North Country (2005)

A fictionalized account of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the United States -- Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won the landmark 1984 lawsuit.

Director:

Niki Caro

Writers:

Michael Seitzman (screenplay), Clara Bingham (book),

Stars:

Charlize Theron, Thomas Curtis, Frances McDormand

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlize Theron	...	Josey Aimes
Thomas Curtis	...	Sammy Aimes
Elle Peterson	...	Karen Aimes
Frances McDormand	...	Glory
Sean Bean	...	Kyle
Woody Harrelson	...	Bill White
Jeremy Renner	...	Bobby Sharp
Richard Jenkins	...	Hank Aimes
Sissy Spacek	...	Alice Aimes
James Cada	...	Don Pearson
Rusty Schwimmer	...	Big Betty
Linda Emond	...	Leslie Conlin
Michelle Monaghan	...	Sherry
Brad William Henke	...	Lattavansky
Jillian Armenante	...	Peg

Storyline

A semi-fictionalized account of a long legal battle of group of women miners who endured a hostile work environment and numerous and continuous insults and unwanted touching when they became the first women to go work at the Eveleth Mines in Minnesota.

---

Plot Keywords:

miner | mine | minnesota | sexual harassment | lawsuit | 

---

Taglines:

All She Wanted Was To Make A Living. Instead She Made History.

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sequences involving sexual harassment including violence and dialogue, and for language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros. [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Class Action

Filming Locations:

Chisholm, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$247,375 (Australia) (3 February 2006)

Gross:

$502,980 (South Africa) (3 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Industry Entertainment, Participant Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Actor Bill Nighy stated during a Q&A session at the British Film Institute in London in 2010 that in his opinion he regards Richard Jenkins' performance in this film as one of the finest in motion picture history.

---

Goofs

During the beginning credits when the historical setting is stated, Northern is spelled incorrectly. "In 1975, the iron mines of Norhtern Minnesota hired their first female miner. By 1989, male employees still outnumbered females by thirty to one."

---

Quotes

Arlen Pavich: The doctor says you look darn good under those clothes - sense of humor ladies, rulo numero uno.

---

Connections

Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2006)

---

Soundtracks

"Noodles"
Written by Matt Vorderbruggen
Performed by The Matt Vorderbruggen Band

User Reviews

Didn't Know When to Stop

Here in Minnesota the case was pretty hight profile. Obviously, these women endured some really nasty stuff. We are brought inside the situation. It's hard to believe that a large group of people wouldn't at least be afraid of forces that had already been put in place. It's a good story and Theron holds it together. The problem is that it gets so maudlin at the end that all that good storytelling seems to slip into a vacuum. Corn was OK in the 1940's, but contemporary audiences have an awareness that makes this seem really saccharine. I'd be interested to see how much of the the last quarter of the film actually happened. Were the miners as monstrous as portrayed? I guess one would have to go back to the trial accounts. Theron's character was certainly the wrong one to mess with. It would be interesting to see how the taconite industry is doing and what sort of employees are still there working.