Perhaps one of the most disturbing films in the Prelinger collection. Do you really want to see your meat being prepared?

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Reviewer: hrsauertieg - favorite favorite favorite - January 8, 2017

Subject: Look at all those Hormel cars! This is a handy guide to how prepared foods are prepared for mass consumption! This tour of Hormel's plant is less disturbing than the technique of reviewers who cut their teeth in the sensationalist media atrocity mills. - January 8, 2017Look at all those Hormel cars!

Reviewer: RJClay - favorite favorite favorite favorite - May 13, 2013

Subject: ANYTHING But "Disturbing" If you understand that MEAT comes from ANIMALS, how is it that you are "disturbed" by this informative short? It was difficult to identify what animal was being processed...no blood or guts. Want to know what I find "disturbing?" More than a million dead Moslems, innocent boys and girls, Moms and Dads, who "got in the way" of the US Military. What do I find "disturbing?" Police departments that behave like well-dressed, well-armed street gangs. What do I find "disturbing?" An FBI that can't seem to find it's own rear-end using both hands. Where MEAT comes from is not "disturbing" in the face of the common iniquities flaunted daily in US newspapers. I'd better stop now. I COULD go on...and on...and on... - May 13, 2013ANYTHING But "Disturbing"

Reviewer: JayKay49 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - August 25, 2012

Subject: Splendid, but.... I was anticipating seeing pigs and cows get stunned and bled out. For Pete's sakes they covered everything else...and even thought to put some Latino horns in the muzak when they were touring the Hormel Chili department.



A 100% honest attempt to show off the Hormel plant (which I understand hasnt been there for decades).



PS: NEWSFLASH Drove down I-40 west of Oklahoma City past the "Bar S" plant where they make that baloney that costs $1.29 and they have a "HELP WANTED" sign out there...in case you liked this film and are unemployed. - August 25, 2012Splendid, but....

Reviewer: siona73 - favorite favorite favorite - September 23, 2011

Subject: is disturbing if you read more about Hormel http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/06/hormel-spam-pig-brains-disease?page=1



just saying.... just saying.... - September 23, 2011is disturbing if you read more about Hormel

Reviewer: USABG58 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 21, 2011

Subject: Food of the Gods You're facing execution and the guard says, "What do you want for your last meal? But, you can't have expensive, hard to get food, OK? Keep it simple, buddy!" My mind would wander to...Mexican food, chille rellenos, chimichangas...Chinese food, curry-prawns over steammed rice...American food, bacon cheese-burger...Spam! Fried Spam and over-easy eggs! Yeah! Food of the Gods! Gooooood. Many a camping, fishing trips began with this delicious product. Sorry animals. I know eating meat is bad. I'll try and stop. - July 21, 2011Food of the Gods

Reviewer: compoundeye - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - April 25, 2011

Subject: There's nothing more 'eye-appealing' mmmmmm...



This is Hormel is superb in every way - it engages children to have have an interest in their food, it has very well framed photography - the wiener packing line is brilliantly composed for example, it is clearly narrated with no cheesy 50yr old jokes to make you cringe, there's ample coverage of each product from start to finish, it's honest about which meat cuts are used and therefore the likely quality & content - indeed it proudly shows that gelatine is nothing but fat [and skin] and that all our yummy jellies are full of it!, plus it is just so thoroughly enjoyable - warm, cosy nostalgia [nice music too]... and I'd rather eat anything shown in this film than the mechanically recovered connective tissue crap masquerading as meat many less scrupulous companies now hawk - exploiting the laxity of various legal meat definitions to do so.



