Film Still

Harlan County USA

Barbara Kopple

United States

1976

103 minutes

Color

1.78:1

English

Watch Film for $5

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Synopsis

Barbara Kopple’s Academy Award–winning Harlan County USA unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners’ strike in a small Kentucky town. With unprecedented access, Kopple and her crew captured the miners’ sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. 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.

Cast


Credits

DirectorBarbara Kopple
ProducerBarbara Kopple
EditingNancy Baker
Associate directorAnne Lewis
Principal cinematographerHart Perry
CinematographyKevin Keating
SoundBarbara Kopple

Disc Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director-producer Barbara Kopple
  • Audio commentary by Kopple and editor Nancy Baker
  • The Making of “Harlan County, USA,” a new documentary featuring interviews with Kopple, crew members and strike participants featured in the film
  • New video interview with legendary bluegrass singer-songwriter Hazel Dickens
  • Never-before-seen outtakes from the film
  • New video interview with director John Sayles
  • A panel discussion from the 2005 Sundance Film Festival featuring Kopple and Roger Ebert
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired
  • New essays by film scholar Paul Arthur and music journalist Jon Weisberger

From the Current

Harlan County USA: No Neutrals There

by Paul Arthur May 22, 2006

The current popularity and cultural importance of documentaries would have been inconceivable in 1976, when Harlan County USA briefly ignited commercial movie screens. It was the dawn of the blockbuster age: the buzz around Jaws had barely receded, and Star Wars loomed on the horizon...

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Available Editions

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DVD

1 Disc

SRP: $39.95

Criterion Store price

$31.96