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.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 9 wins & 1 nomination total
- Self - Pres., UMW, 1920-1960
- (archive footage)
- Self - Black Ling Clinic., W. Va
- (as Dr. Donald Rasmussen)
- Self
- (as Dr. Hawley Wells Jr.)
- Self - Pres., UMW, 1962-1972
- (archive footage)
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Joseph "Jock" Yablonski)
- Self - Mine Foreman
- (as Basil Collins)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhen 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; however, 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.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment (1999)
I used to consider Gates of Heaven and Harlan County USA as in deadlock for the best documentary ever made, but upon watching Harlan County USA again and all the extras available on the Criterion DVD, I have no choice but to move it into the sole number One position. The sense of dread and danger of Harlan County USA elevates it to a whole new level, making it perhaps the most watchable documentary ever made as well - its tense subject matter and the incredible footage captured by Kopple and her crew make it play as a feature film. Kopple's intimate participatory style makes the film even more poignant. The film crew was there with the strikers, amidst the bullets and beatings, at one point being singled out for attack and were beaten by the mining company militants. That they were there meant that they got some absolutely incredible footage, such as the scene described above, and when they catch the main strike breaker pointing his gun at them on film.
Harlan County USA is also an important social document, now housed in the national film registry for preservation. Scenes such as children being washed in buckets, in the 1970s, in the "beacon of freedom and democracy" The United States of America, really get beyond the rhetoric and show how the government and the big business agenda often trumps the rights of workers - its about maximizing profits not lives.
4/4
- MacAindrais
- Mar 3, 2007
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Sprache
- Also known as
- Округ Харлан, США
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
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