Native Land
Seen it?1942 | 89 min | Drama, History
Monday Morning Maybeearly ratingWhy it’s a Monday Morning Maybe
With almost no lasting buzz and soft box office, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Made for history buffs. If you loved The Trial of the Chicago 7, start here.
- The mood
- Thoughtful and character-driven.
- The pace
- Takes its time with its characters, at 1 hr 29 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1942: an older pace and style.
By the start of World War II, Paul Robeson had given up his lucrative mainstream work to participate in more socially progressive film and stage productions. Robeson committed his support to Paul Strand and Leo Hurwitz’s political semidocumentary Native Land. With Robeson’s narration and songs, this beautifully shot and edited film exposes violations of Americans’ civil liberties and is a call to action for exploited workers around the country. Scarcely shown since its debut, Native Land represents Robeson’s shift from narrative cinema to the leftist documentaries that would define the final chapter of his controversial film career.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
No major awards or nominations
- Reach & staying powerBelow par
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
About 4K people sought it out in the past year
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Cast & crew
Directed by Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand
- Paul RobesonNarrator
- Fred JohnsonFred Hill
- Mary GeorgeHill's Wife
- John RennickHill's Son
- Amelia RomanoYoung Girl in Cleveland
- Houseley StevensonWhite Sharecropper
- Louis GrantBlack Sharecropper
- James HanneyMack
- Howard Da SilvaJim
- Art SmithHarry Carlyle