Harlan County U.S.A.
Directed by Barbara Kopple
1976/US
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Criterion Channel
Where it’s dark as a dungeon, damp as the dew
Danger is double, pleasures are few
Where the rain never falls, the sun never shines
It’s a dark as a dungeon way down in the mine – Lyrics by Merle Travis
Barbara Kopple gives us the ultimate in political documentaries, with lots of Appalachian culture as a bonus.
The film depicts the 1973-74 strike by miners at the Brookside Mine in Harlan County, Kentucky against Eastover Mining Company and its parent Duke Power. A strike in the 1930’s had resulted in the county being called “Bloody Harlan” for the violence involved.
This strike was also violent and seemingly everything was lined up against the workers. The local police force and judge were solidly behind the management. People on the picket line were arrested, some hit by baseball bats, shot at, and struck by cars. Many of the most fervent and effective supporters of the strike were miners’ wives.
We also get inside the United Mine Workers union, where J.A. Boyle had held sway for years. He was known for caving in to management. His opponent Joseph Yablonski was murdered in 1969. Boyle was later convicted for ordering this crime. In 1972, Arnold Miller ran as a reform candidate and won. He said that the rank and file would vote on any new contracts. This promise was short-lived.
The strike lasted 13 months. The murder of a young striking miner by strikebreakers was the catalyst that brought the two sides back to the negotiating table.
Along the way, we get some pretty fabulous mountain music written to inspire the strikers. We also learn about black lung disease. Management claimed that it had not been scientifically shown the inhaling coal dust harmed miners’ lungs! The company would not compensate a worker disabled by black lung until the diagnosis was confirmed by an autopsy! We go inside the abysmal company housing provided to the workers. The houses are little better than shacks and lack electricity or running water.
I can’t imagine worse work than toiling in a coal mine. The strikers let Kopple into their lives and the result was a documentary as compelling as any fiction film. I love a good documentary and this is one of the very best. Highly recommended.
Harlan County U.S.A. won the Oscar for Best Documentary, Feature
