Matewan (1987)

A labor union organizer comes to an embattled mining community brutally and violently dominated and harassed by the mining company.

Director:

John Sayles

Writer:

John Sayles

Stars:

Chris Cooper, Mary McDonnell, Will Oldham

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Cooper	...	Joe Kenehan
Mary McDonnell	...	Elma Radnor
Will Oldham	...	Danny Radnor
David Strathairn	...	Sid Hatfield
Ken Jenkins	...	Sephus Purcell
Kevin Tighe	...	Hickey
Gordon Clapp	...	Griggs
Bob Gunton	...	C.E. Lively
Jace Alexander	...	Hillard Elkins
Joe Grifasi	...	Fausto
Nancy Mette	...	Bridey Mae
Jo Henderson	...	Mrs. Elkins
Josh Mostel	...	Cabell Testerman
Gary McCleery	...	Ludie
Maggie Renzi	...	Rosaria

Storyline

Mingo County, West Virginia, 1920. Coal miners, struggling to form a union, are up against company operators and the gun thugs of the notorious Baldwin-Felts detective agency. Black and Italian miners, brought in by the company to break the strike, are caught between the two forces. UMWA organizer and dual-card Wobbly Joe Kenehan determines to bring the local, Black, and Italian groups together. While Kenehan and his story are fictional, the setting and the dramatic climax are historical; Sid Hatfield, Cabell C. Testerman, C. E. Lively and the Felts brothers were real-life participants, and 'Few Clothes' is based on a character active several years previously.

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Plot Keywords:

union | miner | labor | coal miner | labor union | 

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Taglines:

At the coal company they use you until you wear out

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Italian

Release Date:

30 June 1988 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Azok a véres napok

Filming Locations:

New River Gorge, New River Gorge National River, West Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$1,680,358 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinecom Entertainment Group, Film Gallery, Goldcrest Films International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

David Strathairn, Kevin Tighe, Jace Alexander and John Sayles also appeared in Sayles' Eight Men Out about the 1919 Chicago "Black Sox" World Series scandal.

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Goofs

The steam locomotive used in "Matewan" was ex-New York, Chicago, and St. Louis Railway ("Nickel Plate Road") #765. It was a modern steam locomotive built in the 1940's and thus would not have existed at the time of the events depicted in "Matewan."

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Quotes

[about the owner of the Baldwin-Felts agency:]
Sid Hatfield: I've met Mr. Felts. I wouldn't pee on him if his heart was on fire.

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Connections

Referenced in Game On: Episode #3.2 (1998)

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Soundtracks

"FIRE IN THE HOLE"
Lyrics by John Sayles and Mason Daring
Music by Mason Daring
(c) 1987 Daring Music/ASCAP
Sung by Hazel Dickens

User Reviews

Great movie about my hometown!

If you are from Matewan, you know the shock of having this movie be about your hometown. I can't help but wonder if James Earl Jones was thinking "Why the hell are we making a movie about this place??" I think the population when I lived there (most of my life) was somewhere around 1200. Probably hasn't grown much. I still keep in contact with a few people from there. My dad owned a bar there called the Silver Dollar, and he worked in the mines at one time, as did my mother and grandfather. I've heard stories of how the real Matewan Massacre went, along with Bloody Mingo and all the rest, and from what I've heard from my family, this movie is pretty close to the truth. Matewan has always been a rough town, and even today fights are commonplace in this little one street town. It's pretty desolate, with no real business, no industry, and the coal mines are almost mined out. The nearest decent place is Williamson (WV) or Pikeville, Kentucky, a small college town. I miss home sometimes, but at least I can watch the movie and be reminded of home. One thing about it... it's an entertaining movie. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did, but then again, I'm biased.