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{{short description|1978 film}}
{{short description|1978 American crime drama film}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
| name = Blue Collar
| name = Blue Collar
Line 6: Line 6:
| director = [[Paul Schrader]]
| director = [[Paul Schrader]]
| producer = [[Don Guest]]
| producer = [[Don Guest]]
| writer = Paul Schrader<br>[[Leonard Schrader]]
| writer = {{plainlist|
* Paul Schrader
* [[Leonard Schrader]]
}}
| based_on = an article by<br>Sydney A. Glass
| starring = {{plainlist|
| starring = [[Richard Pryor]]<br>[[Harvey Keitel]]<br>[[Yaphet Kotto]]<br>[[Cliff DeYoung]]
* [[Richard Pryor]]
* [[Harvey Keitel]]
* [[Yaphet Kotto]]
}}
| music = [[Jack Nitzsche]]
| music = [[Jack Nitzsche]]
| cinematography = [[Bobby Byrne (cinematographer)|Bobby Byrne]]
| cinematography = [[Bobby Byrne (cinematographer)|Bobby Byrne]]
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| studio = [[Tandem Productions|T.A.T. Communications Company]]
| studio = [[Tandem Productions|T.A.T. Communications Company]]
| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]]
| distributor = [[Universal Pictures]]
| released = {{Film date|1978|2|10}}
| released = {{Film date|1978|2|10|United States}}
| runtime = 114 minutes
| runtime = 114 minutes
| country = United States
| country = United States
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| gross = $6.5 million<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bluecollar.htm | title=Blue Collar Box Office Information | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref>
| gross = $6.5 million<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=bluecollar.htm | title=Blue Collar Box Office Information | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref>
}}
}}
⚫
'''''Blue Collar''''' is a 1978 American [[crime drama film]] directed by [[Paul Schrader]], in his [[list of directorial debuts|directorial debut]]. Written by Schrader and his brother [[Leonard Schrader|Leonard]], the film stars [[Richard Pryor]], [[Harvey Keitel]] and [[Yaphet Kotto]].<ref name="Blue Collar">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/24962/Blue-Collar/|title=Blue Collar|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=March 15, 2016}}</ref> The film is both a critique of [[trade union|union]] practices and an examination of life in a [[working class|working-class]] [[Rust Belt]] [[enclave]].


⚫
'''''Blue Collar''''' is a 1978 American [[crime drama]] film directed by [[Paul Schrader]] in his [[list of directorial debuts|directorial debut]]. Written by Schrader and his brother [[Leonard Schrader|Leonard]], the film stars [[Richard Pryor]], [[Harvey Keitel]] and [[Yaphet Kotto]].<ref name="Blue Collar">{{cite web|url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/24962/Blue-Collar/|title=Blue Collar|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=March 15, 2016}}</ref> The film is both a critique of [[trade union|union]] practices and an examination of life in a [[working class|working-class]] [[Rust Belt]] [[enclave]].
⚫
Schrader, who was a [[screenwriter]] renowned for his work on ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' (1976), recalls the shooting as being very difficult because of the artistic and personal tensions he had with the actors (including the stars themselves). Schrader has also stated that while making the film, he suffered an on-set [[mental breakdown]], which made him seriously reconsider his career.<ref name=backrow>''The Back Row'', [http://the-back-row.com/blog/2010/11/07/robins-underrated-gems-blue-collar-1978/ Robin's Underrated Gems: Blue Collar (1978)]</ref>

⚫
Schrader, who wrote the script for ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' (1976), recalls the shooting as being very difficult because of the artistic and personal tensions he had with the actors (including the stars themselves). Schrader has also stated that while making the film, he suffered an on-set [[mental breakdown]], which made him seriously reconsider his career.<ref name=backrow>''The Back Row'', [http://the-back-row.com/blog/2010/11/07/robins-underrated-gems-blue-collar-1978/ Robin's Underrated Gems: Blue Collar (1978)]</ref>


The film was shot in [[Detroit]] and [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]].
The film was shot in [[Detroit]] and [[Kalamazoo, Michigan]].


