Harlan County USA
Harlan County USA
1976, 103 minutes, Color
Barbara Kopple, director
Criterion Collection, DVD
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.
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
English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
New essays by film scholar Paul Arthur and music journalist Jon Weisberger
New cover by Eric Skillman