The Killing Floor Woodard

Produced by public forum productions ltd.

The killing floor woodard.

Praised by the village voice as the most clear eyed account of union organizing on film the killing floor is a powerful historical drama set in the era of the great migration during world war one. The killing floor is part of our nation s history a fascinating and bloody episode in the history of the u s. What he got was a job on the killing floor and a place in history. With damien leake alfre woodard moses gunn.

1984 bill duke usa 118 min. Starring damien leake alfre woodard denis farina clarence felder moses gunn and john mahoney 113 min. And funded by the national endowment for the humanities american playhouse foundations corporations and dozens of unions the killing floor premiered on american playhouse in 1984. Fri nov 22nd 3.

Labor movement through the eyes of a southern black sharecropper who finds work in a chicago slaughterhouse. Set in the early 1900 s this powerful story retells the often brutal and violent beginnings of the u s. Don t pass up the killing floor on the mistaken notion that the film is a western shoot em up or cop drama. 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.

The film was the pilot production for a proposed ten part pbs series on american labor history but financing from public television for the series could not be obtained. Runs limited engagements the killing floor.