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Joe Hill

Play trailer Poster for Joe Hill PG 1971 1h 55m Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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Joe Hill (Thommy Berggren) immigrates to America from Sweden in the early years of the 20th century. Although he secures a few jobs in his new homeland, the degrading working conditions astonish him. He becomes involved in the radical organization Industrial Workers of the World and goes on to write folk ballads championing the rights of the average worker. But in 1914 circumstantial evidence links him to a murder. Joe claims he is innocent, but the authorities think otherwise.

Critics Reviews

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Vincent Canby New York Times The movie is so irresolute in making assumption about its hero, about his drives and his dreams, and especially about his guilt, that it is scarcely an appreciation of even the mythical Joe Hill. Mar 11, 2020 Full Review Margaret Hinxman Daily Telegraph (UK) Joe Hill is a dazzler to look at, yet ultimately horrifying. Mar 11, 2020 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Widerberg doesn't take the Wobbly brand of anarcho-syndicalism, the "one big union" philosophy, at all seriously. It's not that he should; it's that the movie is lightweight because he doesn't. Rated: 2.5/4 Nov 6, 2018 Full Review Tony Palmer The Spectator Joseph Hillstom... the Swedish immigrant who became an American labour leader only to be framed and shot for his political involvement, has been lovingly brought back to life by Bo Widerberg. Mar 11, 2020 Full Review Antonio Lara El Pais (Spain) The movie's premiere is an opportune moment to contribute some historical facts about the working-class rebellion, as necessary today as they were yesterday. [Full Review in Spanish] Jul 18, 2019 Full Review TV Guide Staff TV Guide Politically simplistic and sentimental, Joe Hill never succeeds in evoking the tone of moral outrage that the film would have needed to really succeed. Rated: 2.5/5 Jun 13, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member The story of Joe Hill, Swedish-American working class agitator. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Joe Hill

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Joe Hill

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Movie Info

Synopsis Joe Hill (Thommy Berggren) immigrates to America from Sweden in the early years of the 20th century. Although he secures a few jobs in his new homeland, the degrading working conditions astonish him. He becomes involved in the radical organization Industrial Workers of the World and goes on to write folk ballads championing the rights of the average worker. But in 1914 circumstantial evidence links him to a murder. Joe claims he is innocent, but the authorities think otherwise.
Director
Bo Widerberg
Producer
Bo Widerberg
Production Co
Bo Widerberg Film, Sagittarius Productions
Rating
PG
Genre
Biography
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 55m