Harlan is one of three kentucky county seats to share its name with its county, the others being greenup and henderson. Harlan county,usa focus on the brookside strike in the 1970s. Harlan county, usa documents a dark subject, but it is far from being a dark picture. The community there was already known as mount pleasant, apparently owing to a nearby indian mound. And so much so that when she misfires, as with her 1998 film on woody allen, wild man blues, a critic may still give her the benefit of the doubt. This film documents the coal miners strike against the brookside mine of the eastover mining company in harlan county, kentucky in june, 1973. Thats one of the harsh realities of harlan county usa. It follows the struggles of mine workers and their families who when on strikes after their employees, the eastover coal companys brookside mine and prep plant in harlan county, refused to give them safer and fair working condition and higher wages. The film captures the dire poverty of the miners and their families, and their bitter and violent struggles against both eastover and unionbusting scabs and. 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.
In 1986, the harlan county jaycees club erected a monument to honor over 0 local coal miners who had lost their. Harlan county, usa feminist films in the swarthmorebryn. Harlan county, usa is an oscarwinning documentary about a month strike between coal miners and the brookside mine of the eastover mining company in eastern kentucky in 1973 and 1974. The screening will be followed by a musical performance by david. Harlan county, usa documents a dark subject, but it is far from being a. Analysis of hearts and minds and harlan county, usa. Its a struggle dramatically laid out in barbara kopples landmark 1976 documentary harlan county u. The coal miners of harlan county kentucky want to unionise and their employers are not happy about it. With unprecedented access, kopple and her crew captured the miners sometimes violent struggles with strikebreakers, local police, and company thugs. Between 2016 and 2017 the population of harlan county, ky declined from 28,031 to 27,548, a 1.
Featuring a haunting soundtrackwith legendary country and bluegrass artists hazel dickens, merle. In this sense, harlan county usa can be considered a signpost for recent non. Jul 24, 20 harlan county usa is a film that is great at bringing you inside a community you probably havent thought much about before. Kopple and her crew spent a year and half in harlan county, often under volatile conditionsshe would later learn that there had been a price on her head. A filmed account of a bitterly violent miner strike. Sep 19, 2017 harlan county usa 15 our building is temporarily closed, due to uk government advice on coronaviruscovid19. Harlan county, usa 1976 posted on may 5, 2012 by mike c.
Harlan county, usa is not only a great documentary, but a great film. Harlan county, usa by barbara kopple barbara kopple. Its a film of such a specific place, but also one completely out of timethe wages, working conditions, and dress all screen early 1970s, yet the whitecollar wall these bluecollar individuals must climb is. Barbara kopples documentary masterpiece striking coal miners in kentucky set the stage for human drama of an epic nature. Harlan county, usa is reallife drama of the highest order. Come see rare photos and hear stories from those who lived and lives. Nov 02, 2011 harlan county, usa 1976 follows the coal miners strike in 1973 1974 in harlan county, kentucky. Without womens contributions, it is unlikely that the strike would have been successful. The women of harlan county provided much of the lifeblood of the strike, and kopples documentation of the strike provided publicity, dignity, and a way to begin to heal. As florence reece put it, they say in harlan county, there are no neutrals there. Join us for a screening and discussion of barbara kopples harlan county u. Harlan county board of education 251 ball park road harlan, ky 40831 6065734330 harlan. Shop harlan county usa songs of the coal miners struggle. Barbara kopples academy awardwinning harlan county usa unflinchingly documents a grueling coal miners strike in a small kentucky town.
Thugs and police helped with the interesting exception of the complex role of the sheriff maintain the companys power while the workers had to face legal challenges, attempted. Barbara kopples oscar winning documentary is an urgent exploration on the power of unions and their battles against authority. For barbara kopple, the absence of neutrality proved to be not just a. Barbara kopples oscarwinning documentary classic is an electrifying look at a tense, yearlong standoff between striking kentucky coal miners and the unionbusting corporation determined to squash them. I havent seen it since a college labor relations class. 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 miners wives articulate, indominable, courageous. Harlan is a home ruleclass city in and the county seat of harlan county, kentucky, united states.
