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Union Pacific

Name: Union Pacific
Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Released: 1939
Duration: 135 min

Representation Score

0.4/10

Minimal

1939

Approved

Director

Cecil B. DeMille

Runtime

135 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Union Pacific is a classic mid-century epic that upholds traditional social hierarchies and nationalistic narratives. The film emphasizes capitalist expansion and patriarchal leadership, portraying the railroad's construction as a heroic act of individual ambition. By focusing on white industrial leaders, the film sidelines non-white groups, treating them as obstacles to progress rather than fully developed characters. Ultimately, the film reinforces the dominant power structures of its time, emphasizing order and industrial triumph.

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Category Breakdown

Does Union Pacific have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film follows traditional heterosexual norms, focusing on conventional romance and male competition for a female lead. There are no characters who identify outside the cisgender norm.

How does Union Pacific portray gender?

Limited

The story centers around a patriarchal structure where female characters play significant roles as emotional anchors but their influence is defined by their relationships with men. Masculine leadership and industrial progress are emphasized.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Union Pacific?

Minimal

The film depicts Indigenous populations as barriers to progress, reflecting colonial-era attitudes. The cast is mainly Anglo-Saxon, highlighting the story of white industrial growth.

How does Union Pacific represent religion and culture?

Minimal

The film glorifies Western expansion and industrial capitalism, reinforcing the idea of great leaders shaping history. It portrays the railroad and national unity as heroic achievements.

Does Union Pacific include disability representation?

Minimal

There are no significant representations of visible or invisible disabilities in the main storyline.

Present on Screen

It offers a clear historical depiction of the Manifest Destiny era and the expansion of the American frontier.
It features central female characters who serve as important emotional anchors for the narrative's romantic tension.

Limited or Absent

The film lacks nuanced characterization for non-white individuals, depicting Indigenous populations primarily as obstacles to progress.
It maintains a rigid patriarchal hierarchy where ability to act is largely reserved for male protagonists.
There is no representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender gender expressions.

Official Synopsis

One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting Barrows' agent, gambler Sid Campeau; Campeau's partner Dick Allen is Jeff's war buddy and rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan. Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost?

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