Master Hands - Chevrolet Manufacturing (1936)

Master Hands (4K) by Jam Handy Organization. Courtesy: Prelinger Archives. First 4K scan of Master Hands, made by Adrianne Finelli on March 5, 2019 at Internet Archive from a 35mm print. Classic “capitalist realist“ drama showing the manufacture of Chevrolets from foundry to finished vehicles. Though ostensibly a tribute to the “master hands“ of the assembly line workers, it seems more of a paean to the designers of this impressive mass production system. Filmed in Flint, Michigan, just months before the United Auto Workers won union recognition with their famous sitdown strikes. Released the same year as two other films with which it shares similarities: MODERN TIMES and TRIUMPH OF THE WILL. Selected for the 1999 National Film Registry of “artistically, culturally, and socially significant“ films. Publication date 1936 Topics Jam Handy Organization, National Film Registry, Chevrolet Motor Company, automobile manufacturing, Flint Michigan #Chevrolet