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. Harlan county was one where company thugs, workers, and police all played an all too cliche role. It well deserves its academy award, and 1990 inclusion in the national film registry of the library of congress. Its not a fictional town portrayed on the fx show justified quite a few people have lived. Bush germany greece holocaust hostage crisis human. The film is very obviously advocating for the coal miners rights. It won the oscar for best documentary at the 49th academy awards directed and produced by barbara kopple, who has long been an. Between 2016 and 2017 the population of harlan county, ne grew from 3,465 to 3,469, a 0. Film screening and discussion of harlan county, usa with. Barbara kopple is one of those filmmakers who can do just about any film well. Qualifizierte bestellungen werden kostenlos geliefert. Aug 28, 2011 this film documents the coal miners strike against the brookside mine of the eastover mining company in harlan county, kentucky in june, 1973. Graph and download economic data for unemployment rate in harlan county, ky kyharl5urn from jan 1990 to mar 2020 about harlan. Barbara kopples harlan county, usa was one of the most important and powerful political documentaries of the 1970s, a startling and compelling look at a bitter coal miners strike in kentucky in the early 70s, and this dvd release of the film from the criterion collection treats kopples work like the masterpiece it is.
Unemployment rate in harlan county, ky kyharl5urn fred. Featuring a haunting soundtrackwith legendary country and bluegrass artists. Barbara kopples record of the year and more struggle whereby the coal miners, and notably their wives and. As of 20102014, the total harlan county population is 28,744, which has shrunk. Although realistic dramas still attracted mass audiencesas evidenced by dog. Old photos, stories and facts about the nations most talked about small town harlan county usa. Harlan county usa songs of the coal miners struggle. 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 company owned eastover coal companys brookside mine and prep plant in harlan county, southeast kentucky in 1973. The harlan county war, or bloody harlan, was a series of coal miningrelated skirmishes, executions, bombings, and strikes both attempted and realized that took place in harlan county, kentucky, during the 1930s. Bureau of mines admits that great britain, germany, holland. The smartest guys in the room, and the corporation. This remains one of my favorite documentaries of all time.
Oct 19, 20 barbara kopples documentary masterpiece striking coal miners in kentucky set the stage for human drama of an epic nature. 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. May 05, 2012 harlan county, usa 1976 posted on may 5. Few industries have inspired such impassioned folk music, as most of these 22 cuts depend more on the power and conviction of the musical testament than any polish in.
The miners have decided to join the united miners of america umwa trade union, and then they insisted that the company which. Harlan was first settled by samuel and chloe howard in 1796. A man crouches and pokes at what first appears to be a wad of chewedup pink bubble gum on the ground. The recent surge in coalmining disasters has followed the creeping relaxation of safety standards, making this round of caveins part of a centuriesold tugofwar between workers, management, and government. Harlan county board of education 251 ball park road harlan, ky 40831 6065734330. The population was 1,745 at the 2010 census, 3 down from 2,081 at the 2000 census. Harlan county, usa 1976 follows the coal miners strike in 1973 1974 in harlan county, kentucky. Community services director needed for sunrise childrens services. Although realistic dramas still attracted mass audiencesas evidenced by dog day afternoon, all the. The release of this compilation suggests that the coal miners plight hasnt improved appreciably since the 1976 release of barbara kopples 1976 documentary, harlan county, usa. It contains a famous scene where guns are fired at the strikers in the darkness before dawn, and kopple and her cameraman are knocked down and beaten. However, when at her best, such as with the classic academy award winning documentary from 1976, harlan county, usa, she is almost. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Story of the early 1970s brookside coal miners strike in harlan county ky and their fight for better working conditions against threats, vi. Harlan county usa is a film that is great at bringing you inside a community you probably havent thought much about before. Harlan county, usa, an oscarwinning documentary directed and produced by prominent filmmaker barbara kopple in 1976, is an incredibly moving film that tells the story using an intersection of the participatory and observational documentary modes of coal miners in kentucky who, together with their families, endured a long, violent strike in defense of their rights. Story of the early 1970s brookside coal miners strike in harlan county ky and their fight for. 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. It contains a famous scene where guns are fired at the strikers in the darkness before dawn, and kopple and her cameraman are knocked. Harlan county usa songs of the coal miners struggle discogs.
The harlan county war was based on the same strike portrayed in the academy awardwinning documentary harlan county, usa. Thats what a scab will do to ya, by god, he says, his voice quavering with emotion. 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. Upon the founding of harlan county named for kentucky pioneer silas harlan in 1819, the howards donated 12 acres 49,000 m 2 of land to serve as the county seat. One of the finest documentaries ever made, barbara kopples harlan county u. It won the oscar for best documentary at the 49th academy awards directed and produced by barbara kopple. It won the oscar for best documentary at the 49th academy awards. In east germany and poland the authorities treat them with a special.
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