== Plot ==
== Plot ==
A trio of [[Wayne County, Michigan]] auto workers, two black— 32-year-old Ezekiel "Zeke" Brown from [[Detroit, Michigan]] (Pryor) and two-time ex-convict 35-year-old John "Smokey" James (Kotto) from [[Mississippi]] who spent time in a [[Michigan State Prison]]—and one 33-year-old white— [[Polish Americans|Polish-American]] from [[Hamtramck, Michigan]], Jerry Bartowski (Keitel)—are fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and the union brass. Smokey, a bachelor, is in debt to a loan shark over a [[numbers game]], Jerry, a family man, works a second job as a gas station attendant to get by but still struggles to pay bills, including the [[orthodontics]] work that his daughter needs. Zeke, another family man, is in trouble with the IRS for [[tax evasion]] by filing false claims in order to improve his family's income.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/7275|title=Blue Collar &#124; Film Review &#124; Spirituality & Practice|first=Paul|last=Schrader|website=www.spiritualityandpractice.com}}</ref>
A trio of [[Wayne County, Michigan]] auto workers, two black — 32-year-old Ezekiel "Zeke" Brown from [[Detroit, Michigan]], and two-time ex-convict, 35-year-old Sam "Smokey" James from [[Mississippi]], who spent time in [[Michigan State Prison]] — and one 33-year-old white, a [[Polish Americans|Polish-American]] from [[Hamtramck, Michigan]], Jerry Bartowski. The three men are fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and the union brass. Smokey is in debt to a loan shark over a [[numbers game]], Jerry works a second job as a gas station attendant to get by and finds himself unable to pay bills including the [[orthodontics]] work that his daughter needs, and Zeke is in trouble with the IRS for [[tax evasion]] by filing false claims in order to improve his family's income.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/reviews/view/7275|title=Blue Collar &#124; Film Review &#124; Spirituality & Practice|first=Paul|last=Schrader|website=www.spiritualityandpractice.com}}</ref>


Coupled with the financial hardships on each man's end, the trio hatch a plan to rob a safe at the [[American Auto Workers]] union headquarters. With a few rough bumps, they commit the caper but find only $600 in petty cash. More importantly, they also come away with a [[ledger]] which contains evidence of the union's illegal [[usury|loan]] operation and ties to organized crime syndicates in [[Las Vegas]], [[Chicago]] and [[New York City|New York]]. They decide to make an attempt to blackmail the union with the information, especially when the union has issued a false statement claiming that $10,000 had been robbed so they can fraudulently collect from the insurance. Meanwhile, Charlie T. Hernandez, a local racketeer & loan shark who is an acquaintance of Smokey was aware of the trio's robbery, pays Smokey a visit, revealing that Smokey received advice from him on how to crack the union's safe in exchange for a percentage of the robbed proceeds. Charlie gets busted by the police for his connection to an unrelated crime and attempts to get a softer conviction in exchange for revealing information about the trio's theft & their blackmailing. This information subsequently gets back to the union and they begin to retaliate strongly by turning the tables on the three friends. Jerry experiences a near-miss one evening when a pair of hired thugs show up at his house to attack his wife, but both get intercepted and roughed up by Smokey. The next day at work, a suspicious accident at the plant results in Smokey's death, but it's investigated as a [[work accident]] caused by negligent enforcement of safety rules. Zeke and Jerry realize it was a murder coordinated by the union bosses due to the incriminating knowledge they possess against the union. Jerry sends his family out of town to stay with relatives to keep them out of harms way.
Coupled with the financial hardships on each man's end, the trio hatch a plan to rob a safe at [[United Auto Workers]] union headquarters. They commit the caper but find only $600 in petty cash. More importantly, they also come away with a [[ledger]] which contains evidence of the union's illegal [[usury|loan]] operation and ties to organized crime syndicates in [[Las Vegas]], [[Chicago]] and [[New York City|New York]]. They decide to make an attempt to blackmail the union with the information. Meanwhile, a local loan shark has given Smokey advice on how to crack the safe in exchange for a percentage of the robbed proceeds. He gets busted by the police for his ties in an unrelated crime and attempts to get off or receive a softer conviction in exchange for spilling off the information about the trio's robbery & blackmailing. This information subsequently gets back to the union, and they begin to retaliate strongly by turning the tables on the three friends. Jerry experiences a near miss one evening when a pair of hired thugs show up at his house to attack his wife, but both get intercepted and beaten up by Smokey. The next day at work, a suspicious accident at the plant results in Smokey's death that is investigated as a [[work accident]] caused by negligent safety protocols, which Zeke and Jerry realize was a murder coordinated by the union bosses due to the incriminating knowledge they possess against the union.


