Harlan County U.S.A.

1976
PG
1h 43m

IMDb RATING

8.2/10

YOUR RATING

A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.

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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.

Director
- Barbara Kopple
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.2/10

YOUR RATING

Director
- Barbara Kopple
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 1 Oscar
- 9 wins & 1 nomination total

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

Storyline

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Did you know

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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; 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.

Connections
Featured in Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment (1999)

Soundtracks
Dark As A Dungeon
Written by Merle Travis
Sung by David Morris

User reviews67

Featured review

7/10

Seems regrettably timeless

This is a movie about a coal miner's strike in the 1970s. No reason I'm watching this today... no sir, no reason at all.

I guess it just goes to show how struggles with the cost of living aren't anything new, and this documentary does a great job of dispelling the idea that everyday people are greedy and want excessive amounts of money. I think most people are underpaid, and people just want the kind of compensation that will lower the stress of life. Bosses and people in charge always seem to hoard money. If this is the way things have to be run, then people who do hard work (and a lot of it) should be appropriately compensated. It's just a shame that some people view protests like this as radical or excessive, and I think a documentary like Harlan County USA could help change minds and attitudes.

Look, it's overall a very good documentary. The simple, natural style works. It's persuasive. Unions are good. I can't fault this stuff.

But this genuinely has one of the worst soundtracks I've ever heard, so uh, I'm sorry... points off for that (the god-awful music just never stops either).