Harlan County, U.S.A.

1976 Documentary

Director Barbara Kopple's look at a 13-month coal miners' strike that took place between 1973 and 1974 in Harlan County, KY, is one of the great films about labor troubles, though not for a sense of objectivity. Kopple lived among the miners and their families off and on during the four years the entire story played out, and it's clear in every frame of the film that her sympathies lie with the miners and not their bosses at Eastover Mining, owned by Duke Power Company. Kopple's camera focuses on the desperate plight of people still living in shacks with no indoor plumbing and working dangerous jobs with little security and few safety rules. The miners are determined to join the United Mine Workers, and the company is determined to break the strike with scabs, who are even more desperate than the men with jobs. The miners eventually win a new contract, though it turns out that some of the benefits they had fought for were not included in the final deal. The filmmaker's strong identification with one side of a labor struggle doesn't make for a balanced historical record, but it did provide the right stuff for a powerfully dramatic film. more..

Director: Barbara Kopple

Reviews

  • The movie is a great American document, but it's also entertaining. (Review of Original Release)

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    26 April 2013

  • Muddled on the issues, but it earned its Oscar as a dramatic, involving story, full of tough and appealing characters. (Review of Original Release)

    Dave Kehr - Chicago Reader

    26 April 2013

  • The stars of the film are the men and women of Harlan County, portrayed here not as patronized mountain folks but as human beings. (Review of Original Release)

    - Variety

    26 April 2013

  • Provides an exquisite representation of the emotion and pride in this microcosm mining community. (Review of Original Release)

    - TV Guide

    26 April 2013

  • As the miners make clear, workers have no rights in this democracy that they don't fight like dogs for, and the film has no conclusion--the combat will always continue.

    Michael Atkinson - Village Voice

    26 April 2013

Awards

  • Best Documentary, Features

    Academy Awards (1977)

  • Barbara Kopple

    Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards (1977)

  • Top Ten Films

    National Board of Review (1977)

  • National Film Preservation Board (1990)