, they are certainly unforgettable!

 

[herringbonekid]

Metatron, did you see 'Hotel du Nord' yet ? it pretty much forms a trilogy of Marcel Carne´ 1930s 'poetic realism' films with 'Jour se Leve' and 'Quai des Brumes'.

 

[Feraud]

Heroes for Sale.

 

[Two Types]

'Painted Boats' (1945) one element of the story is a bargee's struggle between the traditional life as known by generations of his family and his desire to settle down on land.

 

[Metatron]

Thanks for the great recommendations. I think I will start with Millions like us.

Metatron, did you see 'Hotel du Nord' yet ? it pretty much forms a trilogy of Marcel Carne´ 1930s 'poetic realism' films with 'Jour se Leve' and 'Quai des Brumes'.

No, thanks for reminding me though! I meanwhile watched 'The Rules of the game' A real gem. I thought there were echoes of The Great Gatsby in it, but overall more entertaining and less pretentious imho.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

The ultimate 'Working Class Hero', JOHN LENNON biopic, 'Nowhere Boy' . A great look into 1940's and 1950's Britain (Liverpool) as a working class lad attempts to break out the stifling postwar culture and interpret the music he hears coming into the seaport from America - specifically the impact of Elvis on his contemporaries. The ambiance of a depressed British seaport and the styles and architecture of the era are perfectly portrayed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nowhere_Boy

-dixon cannon

 

[Stanley Doble]

That'll Be The Day starring Ringo Starr as a carny. This one just occurred to me. When I first saw it on the late show in the seventies I got a tremendous bang out of it.

 

[vitanola]

Make Way for Tomorrow

Lonesome

 

[Chasseur]

Thanks for the great recommendations. I think I will start with Millions like us.


No, thanks for reminding me though! I meanwhile watched 'The Rules of the game' A real gem. I thought there were echoes of The Great Gatsby in it, but overall more entertaining and less pretentious imho.

I'd second Flo's great recommendations for Marcel Carne, Jean Renoir and Marcel Pagnol. Also if you want something with working class heroes but more light/fanciful Rene Clairs stuff like "Under the Roofs of Paris" etc. are great to watch.

Its funny with all the Beatles recommendations, I guess because I just don't like them it never occurred to me to put them in the "working class hero" genre. Just my bias though being one of the few Beatles haters (I'll run off and hide now! ).

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Flo didn't write anything in this thread yet. But yes, good recommendations indeed.
"L'Atalante" goes with the french poetic realism thing.

For germany you already wrote a thread about Große Freiheit Nr. 7.

Then we have "Kuhle Wampe oder: Wem gehört die Welt?" from 1932. Lot's of great workwear and a very critical message. Very left leaning and one of the first movies that got banned during the third reich. In the same vain there seems to be a movie called "Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glück" but I didn't see it yet.

"Berlin – Die Sinfonie der Großstadt" and "Menschen am Sonntag" are a good portrayal of the german working class too. They are not really movies about "heros" but semi-documentaries.

Edited with links

 

[Two Types]

Florian, thanks for the link to 'Berlin - Symphony of a City' I've always wanted to see this.

It inspired a British book 'A City Stirs' by Ashley Smith. It's rather rare now: I have only ever found an updated 1950s version of it, rather than the original 1930s version.

 

[Flat Foot Floey]

Love this shawl collar sweater from "Kuhle Wampe"

This one is nice too:

Plus a lot of leather motocycle jackets.

 

[Two Types]

There is a good example of a similar striped shawl collar in this thread:
http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?50635-Shawl-Collar-Cardigans/page13&highlight=shawl