harlan county usa summary

"[6], The film received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the aggregator site. "Girl", she was told, "you gotta tell people here what you're doin'."[3]. With John L. Lewis, Carl Horn, Norman Yarborough, Logan Patterson. If the film crew hadn't been sympathetic to our cause, we would've lost. She reveals that the head scab, Basil Collins, wanted to hire someone to shoot her; however, the most dangerous incidents were the acts of violence by the mine owners against the miners. The women of Harlan County may or may not have considered themselves feminists, and the strike they were participating in was not a women’s rights protest, but in the context of the documentary these facts are irrelevant. She decided it was the more compelling subject, so switched the focus of her film. [11], In the film's 2004 Criterion Collection special feature, The Making of Harlan County, USA, associate director Anne Lewis compares Scott to Women's Liberation activists. I. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. Early in the film Boyle is shown in good health. Harlan County, USA is a 1976 Oscar-winning documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" ,an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, southeast Kentucky in 1973. I don't think we'd have won it without the film crew. He described the film as "One of the better and more rousing labor strike films that calls attention to class war in America, though it doesn't offer enough analysis or balance on the issues (it sees the struggle solely through the miners' eyes)...The film does a good job chronicling the plight of the miners and telling their personal stories in a moving way, and the meaningful catchy coal mining songs add to the emotional impact of the historical event. In this documentary about labor tension in the coal-mining industry, director Barbara Kopple films a strike in rural Kentucky. Coming Soon. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company … In the documentary, his mother can be seen breaking down during his funeral, screaming and being carried away by male attendees. HARLAN COUNTY, USA, Barbara Kopple’s feature length film about a coal miners’ strike in Kentucky, is the best U.S. documentary in a long time. |, May 10, 2017 The percentage of users who rated this 3.5 stars or higher. All Critics (16) Rather than using narration to tell the story, Kopple chose to film the words and actions of the people themselves. SUMMARY OF FACTS. Who Are the DeBolts? Despite the decades and distance separating the striking miners in Harlan County U.S.A. from these 21st … And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids? From Barbara Kopple's Harlan County USA. |, May 31, 2012 The percentage of Approved Tomatometer Critics who have given this movie a positive review. The cinematography is unbelievable, it doesn't look like a documentary. Kopple and her crew spent years with the families depicted in the film, documenting the dire straits they encountered while striking for safer working conditions, fair labor practices, and decent wages. Interviews with many of the miners and company executives tell the story without the narration that we see in many of today's documentary, in which the documentarian is a central character in the film. This is particularly perilous in a country without enshrined rights of free speech or protest. [7], Harlan County, USA was preserved by the Academy Film Archive, in conjunction with New York Women in Film & Television, in 2004. Analysis of the documentary Harlan County, USA. The strike, which lasts more than a year, frequently becomes violent, with guns produced on both sides, and one miner is even killed in a conflict. All rights reserved. This sticking point became moot when, a few years after the strike, the UMWA folded the agreement won by this group of workers into a global contract. "[12], In a 2015 interview with Variety, Kopple was asked if she was in danger while working on this film. SUMMARY OF FACTS The film's central focus may be the real-life records of a reach stages by miners in the Brookside Mine against Fight it out Power... Order Now Log In +14133772700 Support 24/7 About Us Barbara Kopple's hard-hitting, rought-around the edges, people vs politics documentary definitely heats up the screen, and some thoughts. | Rating: 2/4 With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. You see the true picture of this small town and their complete dependence on the coal mining industry. Even after the credits ended and there was nothing to look at, we remained in our seats for several moments, stunned and moved. [4] The miners were concerned that accepting such a provision would limit their ability to influence local working conditions. Chronicling a 1973 strike at the coal mines of Duke Power, Barbara Kopple draws us into the culture of Appalachia, the lives of miners and the families, and the everyday struggles of the working poor. A former VISTA volunteer, she had worked on other documentaries, especially as an advocate of workers' rights. The film was made … |, February 25, 2021 Regal Stanford Libraries' official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Harlan County, USA followed 200 coal-mining families and their battle to get their rights, what every human being needs, and yet it's unbaised. I rented Harlan County USA for Labor Day and found it, not surprisingly, to be an extremely absorbing documentary. It contains a famous scene where guns are fired at the