An [[FBI]] agent, John Burrows, who has been investigating the union, attempts to coerce Jerry into becoming a [[material witness]] or [[cooperating witness]] against the union's corruption, which would make him an adversary of his co-workers and give him a reputation as a cowardly snitch. At the same time, corrupt union bosses already succeed in coopting Zeke to give back their stolen ledger and work for them with promises of a promotion to [[shop steward]] and increased pay. Zeke, happy with his new duties and higher pay, pragmatically prescinds from seeking justice for Smokey's murder, as it would jeopardize his newfound standing within the ranks of the union. Jerry attempts to convince Zeke to take steps to avenge Smokey's death, but Zeke rebukes him, telling Jerry that nothing will bring Smokey back and that they should just move forward. One evening, two gunmen, hired by the mob, follow and try to shoot Jerry in a [[drive-by shooting]] while traveling through a tunnel. This evolves into a chase where Jerry attempts to make a desperate break for Canada via the [[Detroit–Windsor tunnel]]. However, he ends up crashing his car before he gets there, though he is rescued by the police. Disgusted with Zeke's capitulation and terrified after another attempt on his life, Jerry decides to contact to John Burrows and cooperates with the FBI and a [[United States Congress]] [[Select or special committee (United States Congress)]].
An [[FBI]] agent John Burrows attempts to coerce Jerry into [[material witness]] or [[cooperating witness]] on the union's corruption, which would make him an adversary of his co-workers as well as the union bosses. At the same time, corrupt union bosses succeed in coopting Zeke to work for them with promises of upward mobility being promoted to [[shop steward]] and increased remuneration. Zeke, happy with his new duties and higher pay, pragmatically prescinds from seeking justice for Smokey's murder, as it would jeopardize his newfound standing within the ranks of the union. Jerry attempts to convince Zeke to take steps to avenge Smokey's death, but Zeke rebukes him, telling Jerry that nothing will bring Smokey back and that they should just move forward. Later that evening, two gunmen, hired by the mob, try to shoot Jerry in a [[drive-by shooting]] while traveling through the [[Detroit–Windsor tunnel]]. This evolves into a chase where Jerry ends up crashing his car but is rescued by the police. Disgusted with Zeke's capitulation and terrified after another attempt on his life, Jerry decides to cooperate with the FBI and a [[United States Congress]] [[Select or special committee (United States Congress)|special Congressional committee]] that have been investigating the union.


In the end, as Jerry enters the plant with federal agents, Zeke confronts him. Once friends, Jerry and Zeke now turn on each other as a heated discussion escalates into the two attempting to physically attack each other, confirming the prescient earlier narrative (as heard in Smokey's words) that union corruption divides workers against one another.
In the end, as Jerry enters the plant with federal agents, Zeke confronts him. Once friends, Jerry and Zeke now turn on each other as a heated discussion escalates into them attempting to attack each other, confirming the prescient earlier narrative that union corruption divides workers against one another.


== Cast ==
== Cast ==
* [[Richard Pryor]] as Ezekiel "Zeke" Brown
* [[Richard Pryor]] as Ezekiel "Zeke" Brown
* [[Harvey Keitel]] as Jerry Bartowski
* [[Harvey Keitel]] as Jerry Bartowski
* [[Yaphet Kotto]] as John "Smokey" James
* [[Yaphet Kotto]] as Sam "Smokey" James
* [[Ed Begley Jr.]] as Bobby Joe
* [[Ed Begley Jr.]] as Bobby Joe
* [[Harry Bellaver]] as Eddie Johnson
* [[Harry Bellaver]] as Eddie Johnson
Line 48: Line 55:
* Borah Silver as "Dogshit" Miller
* Borah Silver as "Dogshit" Miller
* [[Chip Fields]] as Caroline Brown
* [[Chip Fields]] as Caroline Brown
* [[Tracey Walter]] as Union Member
* [[Harry Northup]] as Hank
* [[Harry Northup]] as Hank
* Leonard Gaines as Mr. Berg, IRS Man
* Leonard Gaines as Mr. Berg, IRS Man
Line 57: Line 65:
The film was shot on location at the [[Checker Motors Corporation|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 (Detroit)|MacArthur Bridge]] to [[Belle Isle Park (Michigan)|Belle Isle]].
The film was shot on location at the [[Checker Motors Corporation|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 (Detroit)|MacArthur Bridge]] to [[Belle Isle Park (Michigan)|Belle Isle]].