In answer to an earlier review - 'No' it doesn't have any slaughter in it, you're right. It doesn't hold back with it's 'Beef Operations' footage though... AND there is a very good reason it doesn't have slaughterhouse footage in it - Ferris Furtney had already made a film for Hormel which focused solely on Hormel's livestock purchasing and slaughtering activity, which was available to public groups upon request. 'This is Hormel' was intended for general public consumption. Besides, would you really expose even the most well adjusted child to a tour with up close views of cattle being killed with a bolt gun, or hung to bleed afterwards? It's not about dishonesty, it's about the market to which the film was pitched,



I have watched This is Hormel, on average, once a fortnight since I acquired it. It is such a lovely little film. Equally, the time is ripe for such films to be seen again, esp when our TV screens are full of 'Dirty Jobs' & 'How its Made'... the interest is there I am sure, if only most people knew. The 'tag-line' on this page is utter knee-jerk rubbish... 'The most disturbing film...' indeed. The person who wrote that probably doesn't think twice about pulling on their leather shoes, grabbing their leather wallet, driving to the multiplex sitting on leather car seats and watching simulated torture and dismemberment in 'Saw, part 943', yet somehow actually knowing and seeing how your food gets on your plate is taboo?! Madness...This is Hormel is superb in every way - it engages children to have have an interest in their food, it has very well framed photography - the wiener packing line is brilliantly composed for example, it is clearly narrated with no cheesy 50yr old jokes to make you cringe, there's ample coverage of each product from start to finish, it's honest about which meat cuts are used and therefore the likely quality & content - indeed it proudly shows that gelatine is nothing but fat [and skin] and that all our yummy jellies are full of it!, plus it is just so thoroughly enjoyable - warm, cosy nostalgia [nice music too]... and I'd rather eat anything shown in this film than the mechanically recovered connective tissue crap masquerading as meat many less scrupulous companies now hawk - exploiting the laxity of various legal meat definitions to do so.In answer to an earlier review - 'No' it doesn't have any slaughter in it, you're right. It doesn't hold back with it's 'Beef Operations' footage though... AND there is a very good reason it doesn't have slaughterhouse footage in it - Ferris Furtney had already made a film for Hormel which focused solely on Hormel's livestock purchasing and slaughtering activity, which was available to public groups upon request. 'This is Hormel' was intended for general public consumption. Besides, would you really expose even the most well adjusted child to a tour with up close views of cattle being killed with a bolt gun, or hung to bleed afterwards? It's not about dishonesty, it's about the market to which the film was pitched, i.e . children, schools, youth & social organisations. Furtney used to tour such places to present 'TIH' upon request, with one of only 6 prints of this film that were ever struck.I have watched This is Hormel, on average, once a fortnight since I acquired it. It is such a lovely little film. Equally, the time is ripe for such films to be seen again, esp when our TV screens are full of 'Dirty Jobs' & 'How its Made'... the interest is there I am sure, if only most people knew. - April 25, 2011There's nothing more 'eye-appealing' mmmmmm...

Reviewer: Dee_Grooovy - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 10, 2011

Subject: Oh boy! Let's take a trip to the Hormel Plant! This is BEGGING for a Rifftrax!



And aside from that, love the jazzy background music.



"Do you really want to see your meat being prepared?"



Well, actually, I'm sure a lot of people would like to know exactly what goes into the food they buy. And I seriously doubt any companies nowadays would allow consumers to tour their plants - if they did, people would stop buying their products. - March 10, 2011Oh boy! Let's take a trip to the Hormel Plant!

Reviewer: estielmo - - April 1, 2010

Subject: eat meat We are omnivores with teeth designed to eat meat and/or vegetables. Choose your poison. - April 1, 2010eat meat

Reviewer: Alphared - favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 25, 2010

Subject: That's interesting My home town gets an honorable mention, hahaha. To bad the plant closed down decades ago and put the final nail in the coffin (as it were). - February 25, 2010That's interesting

Reviewer: Billhope1974 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 8, 2009

Subject: If God had not wanted us to eat animals He'd not made them out of MEAT!!!! God Bless Hormel!!!! From the day when men were men and meat was meat (Ca. 1965) this is a vivid slice of cinematic SPAM and I loved it! Not disturbing at all more delicious!



