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Harlan County U.S.A.

  • 19761976
  • PGPG
  • 1h 43m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
6K
YOUR RATING
Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
Play trailer3:02
1 Video
30 Photos
Documentary
A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
6K
YOUR RATING
    • Barbara Kopple
  • Stars
    • John L. Lewis(archive footage)
    • Carl Horn
    • Norman Yarborough
    • Barbara Kopple
  • Stars
    • John L. Lewis(archive footage)
    • Carl Horn
    • Norman Yarborough
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 60User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
    • 80Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 3:02
    Watch Trailer

    Photos30

    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
    Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John L. Lewis
    John L. Lewis
    • Self - Pres., UMW, 1920-1960
    • (archive footage)
    Carl Horn
    • Self - Pres., Duke Power Co.
    Norman Yarborough
    • Self - Pres., Eastover Mining Co. (Owned by Duke Power)
    Logan Patterson
    • Self - Chief Negotiator
    Houston Elmore
    • Self - UMW Organizer
    Phil Sparks
    • Self - UMW Staff
    John Corcoran
    • Self - Pres., Consolidated Coal
    John O'Leary
    • Self - Former Dir., Bureau of Mines
    Donald Rasmussen
    • Self - Black Ling Clinic., W. Va
    • (as Dr. Donald Rasmussen)
    Hawley Wells Jr.
    • Self
    • (as Dr. Hawley Wells Jr.)
    W.A. 'Tony' Boyle
    • Self - Pres., UMW, 1962-1972
    • (archive footage)
    Joseph Yablonski
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (as Joseph "Jock" Yablonski)
    Chip Yablonski
    • Self
    Ken Yablonski
    • Self
    Arnold Miller
    • Self - Miners for Democracy Candidate
    Florence Reece
    • Self
    Bazel Collins
    • Self - Mine Foreman
    • (as Basil Collins)
    Sudie Crusenberry
    • Self
      • Barbara Kopple
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Hawley Wells Jr.: [...] that was when I learned my first real political lesson, about what happens when you take a position against the coal operators, against the capitalists... I found out that the union officials were working with the coal companies. I also found that the Catholic hierarchy was working with the coal companies. Here was a combination of the whole thing, you see: you had to bump against the whole combination of them.

    • Connections
      Featured in Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Dark As A Dungeon
      Written by Merle Travis

      Sung by David Morris

    User reviews60

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    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.
    helpful•27
    2
    • Catbutt
    • Jun 16, 1999

    Details

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    • Release date
      • September 28, 1977 (France)
      • United States
      • Criterion
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Harlan, Kentucky, USA
    • Production company
      • Cabin Creek Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 43 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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