Film screening and discussion of harlan county, usa with. Harlan county, usa is a 1976 documentary film covering the brookside strike, an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the duke power companyowned eastover coal companys brookside mine and prep plant in harlan county, southeast kentucky in 1973. Becoming accustomed to the presence of the camera, the films subjects reveal their flaws as well as their virtues. Harlan county, usa by barbara kopple a movie to download, on vod and legal streaming lacinetek. Harlan county, usa by barbara kopple barbara kopple.
This oscarwinning documentary tells of the 1973 yearlong coal miners strike in harlan county, kentucky that ultimately became violent. Featuring a haunting soundtrackwith legendary country and bluegrass artists hazel dickens, merle. Harlan county, usa is a documentary film that was produced and directed by barbara kopple, a long time advocate of worker and civil rights. Portraying a classic twentieth century conflict between labor and management, the film dramatically chronicles the efforts of.
Copresented with the nofs as part of their 6 film series at the cac, entitled power and resistance. Analysis of the documentary harlan county, usa free essay example. Fold alatt, fold felett gruvarbetarna i harlan county, usa harlan county usa. May 04, 2018 a longtime advocate of workers rights, kopple originally set out to film in harlan county, kentucky, to look at the local union organizations. Enter email and password and required information 2. Sometimes it showed on the front likes how the people doing the protests were acting. May 03, 2018 american filmmaker barbara kopple says gifts and a credit card helped fund her documentary classic harlan county, usa in the 1970s. Few documentaries today have the immediacy, intensity, or militant appeal of this oscarwinning film, an edgeofyourseat tribute to a courageous group of hard hats and their families. While she was there, however, things quickly changed when the miners walked off the job to demand safer working conditions.
She is a director and producer, known for harlan county u. Harlan county, usa strike dvd is a barbara kopple had made no other film than this documentary account of the 1974 strike of kentucky mine workers, arguably one of the finest documentaries ever made in the u. Harlan county, usa feminist films in the swarthmorebryn. Barbara koppels 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 companys refusal to accept the miners petition for union membership. Apr 24, 2020 her first film at afi was a halfhour adaptation of august strindbergs the stronger in 1976. Harlan county, usa is a 1976 oscarwinning documentary film covering the brookside strike,an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the duke power companyowned eastover coal companys brookside mine and prep plant in harlan county, southeast kentucky in 1973. Above and beyond the labor issues, the film takes a hard look at the living conditions, health issues, and poverty faced by harlans residents, the human toll that goes along. Featuring a haunting soundtrackwith legendary country and bluegrass artists hazel dickens, merle travis, sarah gunning, and florence reecethe film is a. Harlan county court house summary photograph shows interior of the harlan county courthouse, harlan, kentucky, with bench, gavel, wellworn judges chair, ceiling fan, and row of chairs.
Analysis of the documentary harlan county, usa free essay. This oscarwinning documentary by barbara kopple chronicles the 1973 strike by brookside mine workers in harlan county, kentucky, using actual footage of the events. Harlan county, usa is a 1976 oscarwinning documentary film covering the brookside strike,an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives. Download pdf growing up hard in harlan county full free. Eastovers refusal to sign a contract when the miners joined with the united mine workers of america led to the strike, which lasted more. This edition of harlan county, usa has been transferred to disc in letterboxed format at the widescreen aspect ratio of 1. The film is about a coal miners strike in harlan county, kentucky. Dramatic film based on the eastoverbrookside strike.
Barbara kopples academy awardwinning harlan county usa unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners strike in a small kentucky town. It won the oscar for best documentary at the 49th academy awards directed and produced by barbara kopple, who has long been an. The filmmaker was a woman and she won an academy award for the film. Indiepix films harlan county, usa dvd barbara kopple. Summary of facts the movies main focus is the reallife documentation of a strike stages by miners in the brookside mine versus duke power business, a big energy company in the united states, for its supposed unfair labor practices, unsafe working conditions, and low. Filmmaker barbara kopple shows kentucky coal miners brutally opposed in a 1973 strike. Kopple skillfully weaves archival footage and traditional labor songs through the film to give a historical perspective to the strike against eastover mining company. Harlan county, usa by barbara kopple on vod lacinetek. Title coal miners, harlan county, kentucky summary photographs show unemployed coal miner hiram shelton, wife omialee, and children, of kenvir, ky. The film follows what was known as the brookside strike, when around 180 coal miners in 1973 fought for better working conditions against eastover coal company, owned by duke power company. Story of the early 1970s brookside coal miners strike in harlan county ky and their fight for better working conditions against threats, violence and murder. With holly hunter, stellan skarsgard, ted levine, wayne robson.
