Native Land
“The Picture with the Most Exciting Story of Our Time!”
Synopsis
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.
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Paul Robeson
Narrator
Fred Johnson
Fred Hill
Mary George
Hill's Wife
John Rennick
Hill's Son
Amelia Romano
Young Girl in Cleveland
Houseley Stevenson
White Sharecropper
Louis Grant
Black Sharecropper
James Hanney
Mack
Howard Da Silva
Jim
Art Smith
Harry Carlyle
Robert Strauss
Frank Mason, grocer
John Marley
Thug With Crowbar
Harry Wilson
Eugene Poulnot
Release History & Theatrical Window
May 11, 1942
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand
- Screenplay & Story
- Leo Hurwitz, Ben Maddow, Paul Strand
- Original Title
- Native Land
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 29m
- Production Studios
- Frontier Films
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand
Leo Hurwitz, Ben Maddow, Paul Strand
Paul Strand
Bob Stebbins, Lionel Berman, Leo Hurwitz
Department Leadership Roster
Leo Hurwitz
Director
Paul Strand
Director
Leo Hurwitz
Writer
Ben Maddow
Writer
Paul Strand
Writer
Bob Stebbins
Editor
Lionel Berman
Editor
Leo Hurwitz
Editor
Paul Strand
Director of Photography
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Native Land.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Native Land.
Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
War: World War II
Auto-filled from Letterboxd lists
ALLL MOVIESSS
MovieLens[40K:50K]
The Criterion Collection
Every film released by The Criterion Collection on DVD, Blu-ray or 4K, including box sets and Eclipse. Enumerated from Wikidata and Wikipedia.
criterion collection
Similar Titles to Native Land
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
7.4
7.0
6.8
7.5
6.6
10.0
4.4
6.8
6.8
7.4
6.9
7.2
7.0
More Like Native Land
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About Native Land
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Native Land about?
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.
Who directed Native Land?
Native Land was directed by Leo Hurwitz, Paul Strand.
Who stars in Native Land?
The principal cast of Native Land includes Paul Robeson, Fred Johnson, Mary George, John Rennick, Amelia Romano.
When was Native Land released and how long is it?
Native Land was released in 1942 with a total runtime of 1h 29m.