Harlan County U.S.A. (1976)
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- PG
- 1h 43min
- Documentary
- 28 Sep 1977 (France)
- Movie
A heartbreaking record of the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line.
Director:
Awards:
- Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| John L. Lewis | ... |
Self - Pres., UMW, 1920-1960 (archiveFootage)
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Carl Horn | ... |
Self - Pres., Duke Power Co.
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Norman Yarborough | ... |
Self - Pres., Eastover Mining Co. (Owned by Duke Power)
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Logan Patterson | ... |
Self - Chief Negotiator
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Houston Elmore | ... |
Self - UMW Organizer
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Phil Sparks | ... |
Self - UMW Staff
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John Corcoran | ... |
Self - Pres., Consolidated Coal
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John O'Leary | ... |
Self - Former Dir., Bureau of Mines
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Donald Rasmussen | ... |
Self - Black Ling Clinic., W. Va
(as Dr. Donald Rasmussen)
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Hawley Wells Jr. | ... |
Self
(as Dr. Hawley Wells Jr.)
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W.A. 'Tony' Boyle | ... |
Self - Pres., UMW, 1962-1972 (archiveFootage)
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Joseph Yablonski | ... |
Self (archiveFootage)
(as Joseph "Jock" Yablonski)
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Chip Yablonski | ... |
Self
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Ken Yablonski | ... |
Self
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Arnold Miller | ... |
Self - Miners for Democracy Candidate
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Florence Reece | ... |
Self
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Bazel Collins | ... |
Self - Mine Foreman
(as Basil Collins)
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Sudie Crusenberry | ... |
Self
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Dorothy Johnson | ... |
Self
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Mary Lou Fergerson | ... |
Self
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Harry Patrick | ... |
Self - Sec.-Treas., UMW
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Mike Trbovich | ... |
Self - Vice Pres., UMW
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Bernie Aronson | ... |
Self - UMW Staff
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Walter Wallace | ... |
Self - Pres., Bituminious Coal Operators Assoc.
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Nimrod Workman | ... |
Self
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Bessie Lou Cornett | ... |
Self
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Jerry Wynn | ... |
Self - Miner
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Bob Davis | ... |
Self - 8iner
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Joe Dougher | ... |
Self - Miner
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Lois Scott | ... |
Self
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Jerry Johnson | ... |
Self - Miner
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Betty Eldridge | ... |
Self
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Ron Curtis | ... |
Self - Miner
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Bill Doan | ... |
Self - Miner
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Phyllis Boyens | ... |
Self
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E.B. Allen | ... |
Self
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Jim Thomas | ... |
Self
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Mickey Messer | ... |
Self
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Nanny Rainey | ... |
Self
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Minnie | ... |
Self
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Tom Pysell | ... |
Self
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Frieda | ... |
Self
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Tommy Fergerson | ... |
Self
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Bill Worthington | ... |
Self
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Crystal Fergerson | ... |
Self
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Barry Speilberg | ... |
Self
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Polly Jones | ... |
Self
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Diane Jones | ... |
Self
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Otis King | ... |
Self
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
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Hazel Dickens | ... |
Self - Singer (uncredited)
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Guy Farmer | ... |
