We Work Again
Encyclopedia
We Work Again is a 1937 ephemeral film produced by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...

 to promote its efforts at finding work for African-Americans during the great depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

. Various jobs are shown, including construction, demolition, "domestics", school teaching, factory work and food preparation.

We Work Again has gained considerable attention because it includes the only known footage of the famous all-Black version of Macbeth staged by Orson Welles
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...

 in 1936. This footage consists of the last few minutes of the play.

A copy of the film is preserved by the National Archives and Records Administration
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...

. The film has also been released on DVD on the 4-Disc box set Treasures from American Film Archives, compiled by the National Film Preservation Foundation
National Film Preservation Foundation
The National Film Preservation Foundation is an independent, nonprofit organization created by the U.S. Congress to help save America’s film heritage. Growing from a national planning effort led by the Library of Congress, the NFPF began operations in 1997. It supports activities nationwide that...

. It is one of the very few films of its genre ever to be released on DVD or any other home format. The film is presumed to be public domain and as such it has appeared on several websites, including the Internet Archive
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...

.

Cast

  • Juanita Hall
    Juanita Hall
    Juanita Hall was an American musical theatre and film actress. She is remembered for her roles in the original stage and screen versions of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals South Pacific as Bloody Mary and Flower Drum Song as Auntie Liang.-Biography:Born in Keyport, New Jersey, Hall received...

    as Choir Director
  • Alma Dickson as Lady Macbeth
  • Bertram Holmes as Young Macduff
  • Zola King as Voodoo Macbeth Witch
  • Josephine Williams as Voodoo Macbeth Witch
  • Wilhelmina Williams as Voodoo Macbeth Witch
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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