The three main actors did not get along and were continually fighting throughout the shoot. The tension became so great that at one point Richard Pryor (supposedly in a [[substance abuse|drug-fueled rage]]) pointed a gun at Schrader and told him that there was "no way" he would ever do more than three takes for a scene; an incident that may have triggered Schrader's nervous breakdown.<ref name=backrow/>
The three main actors did not get along and were continually 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 would ever do more than three takes for a scene.<ref name=backrow/>


Schrader states that during the filming of one take, Harvey Keitel became so irritated by Pryor's lengthy improvisations that he flung the contents of an ashtray into the camera lens, ruining the take. Pryor and his bodyguard responded by pinning Keitel to the floor and pummeling him with their fists.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Henry|first1=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MT7tBAAAQBAJ&q=%22pryor%22+%22ashtray%22+%22keitel%22&pg=PA194|title=Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him|last2=Henry|first2=Joe|date=2014-01-01|publisher=Algonquin Books|isbn=978-1-61620-447-1|language=en}}</ref>
Schrader states that during the filming of one take, Harvey Keitel became so irritated by Pryor's lengthy improvisations that he flung the contents of an ashtray into the camera lens, ruining the take. Pryor and his bodyguard responded by pinning Keitel to the floor and pummeling him with their fists.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Henry|first1=David|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MT7tBAAAQBAJ&q=%22pryor%22+%22ashtray%22+%22keitel%22&pg=PA194|title=Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him|last2=Henry|first2=Joe|date=2014-01-01|publisher=Algonquin Books|isbn=978-1-61620-447-1|language=en}}</ref>
Line 64: Line 72:


== Reception ==
== Reception ==
''Blue Collar'' was universally praised by critics. The film holds a 98% "Fresh" rating on the [[Review aggregator|review aggregate]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 40 reviews.<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blue_collar/ ''Blue Collar'', Movie Reviews.] [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. Retrieved August 21, 2021.</ref> Both [[Roger Ebert]] and [[Gene Siskel]] lauded the film; Ebert awarded the film four stars<ref>[http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blue-collar-1978 Roger Ebert reviews ''Blue Collar''.] ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. Retrieved January 27, 2016.</ref> and Siskel placed the film fourth on his list of the ten best of 1978.<ref>[http://www.innermind.com/misc/s_e_top.htm Siskel and Ebert Top 10.] Retrieved January 27, 2016.</ref>
''Blue Collar'' was universally praised by critics. The film holds a 96% "Fresh" rating on the [[Review aggregator|review aggregate]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 46 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Paul Schrader's ''Blue Collar'' offers a searing, darkly funny indictment of labor exploitation and rampant consumerism that's fueled by the outstanding work of an excellent cast."<ref>[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blue_collar/ ''Blue Collar'', Movie Reviews.] [[Rotten Tomatoes]]. Retrieved January 25, 2024.</ref> Both [[Roger Ebert]] and [[Gene Siskel]] lauded the film; Ebert awarded the film four stars<ref>[http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blue-collar-1978 Roger Ebert reviews ''Blue Collar''.] ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]''. Retrieved January 27, 2016.</ref> and Siskel placed the film fourth on his list of the ten best of 1978.<ref>[http://www.innermind.com/misc/s_e_top.htm Siskel and Ebert Top 10.] Retrieved January 27, 2016.</ref>