By the way people need to get a sense of humor...Giminy Christmas you make one silly joke about God and Meat and everyone gets their undies in a twirl! - July 8, 2009If God had not wanted us to eat animals He'd not made them out of MEAT!!!! God Bless Hormel!!!!

Reviewer: robertnoack - favorite favorite favorite - May 15, 2009

Subject: interesting interesting video...



also i have nothing against people eating meat, but to the person who said "if god didn't want us to eat meat he wouldn't have made animals out of it"... that is the worst argument ever. using that argument you could say god wanted us to do anything... you are saying god wanted us to do it because it is so. this is not necessarily true. anyways, whatever. - May 15, 2009interesting

Reviewer: Gorilla Fart - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 4, 2008

Subject: Woot Imagine touring a slaughterhouse with Freddy Kreuger.. Those kids have it made. - July 4, 2008Woot

Reviewer: PaulHH - favorite favorite favorite - May 7, 2008

Subject: It's PEOPLE It's People, It's all PEOPLE!

... C. Heston



That movie is all I can think of when I saw this. I still love bacon! - May 7, 2008It's PEOPLE

Reviewer: Batavian - favorite favorite favorite - December 16, 2007

Subject: Disturbing no, sanitized yes The actual killing of the animal is much more interesting. Show me an animal being hauled up by its leg, the actual cutting of its throat, watch it writhe & squirm while its blood squirts out, and now your talking! Disassembly process commencing before the animal is deceased for bonus points. Add those and this is a 5 star video. As it stands, only a 3 for leaving out the best parts. Mmmmm, bacon! - December 16, 2007Disturbing no, sanitized yes

Reviewer: Dwight Mann - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 12, 2007

Subject: you cant beat Hormel's meat! I have eaten Hormel meat mega times in my life and it was refreshing to see the quality way it is prepared. I wrote to them in Austin, Tx. and they told me I could go through the slaughterhouse whenever I was in town. Cant wait!!! - November 12, 2007you cant beat Hormel's meat!

Reviewer: doowopbob - favorite favorite favorite - October 10, 2007

Subject: Big Deal.... Big Deal....Women Will Always Eat Pork & Men Will Always Eat Tuna.And Remember Half The Fun Is In The Preparation & Presentation!...And That's Todays Lesson, Boys & Girls. - October 10, 2007Big Deal....

Reviewer: mjwise - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - August 5, 2006

Subject: Delicious! A not at all disturbing look at meat processing. Then again I'm not bothered by these sorts of things and the video. People should see how their food is made. If mechanized slaughter and meat processing really does bother people, they probably shouldn't be eating its results. This video just ended up making me hungry though.



The only bothersome part (for me) is that as a human factors and safety engineer, some of those machines look like they were just waiting to take an arm off (or steam it, or crush it - major lack of machine guarding in some areas!), and some of those awkward hand carving maneuvers look like RSI (repetitive stress injury) hell. - August 5, 2006Delicious!

Reviewer: NoiseCollector - favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 28, 2006

Subject: Wish I could watch it The GIF looks neat. I just wish MP4's played on Windows Media Player so I could watch it. I tried installing quicktime but it keeps hijacking all the audio codecs and doesn't have any decent usable features like the frequency display visuals and an EQ. Just a stupid grey strip with tiny buttons... I have to disable the addon to Media Player or it takes over and really limits you creatively and analytically. Some day they will free the MP4 codec for the rest of us. Also the MPEG file (845mb?) it doesn't play either. So to be fair and to trumpet the cause of meat eating, I can only give 4 stars. - July 28, 2006Wish I could watch it

Reviewer: Ray Double - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - August 10, 2005

Subject: But what happened? Actually, I think its a pretty good film. If made today, I sure it would be changed a lot.



Mr. Rugg's hat is a classic of headwear. But the question is, at the end of the movie when the boys and Mr. Rugg are leaving, Mr. Rugg's hat is nowhere to be seen. Did it fall in the weinnie vat and is still hanging out in the back of some jr. high walk-in food locker?



