Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)

Director:

Barbara Kopple

Release Date:

28 September 1977 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

A filmed account of a bitterly violent miner strike.

Plot Keywords:

Mining | Harlan County | Kentucky | Miners Strike | Coal Mining

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

Norman Yarborough	...	Himself - Eastover Mining President
Houston Elmore	...	Himself - UMW organizer
Phil Sparks	...	Himself - UMW staff
John Corcoran	...	Himself - Consolidated Coal President
John O'Leary	...	Himself - former Bureau of Mines director
Donald Rasmussen	...	Himself - Blackwing Clinic, WV (as Dr. Donald Rasmussen)
Hawley Wells Jr.	...	Himself (as Dr. Hawley Wells Jr.)
Tom Williams	...	Himself - Boyle campaigner
Chip Yablonski	...	Himself
Ken Yablonski	...	Himself
Logan Patterson	...	Himself - negotiator
Harry Patrick	...	Himself - UMW secretary-treasurer
Mike Trbovich	...	Himself - UMW VP
Bernie Aronson	...	Himself - UMW staff
Guy Farmer	...	Himself - BCPA General Counsel

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:U | Sweden:11 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Brookside, Kentucky, USA

Company:

Cabin Creek

Trivia:

When filming began, the film was intended to be about the 1972 campaign by Arnold Miller and Miners For Democracy to unseat UMWA president Tony Boyle, in the aftermath of Joseph Yablonski's murder; but the Harlan County strike began and caused the filmmakers to change their principal subject, with the campaign and murder becoming secondary subjects.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 30 Days in Hell: The Making of 'The Devil's Rejects' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

They Can Never Keep Us Down

unique and enlightening documentary chronicles labor strike

This movie is a must-see for fans of socially active documentary film, or for those interested in the American labor movement.

It sometimes loses momentum as it documents the details of a particular labor strike in a mining town in rural Kentucky; yet that particular strike yields many memorable moments, including flashes of violence and revelatory dialogue. The company men are deliciously slick and slimy, and their goons are so ornery, that it's easy to forget that these people are real!

Where this film is at its best is where it uses historical footage and traditional labor songs to tie the strike to the larger past, and also where it explores other details of these people's lives -health issues, living conditions- that aren't specific to the strike. In this sense, the film becomes an important historical document of its own accord; unique, compelling, and enlightening to future generations.