Self - BCPA General Counsel (uncredited)
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Lawrence Jones | ... |
Self - Shooting Victim (uncredited)
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| Barbara Kopple | ... |
Self (uncredited) (voice)
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Robert Milicevic | ... |
Police Detective (uncredited)
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William Simon | ... |
Self (uncredited)
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| Richard Trumka | ... |
Self (uncredited)
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Billy G. Williams | ... |
Self - Harlan County Sheriff (uncredited)
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Tom Williams | ... |
Self - Boyle Campaigner (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Barbara Kopple | ||
Produced by
| Barbara Kopple | ... | producer |
Cinematography by
| Kevin Keating | ||
| Hart Perry | ... | principal cinematographer |
Editing by
| Nancy Baker | ||
| Mirra Bank | ||
| Lora Hays | ||
| Mary Lampson | ||
Editorial Department
| Mirra Bank | ... | contributing editor |
| Lora Hays | ... | consulting editor |
| Lawrence Mischel | ... | negative cutter |
| Sue Mischel | ... | negative cutter |
Production Management
| Marc Weiss | ... | production manager: Miller-Boyle Campaign (as Marc N. Weiss) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Anne Lewis | ... | associate director |
Sound Department
| Rhetta Barron | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Tim Colman | ... | additional sound |
| Lee Dichter | ... | re-recording mixer |
| Bob Gates | ... | additional sound |
| Barbara Kopple | ... | sound recordist |
| Judy Rabinovitz | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Helene Susman | ... | assistant sound editor |
| Joshua Waletzky | ... | sound editor (as Josh Waletzky) |
| John Walz | ... | additional sound |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Dick Donovan | ... | assistant camera |
| Michael Hamilton | ... | assistant camera |
| Tom Hurwitz | ... | additional cinematographer |
| Anne Lewis | ... | assistant camera |
| George Liebert | ... | assistant grip |
| Alex Lukman | ... | assistant camera |
| Flip McCarthy | ... | additional cinematographer |
| Phil Parmet | ... | additional cinematographer |
| Shane Zarintash | ... | assistant camera |
Music Department
| David Morris | ... | musician |
Additional Crew
| Jean Bertl | ... | titles |
| Mariann Dusseldorp | ... | unspecified assistant |
| Jose Gallardo | ... | titles |
| Barbara Johnson | ... | unspecified assistant |
| Teri Siegel | ... | unspecified assistant |
Thanks
| Bernie Aronson | ... | thanks |
| Ting Barrow | ... | thanks |
| Robert Boehm | ... | thanks |
| Bernie Chertok | ... | thanks |
| David Chertok | ... | thanks |
| Heleny Cook | ... | thanks |
| Alida Davison | ... | thanks |
| Suzy Elmiger | ... | thanks |
| Leon Gast | ... | thanks |
| Robert Gumpert | ... | thanks |
| Carol Guyer | ... | thanks |
| Cynthia Guyer | ... | thanks |
| Barbara Haspiel | ... | thanks |
| Nancy Higgins | ... | thanks |
| Anne Hoblitzelle | ... | thanks |
| Robert Kaylor | ... | thanks |
| Alfred S. Kopple | ... | thanks |
| Majorie Kopple | ... | thanks |
| Peter Kopple | ... | thanks |
| Laura Lesser | ... | thanks |
| Alan Manger | ... | thanks |
| Richard Pearce | ... | thanks |
| Michael Penland | ... | thanks |
| D.A. Pennebaker | ... | thanks |
| Hart Perry | ... | thanks |
| George Pillsbury | ... | thanks |
| Barrie Singer | ... | thanks |
| Marvin Soloway | ... | thanks |
| Bill Susman | ... | thanks |
| Simone Swan | ... | thanks |
| Rip Torn | ... | thanks |
| Meri Weingarten | ... | thanks (as Merry Weingarten) |
| Mo Weitzman | ... | thanks (as Moe Weitzman) |
| Myrna Zimmerman | ... | thanks |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Lab 80 Film (1981) (Italy) (theatrical)
- Cinema 5 Distributing
- Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1978) (United States) (tv) (original airing)
- The Criterion Channel (2019) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Yleisradio (YLE) (1978) (Finland) (tv) (TV2)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
This film documents the coal miners' strike against the Brookside Mine of the Eastover Mining Company in Harlan County, Kentucky in June, 1973. 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. 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.
Written by Martin Lewison |
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| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Additional Details
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Did You Know?
| 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. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Cinéma Vérité: Defining the Moment (1999). See more » |
| Soundtracks | Dark As A Dungeon See more » |
| 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. See more » |