Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) [The Criterion Collection]

Director: Barbara Kopple
Stars: Norman Yarborough, Houston Elmore, Phil Sparks

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.



Note: Audio commentary by Kopple and editor Nancy Baker

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