BLUE COLLAR

US, 1978, 114 minutes Colour.
Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto, Ed Begley Jr., Cliff de Young.
Directed by Paul Schrader.

Screenwriter Paul Schrader wrote of violence erupting in Carrie destroying any normality; in Taxi Driver, the violence preceded some normality. Here the point of view on unions, assembly line workers and government is not clear cut, the story of three ordinary men in their daily problems at home and at work (presented most effectively, if with unrelenting swearing) but it is the violence breaking out and destroying normality vein, grimly so. Schrader, directing his first film, with Detroit factory settings in authentic detail, pounding score and well acted by Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel, has a great deal to say about corruption, power, integrity, loyalty and the quality of life. Schrader's next film was Hardcore.

1. The purpose of this film? Entertainment, social interest, social comment? Impact for an American audience, workers, Government, employers? Non - Americans in the same categories?

2. What was the point of view of the writer-director? Were his social views to the right, to the left, centre? Clear-cut or not? His attitude towards socialism and the work of the unions for the worker? Attitudes towards the use of power and employers? The role of the various pressure groups? The role of government for the workers, for getting to corrupt unions? Was the writer-director in favour of individual rights, group rights, loyalties, the testing of loyalties?

3. The importance of the Detroit background? How authentic did it seem, location photography, the atmosphere of the factory? The importance of the work done during the credits sequences with the score? The colour photography? The audience entering into the world of the blue collar worker and the atmosphere of the assembly line and its effect on groups and individuals? The continued detail of work in the factories in Detroit? The presentation of the various homes in familiar detail? The cars, the streets, bowling evenings, parties, offices? The contribution of the musical score, the songs?

4. The focus of the title, its implications, tone? Assertive, by way of contrast with white collar workers etc.? The place of the blue collar worker in society?

5. The presentation of ordinary men and the inherent violence in attitudes, behaviour, in ordinary pressures, in day to day living? The government and its influence in the factories, the unions? Government violence e.g. with investigations, taxation? The explosion of violence within ordinary individuals and its implications, consequences? The eruption bigger than the individuals who are angry? The film's presentation of the various options after violence ? death, fear and information giving, compromise? The irrevocability of involvement in violence? Towards which of the three men was the screenplay finally sympathetic?

6. The atmosphere of labour in the factories - the supervisor and his prejudice and constant pressurising of the workers and criticism of them, the physical exertion and atmosphere of hard work, the rules? The importance of the man trying to get the soft drinks and finally ramming the machine and bashing it? Noise, physical environment, social conditions? The ways these were used for Smokey's death?

7. The world of the harsh and the ugly? The relaxation in the bar, the kind of talk, jokes, language and swearing, the night out on parties for women and drugs, depression? The kind of world in which these men were trapped?

8. The portrait of the families, the money problems, Zeke and the visit of the tax man, his saving up to get comforts, especially the television and watching everything on it, Jerry and his daughter's problem with her teeth and making bands herself, the way they spent money e.g. on drinks, smoking, drugs? Going out for bowling evenings together?

9. How convincing was the portrait of the family life? The black neighbourhood, the neighbours helping out with the deceit of the tax man? Black and white families, friendly, going out to bowls? The Catholic family and the wife going to Mass? The holidays? The contrast with Smokey and his prison background and his being a man with the ladies?

10. The picture of the three men in themselves ~ black and white friendship, the friendship bonds between them, their capacity for sharing? How genuine was this? The cruel irony of its being broken?

11. The picture of the union meeting, Clarence Hill and complaints, moving him to go to Ed to discuss his complaint and seeing the safe? The idea germinating in him, talking to his friends, getting ideas? The reasons for their deciding to break in, money, the straw that broke the camel's back for each of them? The detailed preparations, especially Jerry with the car, Vic and his buying the masks? The sequence devoted to the entry, the parking of the car, the open safe, no money, the guard and frightening him with the masks?

12. The consequences of this action? The union and its lies and covering up what had been stolen? Charlie as the connection and his pressure on Smokey and then his betrayal of the three? Their decisions when they discovered the nature of the book and its meaning and legality? The thugs and their ringing Jerry's wife to go and bash her and Smokey's bashing them instead? Leading to his death and the prolonged scene of his suffocation? Ed having a talk on the bridge and smoothly presenting compromise and "realism" and his final accepting of this? Jerry and his fear, sending the family away, ringing them? The pursuit and his giving himself up to the police? The relentlessness and irrevocability of the consequences of violence?

13. The character of Smokey, his loyalty, decisions? His getting Jerry's wife out of the house? His dealings with Charlie and the betrayal?

14. The picturing of Smokey going in to do the work, the paint, being locked in, his death?

15. How persuasive to the audience were the reasons given to Zeke for his taking the job? Did he rationalise to himself as Jerry thought or did he genuinely want security? The picture of him doing his job ? the change of clothes, fitting him to the power patterns? His being corrupted? The confrontation with Jerry at his home, the final confrontation?

16. How persuasive to the audience was Jerry's fear? The car chase? Giving himself up to the police to protect himself and the family?

17. The background of Brower, his posing as a student, asking questions, his role in protecting Jerry? The reaction of the men at the factory? All the friends turning against Jerry?

18. The portrait of the union men, their being in power for so long, following the ordinary patterns of corruption, money, prestige, power of others, fixing things up, the loans? The film's judgement on the morality of these men?

19. The philosophy of the power structures trying to divide men and turn them all against each other and keep them that way in order to stay in power? The final image illustrating this?

20. The values presupposed by the film-makers about men, work, right and wrong, justice? The values presupposed in the audience?