Harlan County, U.S.A. - Criterion Collection (1976)

HardLuck County, USA

I remembered this film winning the Oscar for Best Ducumentary back in the 1970's. I remember really wanting to see it but, especially back then, it was pretty hard to come across documentaries on TV (forget about movie theaters). Thus it was with great pleasure that I noticed it on the April schedule of the Independent Film Channel. My politics have changed over the years so I haven't rushed out to join a union or volunteer to parade in a pickett line after watching "Harlan County, USA". However, I was fascinated with the up-close and personal film that told a very compelling story. The glimpses of the mines, the miners in their squalid homes, the anger and determination, the tedium and the violence all brought together the sort of documentary that underlines the adage "Truth is Stranger than Fiction".

This film excels by bringing the story to life through the people that live it. There are a number of men and women who seem to take the lead and a number of men and women who tell the story of what happened a couple of generations earlier. There are side stories about Black Lung disease and the Yablonski murders (that I remember well). There is a sort of epilogue that suggests a mixed future for the mine workers.

I read a couple of reviews by indiviuals who said that they were from the area and could attest first-hand to the short-comings of the documentary. I couldn't help but notice a telling scene or two where the strike-breakers were armed with guns and the strikers were armed with clubs. I also noticed that there were at least a couple of scenes where the union leaders were advocating calm and reason in the wake of violence by the strike-breakers. I knew better than to take this at face value and I appreciated those reviews that confirmed that there was violence on both sides. The issue of unionizing and striking are not simple ones especially in a society that celebrates individuality. The strike-breakers were portrayed as evil which is very debatable (and there was no look at the strike-breakers view by the makers of "Harlan County, USA"). They had families to feed as well. I would grant them that they chose to continue on in order to take care of those they were responsible for. I know of plenty of tales in other parts of the country where violence was more prevalent on the union side than the other and the lack of seeing any other point of view just confirms my suspicions of the bias in this film. That said, I came away from the movie with the sense that neither side was faring very well in the conditions they worked in. It was illuminating to finally see the story that I followed in the newspapers back then. May 26, 2008

Very well done Doc

This is one of the best done documentiers I have seen in some time, it gets to the hart of the ppl right off the start and keeps the viewer in pace with the situation and the times.

Highly recommended for personal or education use. May 20, 2008

Where are people of this courage today?

When I saw this documentary it confirmed what Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States 1492 - the Present" talked about regarding the hard fought victories of early unionism in America. I was grabbed by the throat emotionally by this documentary and its grip did not stop with the end of the film. Union members literally get beaten, shot, disrespected, and dismissed by the mine owners and their goon squads.

What impresses me most is the courage of these miners, their wives and families. With union membership in America down to 9% it makes me wonder where are those who will fight for a decent living wage, health care, a safe and healthy environment, and a future for their children. These coal miners set an example for everyone who seeks a more just society. Their solidarity is remarkable under any circumstances, but especially so where law enforcement was owned by the coal company.

The coal miners of Harlan County are the kind of activist citizens who make me proud to be an American. I just hope a follow up documentary will be done to see what the situation is there now.

April 8, 2008

Harlan County, U.S.A

I was born in Harlan County but escaped to spend a career in the US Air Force. When this strike happened I was overseas and the event escaped my notice until just now. I do remember the absolute poverty of the coal camps but they were no worse than lumber camps or the homes of many who worked for neither. During my youth the third most profitable industry was moonshine, now its pot. My Dad owned a small independent mine for a period but was forced out of business by union miners who threatened his leased truckers to the point that they refused to transport his coal over Pine Mountain to the railroad. Life has not progressed in Harlan County today as it has in other parts of the US; in fact, during my last visit I thought that it was worse than when I was a child helping Dad at his mine (early 1950s.) However, I still was moved by this film as much as I have ever beeen moved by a movie. Well worth watching! February 2, 2008

Interesting Documentary

I grew up in a county bordering Harlan County. As coal company employees my father and uncle both experienced the strikes of the seventies, and the associated violence, so this documentary appealed to me for those reasons. Despite what appears to me to unfortunately be socialist or "progressive" undertones, Kopple does a good job of depicting the life of the eastern Kentucky coal miner in the early seventies. Although the UMWA has outlived its usefulness, the documentary illustrates why it was necessary at one time.

One minor quibble on my part: anyone who grew up or lives in eastern Kentucky knows the sterling reputation of the Kentucky State Police, and their absolute refusal to take sides in a strike, only getting involved for the purpose of keeping roads open and preventing violence. The incorrect portrayal of them as biased against the strikers is limited, and only a slight distraction.

The commentary by the crew some 20 years after filming gives us an interesting view from their perspective as "big city outsiders" who were fortunate enough to find mountain folks willing to share their lives and homes with them. Surviving in the seventies a place those of us in the area called "bloody Harlan" was also a laudable accomplishment, again considering that the crew was made up of outsiders.

Overall a very good documentary that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the Kentucky coal strikes of the seventies. November 24, 2007

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