strikers in the darkness before dawn, and Kopple and her cameraman are knocked down and beaten. The film has its faults. Barbara Kopple's Academy Award-winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners' strike in a small Kentucky town. Riveting 1976 docu about striking miners has some violence. The film’s central focus is the real-life documentation of a strike stages by miners in the Brookside Mine against Duke Power Company, a large energy company in the United States, for its alleged unfair labor practices, dangerous working conditions, and low wages. Despite its modest subject and visual resources, Harlan County USA encompasses an extraordinarily broad and complex aesthetic agenda whose influence can be felt in later fictional movies—including Norma Rae (1979) … and the Terms and Policies, Considered one of the best documentaries ever made, Harlan County lives us to its reputation. In 1976 this was a ground-breaking film that deserved and won the Oscar for Best Documentary. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract (when the miners joined with the United Mine Workers of America) led to the strike, which lasted more than a year and included violent battles between gun-toting company thugs/scabs and the … |, July 15, 2006 It won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 49th Academy Awards. Later that year, Yablonski and his family were found murdered in their home. Synopsis. I think the most authentic element of the film is the soundtrack, which is comprised of union songs sung by the strikers themselves. 3 people found this helpful. |. Coal miners strike against the company that exploits them and the union that doesn't always represent their interests. give one the full-flavor of the miners' mood and the union fervor sweeping the mining community in the black mountains of Appalachia. April 10, 2018 The community there was already known as "Mount Pleasant", apparently owing to a nearby Indian mound.A post office was established on … It's still the scariest goddamn movie I've never seen. The music acted as a … |, June 18, 2020 Directed by Barbara Kopple. Miners in Harlan County, Kentucky, have drawn national attention with their direct action— occupying a railroad track to halt a coal train until the miners get paid … I. Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie, I Am a Promise: The Children of Stanton Elementary School, Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Harlan_County,_USA&oldid=992461385, Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners, Documentary films about coal in the United States, Documentary films about labor relations in the United States, Miners' labor disputes in the United States, United States National Film Registry films, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Norman Yarborough - Eastover Mining president, John Corcoran - Consolidation Coal president, John O'Leary - former US Bureau of Mines director, Donald Rasmussen - Black Lung Clinic, West Virginia, "Forty-Two Years", written and sung by Nimrod Workman, instrumental by Kenny Kosek, "Come All You Coal Miners", written and sung by, "Black Lung", written and sung by Hazel Dickens, "Cold Blooded Murder", written and sung by Hazel Dickens, "Miners Life", traditional instrumental performed by David Morris's Band, "Which Side Are You On", written and sung by Florence Reece (as Florence Reese), additional lyrics by Joshua Waletzky (as Josh Waletzky), "This Little Light of Mine", written by Harry Dixon Loes (uncredited), sung by, "Coal Tattoo", additional lyrics and sung by David Morris, "Trouble Among Yearlings", instrumental by Country Cookin', "Lone Prairie", by Roscoe Holcomb and Wade Ward, "They'll Never Keep Us Down", written and sung by Hazel Dickens, accompanied by Lamar Grier, John Katarakis, John Otsuka, and Gary Henderson, In 1990, the film was selected for the United States, Gail Pellet, "The Making of Harlan County, USA: An Interview with Barbara Kopple,". Don’t worry, it won’t take long. It gets a little too dramatic at times and I think it was in some ways exaggerated, but I thinks it's one of the better documentaries to be made in the last 30 years. In this documentary about labor tension in the coal-mining industry, director Barbara Kopple films a strike in rural Kentucky. Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service. The guts it took to make are up there on the screen, in the footage shot by director Barbara Kopple and cameraman Hart Perry during the violent encounters. Harlan County, USA followed 200 coal-mining families and their battle to get their rights, what every human being needs, and yet it's unbaised. Harlan County, USA is a 1976 American documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" [1] a 1973 effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, southeast Kentucky. Harlan County USA is a film that is great at bringing you inside a community you probably haven’t thought much about before. Cinemark The music used in Harlan County, USA was considered integral to conveying the culture of the miners. