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Pathe News (?)We Work Again (ca. 1930s)

How the New Deal benefits African Americans.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Pathe News (?)
Sponsor: U.S. Federal Works Agency, Works Projects Administration (WPA)
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: New Deal: WPA; African Americans

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Spuzz - - April 29, 2005
Subject: There's Irony in this, of course too...
Very very curious film, parts of which I've seen before, (with the black choir singing) that tells how black people are working again! This all could be celebrated except for the fact that for every scene I saw, I kept adding stuff. EG, we see people making appetizers and I added, "for the white man", some lady making a bed, I thought "for the white man", there's a scene where a housing development was being built which I wanted to add to the narration, "that none of you black people will ever get a chance to live in". I'm not being racist of course, because the film is full of segregation. Look at the pool! The parks! See any white people? I guess my concern over this film is while people should be praising that they were working after the Big Depression, they still had a long way to go.

Reviewer: Kieran Kenney - - February 15, 2004
Subject: First directing effort by Orson Wells preserved
An interesting fim mostly because it preserves the final moments of the acclaimed Voodoo Macbeth, the first directorial effort by Orson Wells. The film doesn't mention that he was the one who directed it, but his mark is chillingly unmistakable.

The rest of the film is also very interesting. It provides an series of vignettes into contruction sites, playgrounds, garment factories, health care facilities thoughout the U.S. durring the 1930s. The fact that blacks are limited to manual labor and the arts cries out to be discussed. Funny how, according to this film, no african americans grew up to become doctors or lawyers. The fact, though, that it portrays people of color in a sympathetic and positive light comes though. Black and white kids are even seen playing together and women of all races are toiling in the same clothing factory, and getting along. It's even narrated by a black guy. Coming from white, albiet government producers, that's not half bad.

Shotlist

WPA New Deal 1930s