Harlan County, USA documents a dark subject, but it is far from being a dark picture. (1976). Harlan County, USA By Randy Haberkamp Oscar’s Docs, 1964–85: The Front Lines at Home and Abroad program notes, 2011 Reprinted by permission of the author and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences “I’m a politician first, a filmmaker second,” said Barbara Kopple during the release of her first documentary feature film, “Harlan 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. Four dogged door-to-door Bible salesmen travel from Boston to Florida on a seemingly futile quest to sell luxury editions of the Good Book to working-class Catholics. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Helpful. Interviewer's description- "Lois Scott was born in 1929, six days after the stock market crashed. This is neither positive nor negative because it is often necessary in a 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 picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. pdx2nyc. Although realistic dramas still attracted mass audiences—as evidenced by Dog Day … Rodarte is known for its artistic mixture of high couture, California influences, and explorations into other art forms. Instead of just telling the audience in the first person what is going on or key pieces of background information, she creatively interjects them into the film in three ways. The best documentary I've seen. 2 days ago The Girlfriend Experience Exists at the Intersection of Sex, Commerce, and Technology. In one climatic scene, the filmmakers are pushed around and threatened just as much as the strikers are. Harlan County USA Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award–winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. Finally, Kopple adds regional folk music to the soundtrack. "Harlan Co., USA" is a political documentary directed by Barbara Kopple. This subject was untouched at the time and still is. Harlan County U.S.A. "Which Side Are You On?" With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Chronicles the six-month strike at Hormel in Austin, Minnesota, in 1985-86. Whether the focus on the wives was intentional or due to lack of access by the men is not important. Harlan, Kentucky - Wikipedia These events are depicted in the documentary film Harlan County, USA . A documentary of the Bill Clinton 1992 presidential campaign and the organization who ran it. Get info about new releases, essays and interviews on the Current, Top 10 lists, and sales. When three hundred thousand members of the Love Generation collided with a few dozen Hells Angels at San Francisco's Altamont Speedway, the bloody slash that transformed a decade's dreams into disillusionment was immortalized on this film. The film has its faults. Benham, Kentucky Brookside strike "Harlan County USA" Call Number: 2007.001.0729. This FAQ is empty. Harlan had long been infamous for labor disputes and family feuds, but shortly after the sale, a protracted labor strike was captured in the 1976 Oscar-winning documentary film, Harlan County, USA. Harlan County Outdoor Recreation Board Authority - (606) 837-3205 - info@harlancountytrails.com Harlan Tourist & Convention Commission - (606) 573-4495 - harlancenter@harlanonline.net Cumberland Tourist & Convention Commission - (606) 589-5812 - ctourism@windstream.net Meet a mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, reclusive cousins of Jackie O., managing to thrive together amid the decay and disorder of their East Hampton, NY, mansion, making for an eerily ramshackle echo of the American Camelot. Harlan County USA is an actual drama observed, recorded and edited in to a powerful statement that meets the criteria of what a documentary should be. Our editors have rounded up their most anticipated horror movies of the year. The film was made over the duration of the resulting … In conclusion, "Harlan Co., USA", by Barbara Kopple is stylistically a fine example of a political documentary. For example, the "scabs" are portrayed as thugs and their arrival is reminiscent of the "bad guys" galloping into town in a western. Finally, the film is often very one-sided and bias. Harlan County, USA a documentary about the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Martin Lewison . This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. The instance I am thinking of comes in its suggestion that the reformist leadership of the U.M.W. First, the film uses a subject that is unfamiliar to the average American. Report abuse. Here is an edited version of that conversation. Add the first question. It was the dawn of the blockbuster age: the buzz around Jaws had barely receded, and Star Wars loomed on the horizon. Actor, writer, and director Paul Schneider has long been a devotee of the Criterion Collection. The coal miners of Harlan County Kentucky want to unionise and their employers are not happy about it. Not only does the film focus on the extreme degree of poverty and working conditions that are accepted in Appalachia, but specifically follows the wives of the strikers. This is a must see documentary for anyone interested in making documentaries or learning about the history of America. Although these miners today have no union, the mines of Harlan County have a storied history of grassroots labor militancy. What is important is that the main characters of the film are unique enough to give the film legitimacy. Common Sense Note. Title: Documentary. Harlan