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. Harlan County, USA is a 1976 American documentary film covering the "Brookside Strike" a 1973 effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the Duke Power Company-owned Eastover Coal Company's Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, southeast Kentucky. Again, Harlan County took center stage, this time at the Brookside Mine—exposing, again, the poverty of coal country, as well as the vicious indifference to … Gary Arnold, "'Harlan County': Ardent, Absorbing", "Complete National Film Registry Listing | Film Registry | National Film Preservation Board | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress", "Sight and Sound Publishes Top 50 Documentaries List | IndieWire", "The Best Documentaries of All Time | Sight & Sound", "Barbara Kopple Reflects on Joys and Dangers of Filming ‘Harlan County, USA’", Black Fox: The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler, Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel with the World. Report abuse. In: A. McColl. pdx2nyc. "[2], When the film was re-released in 2006, critic Roger Ebert praised the film, writing "The film retains all of its power, in the story of a miners' strike in Kentucky where the company employed armed goons to escort scabs into the mines, and the most effective picketers were the miners' wives -- articulate, indomitable, courageous. Jones was well liked, young, and had a 16-year-old wife, and a baby. "Tony" Boyle for the presidency of the UMWA in 1969, but lost in an election widely viewed as corrupt. Cinemark She notes that Duke Power Company's profits increased 170 percent in a single year. Arm's length is not director Barbara Kopple's style; she puts us right alongside these Kentucky miners and their families, … Kopple did provide facts and statistics about the companies and the workers. Its editing is ragged; its narrative structure is confusing and begins to unravel towards the end. Lois Scott, a leading woman in the mining community, is shown playing a major role in galvanizing the people in support of the strike. Barbara Kopple, producer-director... got into the meat of her subject right off the bat, and still was very careful to give her audience a taste of every aspect of the Harlan County miners and their families. |, April 12, 2009 Copyright © Fandango. They lived the struggles that second wave feminists were trying to make the rest of the country aware of. | Rating: 5/5 The cinematography is fantastic. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. Coming Soon, Regal In all, she worked on the film for four years, including preparation and editing. Menu. Which side were they on? Harlan County, USA (DVD) : In 1973, when the Brookside coal miners voted for the United Mine Workers union, the Duke Power Company refused it. You're almost there! Jerry Johnson, one of the striking Eastover miners, attributes the conclusion of the strike to the presence of Kopple and her film crew: "The cameras probably saved a bunch of shooting. Harlan County U.S.A. in China As China’s factories, mines, and other businesses withhold wages and benefits, institute layoffs, or shutter completely, workers are protesting and striking. Stanford Libraries' official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future. Analysis of the documentary Harlan County, USA Essay. |, January 30, 2018 She followed them to picket in front of the Stock Exchange in New York City, filming interviews with people affected by black lung disease, and miners being shot at while striking. Just confirm how you got your ticket. Sign up here. Meanwhile, the striking miners, many of whom are living in squalid conditions without utilities or running water, were offered a 4% pay increase, at a time when the estimated cost of living increase was 7% for that same year. 5.0 out of 5 stars Health and Safety. [Full Review in Spanish]. Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Hazel Dickens's folk song lyrics of 'United we stand, divided we fall' and Florence Reece's lyrics for "Which Side Are You On?" Chronicles the 1973 Harlan County, Kentucky coal miners' strike against the operators of the Brookside mine and the Duke Power Company, which resulted from the company's refusal to honor the national contract of the United Mine Workers of America when the miners joined the union. By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie. Their stories were often told through the songs. HARLAN COUNTY, USA is an Oscar-winning documentary about a 13-month strike between coal miners and the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in eastern Kentucky in 1973 and 1974. A Brief History of Harlan County, USA. "[5], Film critic Dennis Schwartz liked the documentary, yet found flaw in it providing only one point of view. A lot of the credits had female names, more than this reviewer has ever seen on a commercial film. Featuring a haunting soundtrack—with legendary country and bluegrass artists … Sidney Poitier’s 7 Most Memorable Performances, All Harry Potter Movies Ranked Worst to Best by Tomatometer, Tom Holland Wants to work for the Russos “For As Long As They’ll Have me”. She said that the mine owners would hire "local prisoners to beat people up, [shoot] at houses. Harlan County follows with precision and detail the development of the long conflict in Harlan. Once the miners start to strike, the owners of the mine respond by hiring scabs to fill the jobs of the regular employees. Filed Under: Essays Tagged With: Films. This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your email. Read more. A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners' sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and … and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango. By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy Yablonski had challenged W.A. "Harlan County, USA" is real-life drama of the highest order. Harlan was first settled by Samuel and Chloe Howard in 1796. God bless those who work the mines. 