Norma Rae
 

PostED ON 11.10.2025

In a small town in the American south, a trade unionist arrives with the clear intention of persuading workers at a cotton mill to fight for their rights. Among them is Norma Rae, a young , feisty, intelligent woman with a jittery nature– in short, the perfect candidate to wake up to the world and rise up.

© 20th Century Fox / DR
Norma Rae (1979)

‘Be happy,’ says the union representative to Norma, who is determined not to let herself be pushed around anymore, regardless of the area: work, relationships or family... Sally Field, with her slender physique and XXL determination, incarnates Norma Rae with an intensity and a disarming gaze which earned her the Best Actress Prize at Cannes and the Best Actress Oscar.

With this film, we immediately recognise the socially conscious cinema so characteristic of Martin Ritt's œuvre, made with that very special blend of documentary feel and Hollywood charm. Using seduction to convey key messages is one of the filmmaker's secrets. His camera follows the heroine like an entomologist observing a tiny ant in its habitat, with love and admiration. In nearly every scene, Field expresses herself, negotiates, struggles, fights back, storms ahead. A fast-paced film, Norma Rae is a phenomenal success. After all, Ritt is as comfortable portraying political and social struggles as he is showing intimate relationships forged by love, sex or friendship!

Virginie Apiou

Norma Rae by Martin Ritt (1979, 1h54

Creation of the DCP in original version with French subtitles made exclusively for the Lumière film festival.
Restoration 4K par The Walt Disney Company. 
Our thanks to Park Circus

PURCHASE Mon 13 6:45pm - UGC Confluence
In the presence of Jean-Claude Raspiengeas (journalist and film critic, Lumière Ambassador 2025)

PURCHASE Tue 14 10:45am - UGC Confluence
In the presence of Joël Chapron (film historian, specialist in Eastern European cinema, Lumière Ambassador 2025) 

PURCHASE Wed 15 10h45 - Comœdia
In the presence of Laurent Delmas (journalist and film critic, Lumière Ambassador 2025)

PURCHASE Wed 15 8pm - Saint-Genis-Laval – Ciné La Mouche
In the presence of Joël Chapron (film historian, specialist in Eastern European cinema, Lumière Ambassador 2025)

PURCHASE Sat 18 5pm - CinéDuchère
In the presence of Jean-Claude Raspiengeas (journalist and film critic, Lumière Ambassador 2025)

PURCHASE Sun 19 10:45am - Pathé Bellecour
In the presence of Jean-Paul Salomé