Filmmaker [[Spike Lee]] included the film on his essential film list "Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See".<ref>[http://www.indiewire.com/article/spike-lees-list-of-films-all-aspiring-filmmakers-must-see List of Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See.] ''[[IndieWire]]''. Retrieved January 27, 2016.</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' placed the film on its ''Best 1000 Movies Ever'' list.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080612032429/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.] ''[[The New York Times]]'' via [[Internet Archive]]. Published April 29, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2008.</ref>
Filmmaker [[Spike Lee]] included the film on his essential film list "Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See".<ref>[http://www.indiewire.com/article/spike-lees-list-of-films-all-aspiring-filmmakers-must-see List of Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See.] ''[[IndieWire]]''. Retrieved January 27, 2016.</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' placed the film on its ''Best 1000 Movies Ever'' list.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080612032429/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.] ''[[The New York Times]]'' via [[Internet Archive]]. Published April 29, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2008.</ref>


In his autobiography ''[[Born to Run (autobiography)|Born to Run]]'', [[Bruce Springsteen]] names ''Blue Collar'' and ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' as two of his favorite films of the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Born to Run|last=Springsteen|first=Bruce|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2016|location=London|pages=313}}</ref>
In his autobiography ''[[Born to Run (autobiography)|Born to Run]]'', [[Bruce Springsteen]] names ''Blue Collar'' and ''[[Taxi Driver]]'' as two of his favorite films of the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Born to Run|last=Springsteen|first=Bruce|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=2016|location=London|pages=313}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
''Blue Collar'' was referenced in season 2, episode 5 of [[HBO]]'s ''[[The Deuce (TV series)|The Deuce]]''.<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077248/?ref_=nm_flmg_t_149_act]</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
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{{Paul Schrader}}
{{Paul Schrader}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Collar}}
[[Category:1978 films]]
[[Category:1978 films]]
[[Category:1978 crime drama films]]
[[Category:1978 crime drama films]]
⚫
[[Category:American films]]
[[Category:American crime drama films]]
[[Category:American crime drama films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
[[Category:1970s English-language films]]
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[[Category:African-American films]]
[[Category:African-American films]]
[[Category:1978 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1978 directorial debut films]]
⚫
[[Category:1970s American films]]
[[Category:English-language crime drama films]]

Latest revision as of 18:38, 28 December 2024

Blue Collar
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPaul Schrader
Written by
Produced byDon Guest
Starring
CinematographyBobby Byrne
Edited byTom Rolf
Music byJack Nitzsche
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • February 10, 1978 (1978-02-10) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.7 million[1]
Box office$6.5 million[2]

Blue Collar is a 1978 American crime drama film directed by Paul Schrader in his directorial debut. Written by Schrader and his brother Leonard, the film stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto.[3] The film is both a critique of union practices and an examination of life in a working-class Rust Belt enclave.

Schrader, who wrote the script for Taxi Driver (1976), recalls the shooting as being very difficult because of the artistic and personal tensions he had with the actors (including the stars themselves). Schrader has also stated that while making the film, he suffered an on-set mental breakdown, which made him seriously reconsider his career.[4]

The film was shot in Detroit and Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Plot

[edit]

A trio of Wayne County, Michigan auto workers, two black — 32-year-old Ezekiel "Zeke" Brown from Detroit, Michigan, and two-time ex-convict, 35-year-old Sam "Smokey" James from Mississippi, who spent time in Michigan State Prison — and one 33-year-old white, a Polish-American from Hamtramck, Michigan, Jerry Bartowski. The three men are fed up with mistreatment at the hands of both management and the union brass. Smokey is in debt to a loan shark over a numbers game, Jerry works a second job as a gas station attendant to get by and finds himself unable to pay bills including the orthodontics work that his daughter needs, and Zeke is in trouble with the IRS for tax evasion by filing false claims in order to improve his family's income.[5]

Coupled with the financial hardships on each man's end, the trio hatch a plan to rob a safe at United Auto Workers union headquarters. They commit the caper but find only $600 in petty cash. 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 in Las Vegas, Chicago and New York. They decide to make an attempt to blackmail the union with the information. Meanwhile, a local loan shark has given Smokey advice on how to crack the safe in exchange for a percentage of the robbed proceeds. He gets busted by the police for his ties in an unrelated crime and attempts to get off or receive a softer conviction in exchange for spilling off the information about the trio's robbery & blackmailing. This information subsequently gets back to the union, and they begin to retaliate strongly by turning the tables on the three friends. Jerry experiences a near miss one evening when a pair of hired thugs show up at his house to attack his wife, but both get intercepted and beaten up by Smokey. The next day at work, a suspicious accident at the plant results in Smokey's death that is investigated as a work accident caused by negligent safety protocols, which Zeke and Jerry realize was a murder coordinated by the union bosses due to the incriminating knowledge they possess against the union.

