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Joe Hill

Play trailer Poster for Joe Hill PG 1971 1h 55m Biography Play Trailer Watchlist
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50% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
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 03/11/2020
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. Go to Full Review Margaret Hinxman Daily Telegraph (UK) 03/11/2020
Joe Hill is a dazzler to look at, yet ultimately horrifying. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 11/06/2018
2.5/4
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. Go to Full Review Tony Palmer The Spectator 03/11/2020
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. Go to Full Review Antonio Lara El Pais (Spain) 07/18/2019
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] Go to Full Review TV Guide Staff TV Guide 06/13/2018
2.5/5
Politically simplistic and sentimental, Joe Hill never succeeds in evoking the tone of moral outrage that the film would have needed to really succeed. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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09/25/2007 The story of Joe Hill, Swedish-American working class agitator. See more Read all reviews
Joe Hill

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Cast & Crew

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Bo Widerberg

Director

Thommy Berggren

Joe Hill

Ania Schmidt

Lucia

Kelvin Malave

The Fox

Evert Anderson

Blackie

Cathy Smith

Cathy

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Joe Hill

Joe Hill (1971) Joe Hill (1971) Joe Hill (1971) View more photos

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