Fifty years on, Harlan County U.S.A. still lands like a dispatch from the picket line. Barbara Kopple’s 1976 American documentary won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and it holds a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 22 reviews. Here is the breakdown of what made it hit so hard.
The pre-dawn scene that put the filmmakers in danger
Roger Ebert, reviewing the 2006 re-release with four out of four stars, wrote that the film contains a famous scene where guns are fired at the strikers in the darkness before dawn. He added that Kopple and her cameraman are knocked down and beaten.
The miners’ wives were the most effective picketers
Ebert also wrote that the company employed armed goons to escort scabs into the mines. He said the most effective picketers were the miners’ wives, whom he described as articulate, indomitable and courageous.
The Washington Post heard a stirring testament
Gary Arnold of The Washington Post praised Kopple for emerging with ‘a stirring, revealing testament to the courage, tenacity and dignity of Appalachian men and women whose livelihood depends on coal mining.’ He noted that Kopple and photographer Hart Perry bear unassuming, expressive witness to the experiences, aspirations and abiding grievances of the Brookside miners and their wives, who organized auxiliary strike actions.
The music was the culture of the miners
The music used in Harlan County USA was considered integral to conveying the culture of the miners. It reflected the culture of the people of Harlan County and showed the power of folk music that was a living part of their culture, with their stories often told through the songs.
Hazel Dickens gave the strike its songbook
Hazel Dickens wrote and sang ‘Black Lung,’ ‘Cold Blooded Murder’ and ‘They’ll Never Keep Us Down.’ She also wrote ‘Mannington,’ which David Morris sang, and her folk song lyrics included ‘United we stand, divided we fall.’
A union anthem got new words
‘Which Side Are You On?’ was written and sung by Florence Reece, credited as Florence Reese, with additional lyrics by Joshua Waletzky, credited as Josh Waletzky. The soundtrack also included Merle Travis’s ‘Dark as a Dungeon,’ sung by David Morris.
A critic wanted more balance but still felt the emotion
Dennis Schwartz liked the documentary yet found it provided only one point of view, seeing the struggle solely through the miners’ eyes. He still called it one of the better and more rousing labor strike films, praising the meaningful catchy coal mining songs and the moving personal stories.
The awards stacked up
The film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1976. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association gave it a Special Award in 1977, and the Belgian Film Critics Association gave it the Grand Prix in 1979.
Rotten Tomatoes is unanimous
On the review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film received a 100% approval rating based on 22 reviews.
Which fact from Harlan County U.S.A. stays with you? Tell us your favourite moment from the breakdown.
Facts from Wikipedia: Harlan County, USA, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