An FBI agent John Burrows attempts to coerce Jerry into material witness or cooperating witness on the union's corruption, which would make him an adversary of his co-workers as well as the union bosses. At the same time, corrupt union bosses succeed in coopting Zeke to work for them with promises of upward mobility being promoted to shop steward and increased remuneration. Zeke, happy with his new duties and higher pay, pragmatically prescinds from seeking justice for Smokey's murder, as it would jeopardize his newfound standing within the ranks of the union. Jerry attempts to convince Zeke to take steps to avenge Smokey's death, but Zeke rebukes him, telling Jerry that nothing will bring Smokey back and that they should just move forward. Later that evening, two gunmen, hired by the mob, try to shoot Jerry in a drive-by shooting while traveling through the Detroit–Windsor tunnel. This evolves into a chase where Jerry ends up crashing his car but is rescued by the police. Disgusted with Zeke's capitulation and terrified after another attempt on his life, Jerry decides to cooperate with the FBI and a United States Congress special Congressional committee that have been investigating the union.

In the end, as Jerry enters the plant with federal agents, Zeke confronts him. Once friends, Jerry and Zeke now turn on each other as a heated discussion escalates into them attempting to attack each other, confirming the prescient earlier narrative that union corruption divides workers against one another.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

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 did not get along and were continually 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 would ever do more than three takes for a scene.[4]

Schrader states that during the filming of one take, Harvey Keitel became so irritated by Pryor's lengthy improvisations that he flung the contents of an ashtray into the camera lens, ruining the take. Pryor and his bodyguard responded by pinning Keitel to the floor and pummeling him with their fists.[6]

Jack Nitzsche's blues-flavored score includes "Hard Workin' Man", a collaboration with Captain Beefheart.[7]

Reception

[edit]

Blue Collar was universally praised by critics. The film holds a 96% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes based on 46 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Paul Schrader's Blue Collar offers a searing, darkly funny indictment of labor exploitation and rampant consumerism that's fueled by the outstanding work of an excellent cast."[8] Both Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel lauded the film; Ebert awarded the film four stars[9] and Siskel placed the film fourth on his list of the ten best of 1978.[10]

Filmmaker Spike Lee included the film on his essential film list "Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See".[11] The New York Times placed the film on its Best 1000 Movies Ever list.[12]

In his autobiography Born to Run, Bruce Springsteen names Blue Collar and Taxi Driver as two of his favorite films of the 1970s.[13]

[edit]

Blue Collar was referenced in season 2, episode 5 of HBO's The Deuce.[14]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Kilday, Gregg (Apr 6, 1977). "Writing His Way to the Top". Los Angeles Times. p. e20.
  2. ^ "Blue Collar Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo.
  3. ^ "Blue Collar". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  4. ^ a b The Back Row, Robin's Underrated Gems: Blue Collar (1978)
  5. ^ Schrader, Paul. "Blue Collar | Film Review | Spirituality & Practice". www.spiritualityandpractice.com.
  6. ^ Henry, David; Henry, Joe (2014-01-01). Furious Cool: Richard Pryor and the World That Made Him. Algonquin Books. ISBN 978-1-61620-447-1.
  7. ^ Metz, Nina (August 24, 2017). "No shadows or trenchcoats: Why a 1978 Richard Pryor movie unexpectedly qualifies as film noir". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  8. ^ Blue Collar, Movie Reviews. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Roger Ebert reviews Blue Collar. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  10. ^ Siskel and Ebert Top 10. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  11. ^ List of Films All Aspiring Filmmakers Must See. IndieWire. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  12. ^ The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made. The New York Times via Internet Archive. Published April 29, 2003. Retrieved June 12, 2008.
  13. ^ Springsteen, Bruce (2016). Born to Run. London: Simon & Schuster. p. 313.
  14. ^ [1]
[edit]
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