2 pages, 932 words. The strikers and management finally agreed to come to the bargaining table after his death. At their best Kopple and photographer Hart Perry bear unassuming, expressive witness to the experiences, aspirations and abiding grievances of the Brookside miners and their wives, who organized auxiliary strike actions. [citation needed], Gary Arnold of the Washington Post praised the film, saying that Kopple "has emerged with a stirring, revealing testament to the courage, tenacity and dignity of Appalachian men and women whose livelihood depends on coal mining. Almost a full year into the strike, miner Lawrence Jones was fatally shot during a scuffle. |, August 2, 2019 Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) - IMDb. For example, when the strike breakers and others hired by the company show up early in the film—the strikers call them "gun thugs"—the company people tried to keep their guns hidden from the camera. Joseph Yablonski was a passionate, populistic union representative who was loved by many of the miners. Few documentaries rivet you to your seat; this one does. Once the miners start to strike, the owners of the mine respond by hiring scabs to fill the jobs of the regular employees. Many of the issues have changed, but the exploitation of coal miners, the corruption of the union, and the dangerous nature of the work have remained horrifyingly similar as the recent mine accidents attest. It won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 49th Academy Awards. “Harlan County, U.S.A.” began in 1972 with a mod- est $9,000 loan Kopple received toward a film pro- ject about the campaign of the Miners for Democracy … Despite all this exhaustion, desperation, and anger, I'm struck by the joy and hope in this documentary. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. Today it is still relevant. After the coal miners at the Brookside Mine join a union, the owners refuse the labor contract. Barbara Koppel’s 1976 documentary Harlan County, USA depicts the efforts of coal miners employed by the Duke Power Company in Brookside, Kentucky (in Harlan County) to win recognition for their union, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), after the company’s refusal to accept the miners’ petition for union membership. In one scene, Scott pulls a pistol from her bra. Coming Soon. Forgot your password? Please click the link below to receive your verification email. Best Netflix Shows and Series To Binge (January 2021), The 100 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now (January 2021), 100 Best Movies on Amazon Prime To Watch (January 2021). “They can’t shoot the union out of me.” Long story short: 3.5/4 stars. The best documentary I've seen. The company insisted on having a no-strike clause in the proposed new contract. | Rating: A+ Several times she is seen publicly chastising those she feels have been absent from the picket lines. I. When miners at the Brookside Mine in Harlan County, Kentucky, went on strike against Duke Power Company in June 1973, Kopple went there to film the strike, which the UMWA had helped to organize. The film retains all of its power, in the story of a miners' strike in Kentucky where the company employed armed goons to escort scabs into the mines, and the most effective picketers were the miners' wives -- articulate, indominable, courageous. Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2019. Verified Purchase. Harlan County attains its main goal-to honor a segment of our society which the rest of America has been willing to write off as underdogs, victims sacrificed to the imperatives of an industrial nation. Kopple's rather terrifying film rocked its minuscule audience and instantly became a cultural touchstone. Later, after he was convicted of giving $20,000 to another union executive council member to hire the killers of Yablonski and his wife, Boyle appears frail, sickly and using a wheelchair; he was carried up the courthouse steps to face sentencing. Rumors flew that a "hippie crew from New York" was sniffing around the strike. After the coal miners at the Brookside Mine join a union, the owners refuse the labor contract. One of the finest documentaries ever made, Barbara Kopple's "Harlan County U.S.A." is a brilliant exposé about the embattled history of coal miners in America as seen through the very personal prism of striking coal miners in Harlan County, Kentucky in 19. Pollitt, D. H. (1991, April 17). Kopple felt it was important to continue filming (or pretend to, even when they were out of film) because the presence of the crew and staff support seemed to help keep the violence down. The music acted as a narator, and we followed along almost dismally as the plot seemed to turn down a darker and more corrupt path every minute. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. Harlan County USA at Sundance (14:02) is a panel discussion held at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where the film received a 30th anniversary screening. Thank God for them; thank God they're on our side. Kopple soon asked a striker, "Why are you telling people not to talk to me?" | Top Critics (4) Your Ticket Confirmation # is located under the header in your email that reads "Your Ticket Reservation Details". |, May 19, 2020 It reflected the culture of the people of Harlan County and showed the power of folk music that was a living part of their culture.

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