The Working Class Goes to Heaven is a 1971 film directed by Elio Petri. It depicts a factory worker's realisation of his own condition as a simple "tool" in the process of production and, implicitly, his struggle with the trade union

Trade union

A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...

s. The worker in question, Lulu, is described in the first part of the film as a Stakhanovite

Stakhanovite

In Soviet history and iconography, a Stakhanovite follows the example of Aleksei Grigorievich Stakhanov, employing hard work or Taylorist efficiencies to over-achieve on the job.- History :...

.

The film shared the Grand Prix

Palme d'Or

The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...

with The Mattei Affair

The Mattei Affair

The Mattei Affair is a 1972 film directed by Francesco Rosi. It depicts the life and mysterious death of Enrico Mattei, an Italian businessman who in the aftermath of World War II managed to avoid the sale of the nascent Italian oil and hydrocarbon industry to US companies and developed them in...

at the 1972 Cannes Film Festival

1972 Cannes Film Festival

- Jury :*Joseph Losey *Bibi Andersson *Georges Auric *Erskine Caldwell *Mark Donskoi *Miloš Forman *Giorgio Papi *Jean Rochereau *Alain Tanner...

. Gian Maria Volonté

Gian Maria Volontè

Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...

 was the leading actor in both films.

Cast

• Gian Maria Volonté
  Gian Maria Volontè
  Gian Maria Volonté was an Italian actor. He is perhaps most famous outside of Italy for his roles as the main villain in Sergio Leone's A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.-Early life:Volonté was born in Milan, and graduated in Rome in 1957...
  
   - Lulù Massa
• Mariangela Melato
  Mariangela Melato
  Mariangela Melato is an Italian actress.Melato was born in Milan and studied at the Milan Theatre Academy. A striking, blonde actress, she began her stage career in the early 1960s and rose to fame after delivering powerful performances for a number of notable Italian stage directors such as Dario...
  
   - Lidia
• Gino Pernice - The syndicalist
• Luigi Diberti
  Luigi Diberti
  Luigi Diberti is an Italian actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows since 1968. He starred in Magnificat, which was entered into the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.-Selected filmography:* Metello...
  
   - Bassi
• Donato Castellaneta - Marx
• Giuseppe Fortis - Valli
• Corrado Solari
• Flavio Bucci
  Flavio Bucci
  Flavio Bucci is an Italian actor. He has appeared in 76 films and television shows since 1971. He is best known for playing Daniel, the blind pianist, in Dario Argento's Suspiria.-Selected filmography:...
  
   - Operaio
• Luigi Uzzo
• Giovanni Bignamini
• Ezio Marano - The timekeeper
• Adriano Amidei Migliano - The technician
• Antonio Mangano
• Lorenzo Magnolia
• Federico Scrobogna - Pinuccio

External links

• Cannes profile