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Harlan County, U.S.A. (1976)

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Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 2
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 0

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Average Rating: 4.1/5
User Ratings: 2,531

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Movie Info

This film chronicles the bitter and violent struggle waged by coal miners during a strike in 1973 in Eastern Kentucky against the Eastover Mining Company. The story focuses on the miners and their families' fight for decent living standards in an area where many still live in shacks with no indoor plumbing and work at jobs with little security and dangerous conditions.

PG, 1 hr. 43 min.

Documentary

Apr 25, 2006

Cinema 5 Distributing

All Critics (12) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (0) | DVD (11)

Kopple's rather terrifying film rocked its minuscule audience and instantly became a cultural touchstone.

October 11, 2005 Full Review Source: Village Voice | Comment
Village Voice
Top Critic IconTop Critic

One of the finest documentaries ever made, Barbara Kopple's "Harlan County U.S.A." is a brilliant exposé about the embattled history of coal miners in America as seen through the very personal prism of striking coal miners in Harlan County, Kentucky in 19

April 12, 2009 Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | Comment
ColeSmithey.com

One of the better and more rousing labor strike films that calls attention to class war in America.

September 3, 2008 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

A seminal documentary about the complexity of American unionism, reflecting director Kopple's ideology, one that combines Old Left socialism with American populism

December 8, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | Comment

At its least it's an impassioned indictment of those who would exploit the powerless and at best a call to arms.

October 14, 2006 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | Comment
Filmcritic.com

serves as an important historical document and unfortunately remains as relevant today as it was thirty years ago

March 11, 2003 Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | Comment
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Harlan County, U.S.A.

Coal miners strike against the company that exploits them and the union that doesn't always represent their interests.In 1976 this was a ground-breaking film that deserved and won the Oscar for Best Documentary. Today it is still relevant. Many of the issues have changed, but the exploitation of coal miners, the

July 23, 2011
hunterjt13
Jim Hunter

Super Reviewer

A very ambitious documentary that was incredibly ahead of its time. The cinematography is unbelievable, it doesn't look like a documentary. You see the true picture of this small town and their complete dependence on the coal mining industry. It gets a little too dramatic at times and I think it was in some ways

February 16, 2010
ythelastman89

Super Reviewer

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Foreign Titles

  • Harlan County (FR)
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