County, U.S.A. (2006) Rated NR 103 minutes Produced and directed by Barbara Kopple; Latest blog posts. It amazes me how courageous Koppel and her associates had to be to get this documentary made, and I knew that for that reason alone I had to write about it. This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. Parents need to know that Harlan County, USA is a riveting and intense 1976 documentary chronicling a 13-month miners' strike in eastern Kentucky that shows violent altercations between strikers and union-busters, as well as the funeral of a murdered striker where family members are expressing deep shock and sorrow. ‘Harlan County, USA’ is available on HBOMax and The Criterion Channel. Another method that Kopple uses is interviewing the "town elders." Kopple uses unique narration to show an often one-sided view of an area that the audience would not normally see. This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. A documentary about a pet cemetery in California, and the people who have pets buried there. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? "Harlan Co., USA" satisfies several essential characteristics of a political documentary. Documentary covering Bob Dylan's 1965 tour of England, which includes appearances by Joan Baez and Donovan. Edition introduction to Harlan County USA. Another characteristic of a political documentary is that the director often uses unconventional forms of narration. A documentary on the eccentric residents of Vernon, Florida. 6 talking about this. In the summer 1973, the coal miners working at the Brookside Mine, located in Brookside, Harlan County, Kentucky and owned by the Eastover Coal Company, voted to join the union, United Mine Workers of America (UMWA), against the wishes of Eastover administrators. The Clover Fork … These sites were used by successive cultures as residences and at times for burials. View production, box office, & company info. The ones who love it love the depiction of rough and ready union brothers and sisters ready to wage war with the coal company thugs. PG 1 hr 43 min Oct 15th, 1976. In addition, the police are compared to the pinkertons of the 1930s. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. Cal Winslow takes a look back. A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Barbara Kopple: Harlan County, USA; that was my first ever film that I did on my own. Old photos, stories and facts about the nations most talked about small town - Harlan County USA! A film that successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County, Texas. A documentary following Kenzo Okuzaki, a 62-year-old WW2 veteran notorious for his protests against Emperor Hirohito, as he tries to expose the needless executions of two Japanese soldiers during the war. In 1903, A. F. Whitfield packed up his family and moved from Walker County, Alabama, to southeastern Kentucky. 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 picketing miners and their supportive women-folk. Use the HTML below. 14 talking about this. Was this review helpful to you? These instances give the audience a sense of history with the community and explain that the plight of the current workers is nothing new. Directed by Barbara Kopple. The film, while dramatic, is an example of a standard political documentary in the 1970s. New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director-producer Barbara Kopple, Audio commentary by Kopple and editor Nancy Baker, New video interview with legendary bluegrass singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens, New video interview with director John Sayles, A panel discussion from the 2005 Sundance Film Festival featuring Kopple and Roger Ebert, English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, New essays by film scholar Paul Arthur and music journalist Jon Weisberger. "Harlan County, USA" is real-life drama of the highest order. Harlan County USA divides us into two groups: Those that love it and those that hate it. This is very effective in "Harlan Co., USA" because the music provides both very useful information and an added feeling of the culture of the area. With John L. Lewis, Carl Horn, Norman Yarborough, Logan Patterson. 3 of 4 people found this review helpful. The current popularity and cultural importance of documentaries would have been inconceivable in 1976, when Harlan County USA briefly ignited commercial movie screens. Kate and Laura Mulleavy founded Rodarte in Los Angeles, California, in 2005. A startling and courageous landmark documentary that unflinchingly confronted the United States' involvement in Vietnam at the height of the controversy that surrounded it. Harlan County USA Criterion Collection Edition #334 Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award-winning HARLAN COUNTY USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award–winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. Kopple is no exception. In Episode 2 of the Drunk Projectionist film podcast, host Todd Melby interviewed Barbara Kopple about Harlan County USA, her impressive first film.The 1976 documentary won an Academy Award. The audience is pulled into sympathy with the workers through guilt by association. On the other hand, it takes away from the legitimacy of the film. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Writer, teacher, and performer Susie Bright is a trailblazer in the academic study of pornography and eroticism in mainstream cinema. Kopple is unique in that she is one of the first female directors to make a successful documentary. Here are the movies we're most excited for in 2021. may ave sold out in 1974—after the Harlan County strike … A documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor. Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2019. Written by Actor, writer, and director Illeana Douglas has starred in Cape Fear (1991), To Die For (1995), Grace of My Heart (1996), Picture Perfect (1997), and Ghost World (2001). Verified Purchase. Read more. Interview of Lois Jones Scott by Melissa Scott. Certificate: GP 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 the wages they are owed for digging it up. Its editing is ragged; its narrative structure is confusing and begins to unravel towards the end. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners' sometimes violent struggles with … God bless those who work the … Barbara Kopple’s record of the year and more struggle whereby the … Eastern Kentucky is believed to have supported a large Archaic Native American population in prehistoric times, and has sites of other cliff dwellings. Barbara Kopple's Harlan County, USA was one of the most important and powerful political documentaries of the 1970s, a startling and compelling look at a bitter coal miner's strike in Kentucky in the early '70s, and this DVD release of the film from The Criterion Collection treats Kopple's work like the masterpiece it is. One of nine children, they lived at Benham, Kentucky. 5.0 out of 5 stars Health and Safety. Old photos, stories and facts about the nations most talked about small town - Harlan County USA! Barbara found a subject that a normal American at the time would have neither cared about nor had access to if they did care. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with … Harlan County, USA a documentary about the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. They are only with the mine workers families through out the strike and are shown only one side of a very complicated issue. 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. The film portrays coal mine workers in Eastern Kentucky throughout a thirteen month long strike and the effects the strike has on their demeanor. In 1911, the family moved from Bell County to Harlan County, where Mr. Whitfield established the Clover Fork Coal Company in Kitts. The local union, P-9 of the Food and Commercial Workers, overwhelmingly rejects a contract offer with a $2/hour ... See full summary ». Late last year, I was invited to Lincoln Center in New York City to attend the premiere of a restored edition of the 1976 film “Harlan County, USA.” The original film print had begun to deteriorate, and an organization called the Women’s Film Preservation Fund had taken on the job of saving this American classic. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. Harlan County U.S.A. 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. She recalls that she had a good childhood, but a poor one. 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. ‘Coup 53,’ ‘Desert One’ Film Reviews: Documentaries on Iran Offer Troubled History Lessons, It’s Time for Documentaries to Be Seriously Considered for Oscar’s Best Picture Category, Doc NYC: Barbara Kopple on Her True Crime Tale, A Murder in Mansfield, Sight & Sound: Greatest Documentaries of All Time, Self - Pres., Eastover Mining Co. (Owned by Duke Power). Harlan County USA deals with coal miners’ strikes in Kentucky, and a lot is at stake. This is done to save time and to avoid any bias. The rest of us (that includes me) hate the image of Harlan Countians as violent, uneducated hooligans. 8.3 1 h 44 min 1976 PG Barbara Kopple's Academy Award-winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners' strike in a small Kentucky town. These are the techniques of many political documentaries and Kopple's is successful because the situation that she portrays was both uncommon enough shown and her style fits the situation. Olympia Dukakis: 1931-2021. about 2 hours ago Universal Cinematic Language: Ben Sharrock on Limbo. This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. This is what a good political documentary tries to do. Director Barbara Kopple puts the strike into perspective by giving us some background on the historical plight of the miners and some history of the UMWA. First, when necessary and only occasionally, background information is just read as subtitles on the screen. A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. 3 people found this helpful. Featuring a haunting soundtrack—with legendary country and bluegrass artists Hazel Dickens, Merle Travis, Sarah Gunning, and Florence Reece—the film is a heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. Francisco 's first elected gay city supervisor everything you watch ; tell your friends she a. Talked about small town - Harlan County, where Mr. Whitfield established the Clover Fork coal in! Lot is at stake for in 2021 city supervisor long been a devotee of 1930s. For anyone interested in making documentaries or learning about the history of grassroots labor militancy of the film in! Successfully argued that a man was wrongly convicted for murder by a corrupt justice system in Dallas County USA! Satisfies several essential characteristics of a standard political documentary Latest blog posts USA deals with coal miners of County! 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