Blue Collar (film)
| Blue Collar | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Paul Schrader |
| Produced by | Don Guest |
| Written by |
Paul Schrader Leonard Schrader |
| Based on |
an article by Sydney A. Glass |
| Starring |
Richard Pryor Harvey Keitel Yaphet Kotto |
| Music by | Jack Nitzsche |
| Cinematography | Bobby Byrne |
| Edited by | Tom Rolf |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 114 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1.7 million[1] |
Blue Collar is a 1978 American crime drama film directed by Paul Schrader, in his directorial debut. It was written by Schrader and his brother Leonard and stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto.
The film is both a critique of union practices and an examination of life in a working-class Rust Belt enclave. Although it has minimal comic elements provided by Pryor, it is mostly dramatic.
Schrader, who was at the time a renowned screenwriter for his work on Taxi Driver (1976), recalls the shooting as a very difficult one because of the artistic and personal tension between himself and the actors as well as between the stars themselves, also stating that it was the only occasion he suffered an on-set mental breakdown, which made him seriously reconsider his career.[2]
Plot synopsis
A trio of Detroit auto workers, two black—Zeke Brown (Pryor) and Smokey James (Kotto)—and one white—Jerry Bartowski (Keitel)—are fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and union brass. Coupled with financial hardships on each man's end, the trio hatch a plan to rob a safe at union headquarters.
They commit the caper but find only a few scant bills in the process. More importantly, they also come away with a ledger which contains evidence of the union's illegal loan operation and ties to organized crime syndicates. They attempt to blackmail the union with the information but the union retaliates strongly and begins to turn the tables on the three friends. A suspicious accident at the plant results in Smokey's death.
A federal agent attempts to coerce Jerry into informing on the union's corruption, which could make him enemies with his co-workers as well as the union bosses. At the same time, corrupt union bosses try to get Zeke to work for them. By the end, once close friends, Jerry and Zeke turn against each another.
Cast
- Richard Pryor as Zeke Brown
- Harvey Keitel as Jerry Bartowski
- Yaphet Kotto as Smokey James
- Ed Begley, Jr. as Bobby Joe
- Harry Bellaver as Eddie Johnson
- George Memmoli as Jenkins
- Lucy Saroyan as Arlene Bartowski
- Lane Smith as Clarence Hill
- Cliff De Young as John Burrows
- Borah Silver as Dogshit Miller
- Chip Fields as Caroline Brown
- Harry Northup as Hank
- Leonard Gaines as Mr Bird, IRS Man
- Milton Selzer as Sumabitch
- Sammy Warren as Barney
- Jimmy Martinez as Charlie T. Hernandez
Production
The film was shot on location at the Checker plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan and at locales around Detroit, including the Ford River Rouge Complex on the city's southwest side and the MacArthur Bridge to Belle Isle.
The three main actors didn't get along and were constantly fighting throughout the shoot. The tension became so great that at one point Richard Pryor (supposedly in a drug-fueled rage) pointed a gun at Schrader and told him that there was "no way" he was ever going to do more than three takes for a scene, an incident which may have caused Schrader's nervous breakdown.[2]
References
- ↑ Writing His Way to the Top Kilday, Gregg. Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 06 Apr 1977: e20
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Back Row, Robin's Underrated Gems: Blue Collar (1978)
External links
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