A kentucky woman whose mineworker husband is nearly killed in a cavein, and whose father is slowly dying of black lung disease, joins the picket lines for a long, violent strike. I havent seen it since a college labor relations class. Coolidge corner theatres virtual screening room spotlights. From harlan county usa to shut up and sing, barbara. Barbara kopples academy awardwinning harlan county usa unflinchingly. That said, harlan county usa is far too investigative, too steeped in the realities of its milieu, to scan as pure propaganda. In the middle of this charged moment, kopple shifted her focus to follow the striking workers and their families to picket lines. This film documents the coal miners strike against the brookside mine of the eastover mining company in harlan county, kentucky in june, 1973. It well deserves its academy award, and 1990 inclusion in the national film registry of the library of congress. Mar 14, 2018 harlan county usa is regularly included in lists of the best documentaries of all time and in 1991, it was named to the national film registry by the librarian of congress and designated an american film classic. Winner of the best documentary academy award, barbara kopples groundbreaking harlan county u.
Coal miners, harlan county, kentucky library of congress. 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 guntoting company thugsscabs and the picketing miners and. How barbara kopple funded her first oscarwinning documentary. While art is clearly not truth, documentaries are the rare art form where truth is essential, because it is not merely cinema but a journalistic art. Oscarwinning documentarian barbara kopple on establishing. 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. The coal miners wanted to unionize in order to receive better wages and benefits for their families, especially since the coal company was not concerned with the miners safety and had been negligent for years.
Director, producer barbara kopple cinematographers kevin keating, hart perry editors nancy baker, mirra bank, lora hays, mary lampson year 1976 runtime 103 minutes country usa. This gripping, youarethere, oscarwinning documentary captures a 1973 coal miners strike in rural kentucky that lasted more than a year and eventually turned violent. With norman yarborough, houston elmore, phil sparks, john corcoran. Documentary film directed by barbara kopple depicting the eastoverbrookside coal miners strike, which won the academy award for best documentary feature. Feb 2, 2016 points of interest in harlan county kentucky. A barbara kopple was born on july 30, 1946 in new york city, new york, usa. Analysis of hearts and minds and harlan county, usa. The film was made over the duration of the resulting strike and. Director barbara kopples film about the 1973 coal miners strike in harlan county, ky.
Harlan county, usa is not only a great documentary, but a great film. Harlan county, usa is reallife drama of the highest order. Charles mcclung trevitte 111714 pdp 150 harlan county usa in the film harlan county usa many different view of how the mining protests went are shown. The movie was added to the library of congress national film registry in 1990. Analysis of the documentary harlan county, usa type. Harlan county essay for pdp\film class charles mcclung. See more ideas about harlan county, kentucky and harlan kentucky. Someone could also look briefly at the views of the stockholders who were invested deeply in duke powers.
Parents need to know that harlan county, usa is a riveting and intense 1976 documentary chronicling a month miners strike in eastern kentucky that shows violent altercations between strikers and unionbusters, as well as the funeral of a murdered striker where family members are expressing deep shock and sorrow. A filmed account of a bitterly violent miner strike. Kopple is being honoured by torontos hot docs film. The miners have decided to join the united miners of america umwa trade union, and then they insisted that the company which. With unprecedented access, kopple and her crew captured the miners sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Includes hiram talking to neighbors and coal miners. The coal miners of harlan county kentucky want to unionise and their. Harlan county, usa is a 1976 documentary film covering the brookside strike, an effort of 180 coal miners and their wives against the duke power. Omialee attending a revival at the church of god mountain assembly.
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