Just wondering in Texas

Ray - August 10, 2005But what happened?

Reviewer: Ja30fitz - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - July 30, 2005

Subject: DEE--LICIOUS! This 'Hormel Film' (according to the end titles) runs over half an hour long, and it goes into painful detail of all the things that Hormel does. It shows all the different types of food that Hormel makes, and you get to see Mr. Rugg's RIDICULOUS hat! I did not really find this film that disturbing...the more disturbing film is the one of the Kosher Slaughter on this website. I still thoroughly enjoyed this film...some great processing shots here! - July 30, 2005DEE--LICIOUS!

Reviewer: eltatero - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - April 21, 2005

Subject: A must-see for those who eat food! I think anyone who eats food, especially meat, should watch this film. It shows what people have become extremely removed from... where the food they eat comes from, as well as how it's (or rather used to be) prepared. Considering that most folks don't know where on the hog bacon and come from, this can be amazingly educational. For those who are weak-stomach types, this may even help finally push you to vegetarianism! While it is a bit dated (nobody objects to young boys seeing the truth about what they eat) it is still a viable useful film. In all, a great educational show! - April 21, 2005A must-see for those who eat food!

Reviewer: moretree5 - favorite favorite - March 29, 2005

Subject: ok promotional video Because this was a promotional video, a lot of the processes are left out. Most notably, we skip from seeing a queue of live cows to a hanging carcass. I think some "animal rights" campaign footage would be better placed to show the negative side of the story. - March 29, 2005ok promotional video

Reviewer: Spuzz - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - March 3, 2005

Subject: Holy Hormel! Kids! A word of advice for you... Don't you dare ask your dad to take you on a trip to the Hormel Plant! Otherwise, your dad will accompany you in a ridiculous bowler hat that looks straight from a halloween kit, while you watch pig carcasses get 'disassembled'!! Shoulders to the ham department! Fat to the gelatin department! Pigs feet to the.. pig's feet department! (They're a delicious delicacy!). Really loved the cow hide removal demo, yum. As many reviewers have pointed out, this film has the bubbliest chirpy music for a film about pig carcasses ever made.

Bonus points for the cheap cheap title cards!

This is a MUST SEE on this site!! - March 3, 2005Holy Hormel!

Reviewer: albatross2147 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - February 28, 2005

Subject: Troy McClure Apart from showing how to make Spam, the delicious luncheon meat, this fascinating short allows one to explain to young children the truth behind the long running Troy McClure short film narration joke. - February 28, 2005Troy McClure

Reviewer: smartpatrol - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 12, 2004

Subject: I Love Hormel Anyone who loves their food will love this movie.

To see the inovation at this plant and succulant end resuts inspired me to join and write this preview. Download it today you will be salivating fo more. This is Hormel This is hevean - November 12, 2004I Love Hormel

Reviewer: smartpatrol - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 12, 2004

Subject: I Love Hormel Anyone who loves their food will love this movie.

To see the inovation at this plant and succulant end resuts inspired me to join and write this preview. Download it today you will be salivating fo more. This is Hormel This is hevean - November 12, 2004I Love Hormel

Reviewer: Rick Prelinger - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 24, 2004

Subject: Missing most of film? The MPEG-2 version is complete; the other versions contain only the very beginning. Why, oh why, do we have to select a star rating to post a review? What do the star ratings measure for a film like this? Excellent photography of meat? Inducement of nausea? And how do star ratings have anything to do with the cultural, historical or evidentiary value of the film? Down with star ratings! [Yes, he's ranting] - October 24, 2004Missing most of film?

Reviewer: PreliViewerKid86 - favorite favorite favorite - October 24, 2004

Subject: Confused... I'm a bit confused. In Rick Prelinger's wonderful new montage titled, "Panorama Ephermea", there are more shots of this film. I'm not sure why they are missing here...but I would love to see it in whole. - October 24, 2004Confused...